Highlights of the Summa
Theology is often described as a science, seeking to provide "certain knowledge through causes." This aligns with traditional theological approaches, where understanding God, the divine processions, and creation follows a structured and systematic inquiry about God.
PART 1: ON GOD
The Father begets the Son, and together, the Father and Son breathe forth the Holy Spirit. These processions are relational, where the Father relates to the Son through paternity, and the Son relates to the Father through sonship. In theological terms, the Father is described as subsisting paternity, and the Son as subsisting filiation (sonship).
Creation and Causality:
God is understood as the efficient, exemplar, and final cause of creation. Creation itself is a relationship of dependence, where all things are oriented from God and toward God. This concept also extends to angels, who, as pure intelligences, exist in two moments: their creation in grace and their moment of choice. Those who choose God remain angels, while those who reject Him become demons.
Image and Exemplar:
In Thomistic theology, particularly in the Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas presents God as the Exemplar in the first part, and humanity as the image in the second part, reflecting and oriented toward this divine pattern.
In Thomistic theology, particularly in the Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas presents God as the Exemplar in the first part, and humanity as the image in the second part, reflecting and oriented toward this divine pattern.
PART 2: ON HUMANITY AND MORALITY
Habits:
Habits are stable dispositions of the soul, enabling it to act reliably toward the good. There are two main kinds of habits: virtues (good habits) and vices (bad habits). Virtue enables the soul to act toward its highest potential, while vice detracts from it.
Habits are stable dispositions of the soul, enabling it to act reliably toward the good. There are two main kinds of habits: virtues (good habits) and vices (bad habits). Virtue enables the soul to act toward its highest potential, while vice detracts from it.
Law:
Aquinas also categorizes law as an ordinance of reason, given for the common good. He distinguishes four types of law:
Eternal Law: God's governance over the universe.
Natural Law: Moral principles accessible to human reason.
Divine Law: Specifically revealed laws (e.g., Mosaic Law and the New Law of Christ).
Human Law: Civil laws enacted for societal governance.
Aquinas also categorizes law as an ordinance of reason, given for the common good. He distinguishes four types of law:
Eternal Law: God's governance over the universe.
Natural Law: Moral principles accessible to human reason.
Divine Law: Specifically revealed laws (e.g., Mosaic Law and the New Law of Christ).
Human Law: Civil laws enacted for societal governance.
PART 3: ON CHRIST
Acts of Faith:
Faith consists of two acts: an interior act of belief and an exterior act of confession. Together, they encompass the totality of a person's commitment to the truths of the faith.
Faith consists of two acts: an interior act of belief and an exterior act of confession. Together, they encompass the totality of a person's commitment to the truths of the faith.
Christ’s Knowledge:
Christ, in assuming full humanity, possesses three forms of knowledge: beatific knowledge (the direct vision of God), infused knowledge (the knowledge granted to prophets), and acquired knowledge (the experiential knowledge He gained through human life). This reinforces the idea that Christ assumes our entire humanity, allowing Him to relate to us fully in all dimensions.
KEY POINTS:
Theology as a Science: St. Thomas defines theology as certain knowledge gained through reasoning about revealed doctrines, illuminated by faith.
Existence and Nature of God: Aquinas proves God’s existence through five ways, drawn from creation. He then clarifies what God is not—removing imperfections and showing God as simple, perfect, infinite, and eternal.
The Trinity: St. Thomas explains the Triune God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) as one God with distinct relations: the Father begets the Son, and the Father and Son breathe forth the Holy Spirit.
Creation and Angels: God is the efficient, exemplar, and final cause of creation. St. Thomas details the nature of angels, who were created in grace, and their choice for or against God.
Humans and Moral Life: Humans, made in God's image, strive towards beatitude—ultimate happiness found only in God. St. Thomas discusses virtues (moral, intellectual, and theological) and how they perfect the human soul.
Law and Grace: Aquinas categorizes laws into eternal, natural, divine, and human laws, and explores grace—sanctifying, actual, sacramental, and charismatic.
Virtue and Vices: He examines human virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance), their importance in the moral life, and the cultivation of good habits.
Christ and Salvation: In the third part of the Summa, Aquinas describes Christ as the divine exemplar who took on human nature to save humanity. His life, death, and resurrection are central to salvation, and the sacraments serve as channels for grace.
St. Thomas’ work intricately connects God's nature, human moral life, and the role of Christ, forming a comprehensive theological system aimed at understanding and participating in the divine life in Heaven.
Theology as a Science: St. Thomas defines theology as certain knowledge gained through reasoning about revealed doctrines, illuminated by faith.
Existence and Nature of God: Aquinas proves God’s existence through five ways, drawn from creation. He then clarifies what God is not—removing imperfections and showing God as simple, perfect, infinite, and eternal.
The Trinity: St. Thomas explains the Triune God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) as one God with distinct relations: the Father begets the Son, and the Father and Son breathe forth the Holy Spirit.
Creation and Angels: God is the efficient, exemplar, and final cause of creation. St. Thomas details the nature of angels, who were created in grace, and their choice for or against God.
Humans and Moral Life: Humans, made in God's image, strive towards beatitude—ultimate happiness found only in God. St. Thomas discusses virtues (moral, intellectual, and theological) and how they perfect the human soul.
Law and Grace: Aquinas categorizes laws into eternal, natural, divine, and human laws, and explores grace—sanctifying, actual, sacramental, and charismatic.
Virtue and Vices: He examines human virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance), their importance in the moral life, and the cultivation of good habits.
Christ and Salvation: In the third part of the Summa, Aquinas describes Christ as the divine exemplar who took on human nature to save humanity. His life, death, and resurrection are central to salvation, and the sacraments serve as channels for grace.
St. Thomas’ work intricately connects God's nature, human moral life, and the role of Christ, forming a comprehensive theological system aimed at understanding and participating in the divine life in Heaven.
