Summa summae S. Thomae sive compendium theologiae
Charles René Billuart (1685–1757)
First published 1754
Charles René Billuart, O.P.'s Summa summae S. Thomae sive compendium theologiae (Liège, 1754) is his six-volume abridgment of the larger Summa S. Thomae hodiernis academiarum moribus accommodata (1746–1751). It condenses Aquinas's order and teaching into a reference manual while retaining the Dominican's characteristic distinctions, scholastic proofs, and historical material. The compendium belongs to the eighteenth-century consolidation of post-Tridentine Thomist education and helped carry Billuart's influential reading of Aquinas into later schools. Schola presents the Latin text with an English translation from its public-domain source.
Proemium I: De natura et dotibus theologiae
Tractatus I: De Deo et Ejus Attributis
Dissertatio I: De Dei existentia
Articulus I: Utrum Deum esse sit per se notum
Articulus II: Utrum sit Deus, et quibus rationibus demonstretur?
Articulus III: De Atheismo
Articulus IV: Utrum possit dari ignorantia invincibilis de existentia Dei?
Articulus V: An existant athei theoretici?
Dissertatio II: De natura seu quidditate Dei et Ejus attributis in communi
Articulus I: Quodnam sit constitutivum divinae naturae?
Articulus II: De attributis divinis in communi
Dissertatio III: De attributis in particulari quae pertinent ad divinum esse
Articulus I: De simplicitate Dei
Articulus II: De perfectione Dei
Articulus III: De bonitate Dei
Tractatus I: De infinitate Dei
Tractatus II: De immensitate Dei
Articulus IV: De immutabilitate Dei
Articulus V: De aeternitate Dei
Articulus VI: An Deus sit unus?
Dissertatio IV: De visione Dei a nobis
Articulus I: Utrum Deus, ut est in se, possit videri oculo corporeo?
Articulus II: Utrum intellectus creatus supernaturaliter adiutus possit videre Deum ut in se est?
Articulus III: Utrum aliquis in hac vita viderit, possitve videre Deum ut est in se?
Articulus IV: Utrum essentia divina videatur aut videri possit per aliquam similitudinem seu speciem?
Dissertatio V: De scientia Dei
Articulus I: Utrum in Deo sit scientia proprie dicta, eaque sit attributum?
Articulus II: De obiecto et divisione scientiae Dei
Articulus III: An et quae scientia in Deo sit causa rerum?
Articulus IV: In quo medio Deus cognoscat alia a se?
Dissertatio VI: De praescientia futurorum
Articulus I: Quid et quotuplex sit futurum?
Articulus II: Utrum Deus certo et infallibiliter cognoscat omnia futura absoluta, contingentia et libera?
Articulus III: Quomodo futura sint praesentia in aeternitate?
Articulus IV: In quo medio Deus cognoscat futura absoluta, contingentia et libera?
Articulus V: De scientia futurorum conditionatorum
Articulus VI: De scientia media
Dissertatio VII: De voluntate Dei
Articulus I: De voluntate Dei secundum se, et eius obiecto
Articulus II: De libertate Dei
Articulus III: Quotuplex sit voluntas in Deo, et an semper impleatur?
Articulus IV: De voluntate Dei circa salutem omnium
Articulus V: Utrum Christus sit mortuus pro omnibus omnino hominibus?
Articulus VI: Utrum Deus omnibus provideat auxilia sufficientia ad salutem?
Dissertatio VIII: De praedefinitionibus seu decretis divinis circa actus nostros liberos
Articulus I: Unde repetenda sit infallibilis efficacia divinorum decretorum circa actus nostros liberos?
Articulus II: Solvuntur obiectiones
Dissertatio IX: De providentia, praedestinatione et reprobatione
Articulus I: De providentia
Articulus II: De praedestinatione
Articulus III: Utrum praedestinatio sit ex praevisis meritis, an mere gratuita
Articulus IV: Solvuntur obiectiones contra utramque conclusionem
Articulus V: De reprobatione
Articulus VI: De motivo reprobationis
Tractatus II: Tractatus de SS. Trinitatis Mysterio
Dissertatio I: De Veritate Mysterii SS. Trinitatis
Articulus I
Caput I: § I: Asseritur veritatis mysterii SS. Trinitatis
Caput II: § II Objectiones a ratione contra integrum mysterium
Articulus II: Utrum sanctissimae Trinitatis mysterium possit lumine naturali cognosci?
Dissertatio II: De processionibus divinarum personarum
Articulus I: Utrum in divinis sint processiones?
Articulus II: Unde processio Verbi habeat quod sit generatio, et non processio Spiritus Sancti?
Dissertatio III: De relationibus divinis
Articulus I: An sint et quot sint in Deo relationes reales?
Articulus II: Utrum relationes divinae habeant existentias relativas realiter inter se et virtualiter ab existentia essentiae distinctas?
Articulus III: Utrum relationes divinae, praeter perfectionem absolutam essentiae, afferant aliam relativam?
Dissertatio IV: De Personis Divinis
Articulus I: Utrum personae divinae constituantur relationibus?
Articulus II: Utrum in Deo secundum se considerato et personis praeintellecto sit aliqua subsistentia absoluta, et praeter illam sint insuper tres subsistentiae relativae
Articulus III: Utrum Spiritus sanctus procedat a Filio?
Articulus IV: De missione divinarum personarum
Tractatus III: Tractatus de Deo Creatore
Dissertatio I: De processione creaturarum a Deo
Articulus I: Utrum omne ens sit effective a Deo?
Articulus II: Utrum Deus sit causa exemplaris et finalis omnium rerum?
[I say: God is the first exemplar cause of all things1; because God has the rationes, or ideas and exemplars, of all the things that He produces according to determinate species. For God, since He is an intelligent agent, does not act in a blind manner or by chance. But these ideas or exemplars are really nothing other than the divine essence, as it is participable by creatures in diverse ways, as St. Thomas teaches2.
I say secondly: God is the final cause of all things3.
It is of faith. Thus it was defined by the Vatican Council, Constitution on the Catholic Faith, canon 5: « If anyone... shall have denied that the world was created for the glory of God; let him be anathema. »
*It is proved first * from Sacred Scripture. Proverbs, XVI, 4: The Lord has made all things for himself.
*It is proved secondly *by reason. That is the final cause of all things which the first and universal agent intends to communicate to all, and which all things intend, insofar as they can, to attain. But the divine goodness is that which God intends to communicate to all, and which all things intend to attain, by appetite whether rational, or sensible, or natural. Therefore.
— The minor is proved. God, as the first and universal agent and infinitely perfect, does not act for the sake of an end to be acquired, for he does not stand in need of our goods; but he acts for the sake of communicating his perfection, which is his goodness, and every created thing intends its own good and its own perfection, which is a likeness and participation of the divine goodness. Therefore.
Therefore God wills and acts on account of his goodness, not because he desires it, for what is desired is not yet had; but because he loves it perfectly, for love is also of what is present. But from the fact that he perfectly loves his goodness, he wills it to be communicated to others.]