Summa summae S. Thomae sive compendium theologiae

Ⅰ. Theologia, according to the etymology of the name, is discourse concerning God, so called from the twofold Greek expression θεος λογος; according to the signification of the name, it is the doctrine of divine things drawing conclusions from principles immediately revealed.

II. It is divided on the part of the subject into the theology of the blessed and the theology of wayfarers.

[The theology of the blessed rests upon the supernatural light of glory, and is twofold. One, which is called by St. Augustine matutinal cognition, is the very beatific vision, by which the blessed clearly see in the Word all the divine mysteries; it is essentially intuitive, because it consists in the very permanent act of vision. The other is called by the same Augustine vespertinal cognition: it is that by which the blessed, from principles known or seen in the divine essence by the light of glory, deduce, by the force of natural light, conclusions concerning the divine mysteries, and know them either through species infused by God or acquired by their own labor on the way; it is formally discursive, nor does it differ substantially from ours, which it surpasses only in clarity. The theology of wayfarers is that to which we devote ourselves in the present state, while we are on pilgrimage away from the Lord, Ⅱ Cor., v, 6: it deduces its conclusions, by the force of natural light, from principles of faith immediately revealed.]

On the part of the object it is divided into speculative, which rests in the sole consideration of divine things, such as the mystery of the Trinity, the Incarnation, etc., and practical or moral, which treats of matters pertaining to the direction of morals, such as human acts, sins, laws, etc.

On the part of mode, it is divided into positive, which treats of divine matters in a more diffuse, more elegant, and as it were oratorical style, and less accommodated to the rules of dialectic ¹; and scholastic, which treats of the same matters in a manner of speaking more concise, more subtle, and more exact, according to the rules of dialectic, by expounding terms, opening the state of the question, defining, dividing, syllogizing, resolving objections, etc. ²

Hence you have that positive and scholastic theology do not differ from one another essentially and with respect to the object, for they have the same one, but only accidentally, with respect to a different method; and that those are mistaken who place positive theology in the knowledge of revealed truths which are contained in the Scriptures and traditions, and scholastic theology in the discursive deduction of conclusions from revealed truths: for thus positive theology would not be distinguished from faith, nor would it be theology, as is clear from its definition. Therefore positive theology truly does reason and from revealed truths infers and deduces other things, but not so accurately as scholastic theology, and only in this do they differ.

This more exact method, however, first began to be employed in the eighth century by St. John Damascene; it received an increase in the twelfth century from Peter Lombard, bishop of Paris, who for that reason was called the Master of the Sentences; and finally it received its completion in the thirteenth century from St. Thomas, the Angelic Doctor.

[The holy Church asserted by her supreme authority the usefulness, indeed also the necessity, of scholastic theology, against its detractors and despisers. Among the other propositions of Wyclif, the Council of Constance, sess. Ⅷ, condemned this one: «Universities, studies, colleges, and magisteria were introduced by vain chattering.» But she not only commended, but also prescribed the use of this method, by several decrees which accord perfectly with the following one issued by Honorius III: «Let some teachable men be assigned to the study of the theological profession, who, when they shall have become learned, may shine in the Church of God like the splendor of the firmament; from whom afterward a supply of doctors may be had, who, as stars destined to remain unto perpetual eternities, may be able to instruct very many unto justice: and if their own ecclesiastical revenues are not sufficient, let the aforesaid provide them with the necessities ³.»]

Ⅲ. By God’s ordinary law, besides the natural sciences, it was necessary that there be in the Church a certain doctrine according to revelation, that is, theology considered as to its substance, insofar as it abstracts from the positive and the scholastic. Because man is ordered to a supernatural end which exceeds the grasp of reason, and since, before the other animals, he is led by cognition, he ought to know this supernatural end, so that he may direct his intentions and actions toward it ⁴.

Indeed, that end can be known through faith, when it is possessed, and God could absolutely infuse it without any theology at all; but, according to the common course of divine providence, faith can neither be had, nor propagated, nor preserved and defended, without theology. For faith, which according to the Apostle is from hearing, and hearing through the word of God, I Rom., X, 17, is generated, nourished, defended, not by a simple narration of the mysteries, but by discourses, congruities, examples, and various other considerations, by which the obscurity of the Scriptures is elucidated, Tradition is proved, the credibility of the mysteries is demonstrated, and the cavils, cunning devices, and sophisms of heretics attacking them are detected and refuted; and all this is proper to theology: whence Augustine, in book XIV of On the Trinity, chap. 1, says that through it “the most health-giving faith, which leads to true beatitude, is generated, nourished, defended, strengthened.” Yet it is not necessary for every man to be a theologian in order to be saved, but faith suffices for him by which he simply professes those things that must necessarily be believed by all. Hence Augustine, ibid.: “By this knowledge,” he says, “very many of the faithful do not excel, although they excel in faith, which alone suffices.”

IV. As regards scholastic theology, into which heretics have raged, and which certain theologians depress more than is fair, if it is considered in itself, it is also necessary in the Church, and has always flourished from its beginning: because, so considered, it is nothing other than theology according to substance, which we just now said to be necessary. For theology according to itself is scientia, but every scientia is argumentative and in this sense scholastic.

But, if it be considered according to the state which it now has in the schools, it is not necessary, since the Church stood for a long time without it; yet it is exceedingly useful: because through this faith is admirably engendered, nourished, and defended, as is evident both from the experience of so many distinguished men who have happily employed it against the profane novelties of heretics, and from the very nature of exact dialectic. For to speak in a concise, simple, and open style, with the prolixity of words cut away, to remove the equivocations of terms, to open and fix the state of the question, to define, to divide, to syllogize, to solve objections, these, I say, which are proper to scholastic theology, no one will deny to help in persuading and defending the truth.

To be sure, the Apostle, Coloss., II, 8, and the holy Fathers everywhere disapprove philosophy, not considered according to itself, but insofar as men misuse it for the deception of others and to the detriment of the faith, over which it sometimes wishes to domineer ⁵.

The Apostles and the Fathers of the earlier centuries, however, did not make use of these ⁶, so that the whole of what belongs to the faith, and the conversion of the whole world, might be attributed not to human power or wisdom, but to God; but, once the faith had been planted and made firm, and the conversion of the world accomplished, God willed that both secular power and secular wisdom should serve the end of this Religion, in order to show that the world, through the victory of faith, has been made subject to Him, both as to power and as to wisdom.

V. Theology is truly a science ⁷, if indeed it deduces conclusions from certain and immutable principles. Nor is it an objection that it lacks actual evidence; for to the notion of a true subalternated science, such as the theology of wayfarers with respect to the theology of the blessed, radical evidence suffices, or that it proceeds from principles manifested in the subalternating science and radically per se known: otherwise there would be few demonstrations, since there are few syllogisms whose premises must not be proved through others better known.

Ⅵ. The formal object which of theology is God under the ratio of deity ⁸, because it is that which is attained principally and for its own sake by theology, and by reason of which the other things are attained. The formal object by which is virtual and mediate revelation, by which it is distinguished from faith, which rests upon immediate revelation, and from metaphysics, which proceeds by natural light alone. The material and adequate object, however, is every thing that falls under virtual and mediate revelation.

Ⅶ. Theology is an entitatively natural habitus, because it is acquired by human study, or through natural acts, as experience shows. Nor does it stand in the way that its principles, namely the articles of faith, and its object, namely God, are supernatural: because the principles which are the articles of faith do not influence the conclusion except remotely and by means of natural discourse; but an effect savors more of the nature of the proximate cause than of the remote one. Likewise, God is not the specificative object of theology except insofar as He underlies virtual revelation, or natural discourse, under which ratio He is formally something natural.

[Contenson, himself a Thomist, with certain outsiders, contradicts this, saying that “if theology is radically supernatural, it is also such entitatively.” And he strives to prove this by this twofold reasoning: that “the object of theology is God considered according to those notions which surpass every created or creatable nature; in a word, insofar as he is known by faith, which indeed is borne toward God as supernatural author; but theology treats of God under the light of divine revelation, nor does it use any principles, means, or motives other than the supernatural articles of faith ⁹.” Although the object of theology and its principles are supernatural, it cannot be denied that its habit is acquired by human study, or through natural acts, and not infused supernaturally. Hence it seems truer that this habit is formally natural.]

VIII. Theology, whether according to habitus or according to act, is more certain in itself than the other natural sciences, because it has certainty from divine revelation, ignorant of being deceived, into which it is ultimately resolved ¹⁰. The natural sciences, however, have certainty from the natural light of human reason, which, although the object about which it is occupied is sometimes most certain, is nevertheless through sin wrapped in darkness and liable to error: hence, although in other sciences there can be greater objective certainty, there is not nevertheless subjective certainty in itself.

But as regards us, theology is not more certain than the other natural sciences; because that is said to be more certain as regards us which is more proportioned to the intellect and satisfies and quiets it more; and this the natural sciences provide by reason of the evidence which theology lacks, inasmuch as it rests upon obscure revelation.

Ⅸ. A theological conclusion, as such, although it is in itself more certain than the other natural sciences, is nevertheless not certain with the certitude of faith, nor does it pertain to faith; because a theological conclusion, reduplicatively as such, is not immediately revealed, nor does it rest on the motive of faith alone, but is only virtually and mediately revealed in its premises, from which it is deduced through human discourse: hence we assent to it, not precisely on account of revelation, but because by natural light we perceive it to be connected with revealed truth; faith, however, or the supernatural certitude of faith, rests upon revelation alone and immediate.

We have previously set forth theology, according to the scholastic method for the use of the schools, especially the Thomistic, distributed into 19 tomes, which, the Lord blessing it, was not displeasing to many; now, that the wishes of those and of others may be satisfied, we present its Compendium, briefer in speculative matters, because less necessary, somewhat more ample in moral matters, because more necessary. There have been added vindications of certain assertions against one or another neoteric assailant. Likewise we have appended to the treatise on Faith a brief dissertation on the principal motives of the credibility of the Christian Religion against the deists of today. Make use of these things, Reader, and fare well.