Summa theologica

Summa Theologica or Summa Theologiae (German Theological sum or sum of theology ) denotes one of the major works of Thomas Aquinas from the period between 1265 (or 1266 ) to 1273rd ( It also have other authors of scholasticism written a sum of Theology, such as Alexander of Hales, a Summa Theologica (also Halensis Summa Summa Summa universae theologiae or Fratris Alexandri ), Albertus Magnus Summa theologiae a sive de Mirabili scientia dei or Durandus of St. Pourçain. )

• 5.1 Primary Sources
• 5.2 secondary literature and partial translations

Introduction

Thomas Aquinas created a system in which he refers faith and knowledge of his time with each other. Thomas shows that God is Being itself. His character falls - in contrast to all created beings - with its being together ( see also Natural theology ). From this being of God is therefore finite being of all creatures to distinguish. The finite being is based on the infinite Being of God, even only by this at all possible. In other words: God is the infinite being; Creatures are finite being.

Thomas gathered in this Summa some controversial proofs of God. The theory of being (ontology ), he took over from Aristotle and developed them further.

Character of the work

The main work of Thomas is considered by many to be the most outstanding philosophical and theological works ever. The work is divided into three parts; the third part remained unfinished and was completed by students of Thomas by a " Supplementum ". The three parts, these are divided into Quaestionen into articles. Articles are initiated by objections; on it is usually followed by a counter-argument ( sed contra ), in the article nucleus ( corpus articuli ) The analysis or doctrinal decision is then made ​​on this follows the last opinion on the objections. They cover issues such the philosophical and theological doctrine of God, morality and virtue doctrine and Christology and the sacraments. Sources Thomas used the Scriptures, the Church Fathers and theologians who were regarded as authorities, liturgical texts, philosophers, most notably among them Aristotle. In addition, Thomas called sometimes difficult to be determined " quidam ", the teachings of the 13th century were circulating continue councils, church arrangements and canonical sources. In the prologue, Thomas says explicitly that he at beginners ( incipientes, novicii ) applies; thus explains the pedagogical and systematic structure.

Construction

Part 1

The first Quaestio the first part is proving theology as a science, explains its method and its primacy over other sciences. Main theme of the first part is the philosophical- theological doctrine of God, being and essence of God and the Trinity. God is the founding in itself being itself Everything else is not his own being, but has being by participation. Therefore, God is first objective cause, archetypal and efficient cause of all beings and through his will; the " materia prima " is created by God out of nothing. Whether God created the world from eternity, or whether both heaven and earth were created with time, is doctrine and can not be decided through reason (I, 46, 2).

The question of the origin of evil Thomas hits a now classic distinction: The Bad, which consists in a lack of activity or is caused by a deficiency of the caster, can not be attributed to God. The evil that is in the destruction of some things is caused by God, because the order of the universe requires that there are things that can fail and sometimes fail. At the order of the world is also the order of justice, which requires that sinners be punished. Insofar punishment for the punished is a bad thing, is God is the author of evil; but he is not the author of evil, guilt and evil is.

After the angels and demons teaching the creation of the material beings is treated; the structure of this part connects to the Genesis over the six days' work.

With the Quaestio 75 teaching starts from the creation of man. First, the nature of the human soul and its powers are examined. The human mind - soul is considered in the Aristotelian sense as a formal principle of the body. Particularly important are the Quaestiones 84-88 on the spiritual knowledge. Thomas puts the woman on her role as a mother stated, " since the man to each other works better help the other man is as in woman " (I, 92, 1). He sees a certain inequality among people as necessary, and this inequality to the beauty of gottgestifteten order belong (I, 96, 3).

The following discussions relate to the management of the world, the influence of the angels and demons on the world, then the influence of celestial bodies on earthly events. Since this is the action of secondary causes, whose order fate ( fatum ) is, Thomas is a four articles on this. The last Quaestiones of the first part are devoted to human effectiveness and reproduction.

Part 2

In the second part of the moral teaching is presented. Main theme is the ultimate goal of human life, and that by which man get to this goal, or it can miss. Every action and event takes place for the sake of a goal. Reason gifted beings like humans derive the forest itself the goal because it means of their freedom of choice dominion over their actions; irrational creatures have a natural ordination to the destination. The ultimate goal of all people is the happiness ( beatitudo ), the content of course, there is often confusion. The perfect happiness consists in the vision of the divine essence and is not to be attained in this life. Because man achieved this goal because of actions are investigated. This study is first, then generally carried out in particular, with which Thomas turns to the theory of virtue. Virtue ( virtus ) is " a good quality - in terms of habitus - the mind, because that is really lived, that no one used badly effects the God in us without our help ." For the latter it is stated that this is a cast virtue ( virtus infusa ) is caused by God without our activity, but not without our consent. All areas of the doctrine of virtue are taken into account by Thomas: The dianoetic ( virtutes intellectuales ), the theological ( faith, hope, love), the moral virtues and sins; Law in general and in particular, divine grace and justification.

For Thomas, a law is a transfer of reason by a superior means of which the subordinates are conducted. It targets an asset and should make good subordinates (I- II, 92, 1). Summa Theologiae I-II, 90-97 contains the following hierarchically structured teaching the law, with God the entire cosmos tells an all-encompassing order: God is the supreme legislator, on the ultimately rests all order in the world. The eternal law (lex aeterna ) is the outgoing of the divine reason of Procedure of the entire cosmos. It can not be the divine law (lex divina ) be confused, namely the held by the revelation in the Bible as a divine statute law. The natural law or natural law (lex naturalis ) means the participation of rational creatures in the eternal law. Man can namely the eternal law not fully recognize. The legislature of a political community is not completely free in the definition of the law. Human law (lex humana ) must be ordered to the common good. It can be derived in two ways from the natural law. At the right of peoples (ius gentium ), this is similar to a scientific conclusion, the civil law (ius civilis ) a less severe manner in terms of a more precise definition of the natural law. A law that differs from the natural law is not a law in the proper sense, " but a destruction of the law" ( legis corruptio ) (I- II, 95, 2). Accordingly, a law that was enacted by a tyrant, also no law (I- II, 95, 4). The divine law, that is, Divine Revelation in space and time, a distinction is made in the Old Law ( I-II, 98-105 ) and the New Law or the Law of the Gospel ( I-II, 106ff. ). In the Mosaic Law of the Old Testament Thomas distinguishes between moral commandments (I- II, 100), cult rules ( 101-103 ) and legal statutes ( 104-105 ). It assigns all moral rules, including the Ten Commandments, the law of nature, but he explains that human reason can account for only a part of these regulations. The gospel is a law of liberty (lex libertatis ) called (I- II, 108, 1).

While the studies in the first half of the second part are mostly general in nature, they have special character in the second half. For the much-discussed question of the primacy of the vita activa, or the contemplative life Thomas takes position in the following way: the " contemplative life " is generally better than the " vita activa", due to special circumstances but is often the " vita activa" preference to give.

Part 3

The unfinished third part deals with the Christology and the sacraments ( Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance ). The Supplementum supplemented the remarks on penance and adds the treatises on extreme unction ( extrema unctio ), ordination and marriage added. It concludes with discussions on the fate of souls after death, about end of the world, resurrection, judgment, eternal salvation and damnation.

Assessment

The language of the work is artless, but of great clarity. The theology is consistently imbued with the traditional terminology of Aristotle. So Thomas, for example, the first scholastics who viewed the human soul as the principle of form ( forma) of the body.