History Literature / SummaTheologiae

* TheHeretic: Discussed in Part II-II, Q. 11. St. Thomas advocates a punitive treatment of heretics on the grounds that they corrupt Christian dogmas. As such corruption leads souls astray (St. Thomas taught that it is a graver matter to corrupt the Christian faith, which nourishes the soul, than to, for instance, forge money, which nourishes temporal life), he argues that heretics not only should not be tolerated but also deserve to be excommunicated and even handed over to the secular tribunal, where they may be put to death.

The Summa has been highly successful in the Catholic Church and remains one of the most cited works of theology even to this day. Pope Leo XIII wrote in his encyclical, ''[[http://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_04081879_aeterni-patris.html Aeterni Patris]]'', about St. Thomas's influence in the Church and aimed to advance the revival of scholastic philosophy, especially that of St. Thomas. He even adds that the Summa, alongside Scripture and a book of decrees by the Supreme Pontiffs, was placed on the altar at the Council of Trent, underscoring how much respect the bishops at Trent had for the Summa for summarizing the Church's teachings. However, despite its profound influence, it is not to be taken as equivalent in authority to Scripture or the Church (as St. Thomas would vehemently insist), and a few bits have since been formally rejected[[note]]One example of this would be St. Thomas' comments on the Immaculate Conception, in which the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin, and during his time it was up for debate. In III q. 27, art. 2, St. Thomas, although he affirms that the Blessed Virgin Mary was born without original sin, denies that she was conceived without it, saying that "this would be derogatory to the dignity of Christ, by reason of His being the universal Saviour of all. Consequently after Christ, who, as the universal Saviour of all, needed not to be saved, the purity of the Blessed Virgin holds the highest place." Blessed John Duns Scotus, another scholastic philosopher who wrote after St. Thomas' time, turned the argument upside-down and argued that it is actually ''because'' of Jesus' excellence as redeemer, reconciliator, and mediator that Mary did not contract original sin, and that to say otherwise would be derogatory to the dignity of Christ. Blessed Scotus' comments would eventually lead Pope Blessed Pius IX to write the apostolic constitution [[https://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_pi09id.htm Ineffabilis Deus]] in 1849, in which the Immaculate Conception is declared a dogma, or a divinely revealed truth transmitted from the Apostles in the Scriptures or by tradition, and proposed by the Church for the acceptance of the faithful.[[/note]].

* TheCorrupter: Discussed in Part I, Q. 114 and Part II-1, Q. 80. St. Thomas says that the Devil and the demons definitely can have a role in causing a Christian to sin, but in the sense that they suggest to the Christian or propose an object of appetite (tendency or inclination). That said, the principle of a sinful action is the will, and every sin is voluntary. This means that the Devil neither has to tempt a Christian into sinning nor has to cause evil thoughts, as sometimes the Christian can do such things entirely by choice. Even if the Christian commits a sin as the Devil suggested, it is still by choice on the part of the Christian, because he chose to go along with the Devil's suggestion to commit the sin.
* DueToTheDead: St. Thomas says that funeral rites help both the living and the dead, since they comfort the living and remind them of God, and inspire prayers for the dead, which help them if they're in Purgatory. However, he dismisses the idea that the dead cannot rest without burial as “ridiculous and absurd”.

%%* GoodNeedsEvil: {{Inverted}}. St. Thomas shows that ''evil'', the absence of a good which should be present, needs good to exist.

The Summa has been highly successful in the Catholic Church and remains one of the most cited works of theology even to this day. Pope Leo XIII wrote in his encyclical, ''[[http://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_04081879_aeterni-patris.html Aeterni Patris]]'', about St. Thomas's influence in the Church and aimed to advance the revival of scholastic philosophy, especially that of St. Thomas. He even adds that the Summa, alongside Scripture and a book of decrees by the Supreme Pontiffs, was placed on the altar at the Council of Trent, underscoring how much respect the bishops at Trent had for the Summa for summarizing the Church's teachings. However, despite its profound influence, it is not to be taken as equivalent in authority to Scripture or the Church, and a few bits have since been formally rejected[[note]]One example of this would be St. Thomas' comments on the Immaculate Conception, in which the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin, and during his time it was up for debate. In III q. 27, art. 2, St. Thomas, although he affirms that the Blessed Virgin Mary was born without original sin, denies that she was conceived without it, saying that "this would be derogatory to the dignity of Christ, by reason of His being the universal Saviour of all. Consequently after Christ, who, as the universal Saviour of all, needed not to be saved, the purity of the Blessed Virgin holds the highest place." Blessed John Duns Scotus, another scholastic philosopher who wrote after St. Thomas' time, turned the argument upside-down and argued that it is actually ''because'' of Jesus' excellence as redeemer, reconciliator, and mediator that Mary did not contract original sin, and that to say otherwise would be derogatory to the dignity of Christ. Blessed Scotus' comments would eventually lead Pope Blessed Pius IX to write the apostolic constitution [[https://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_pi09id.htm Ineffabilis Deus]] in 1849, in which the Immaculate Conception is declared a dogma, or a divinely revealed truth transmitted from the Apostles in the Scriptures or by tradition, and proposed by the Church for the acceptance of the faithful.[[/note]].

* TheHeretic: Discussed in Part II-II, Q. 11. St. Thomas teaches that heretics belong to the Christian faith, but seek to corrupt its dogmas. As such corruption leads souls astray (St. Thomas taught that it is a graver matter to corrupt the Christian faith, which nourishes the soul, than to, for instance, forge money, which nourishes temporal life), he argues that heretics not only should not be tolerated but also excommunicated and even handed over to the secular tribunal, where they may be put to death.

* AppealToAuthority: Typically, St. Thomas makes this kind of argument in the Sed contra to indicate his own position. The argument from authority is also discussed in Part I, Q. 1, Art. 8. One of the objections to sacred doctrine being argumentative is that the argument is either from authority or from reason. If it is from authority, then it would be unbefitting the dignity of sacred doctrine because the argument from authority is the weakest form of proof... according to Creator/{{Boethius}}. St. Thomas replies that the argument from authority is the weakest form of argument ''if'' it is based on human reason, but the strongest if based on divine revelation. This argument works if the opponent concedes belief in divine revelation, which is why the Bible is used when disputing with heretics.

* AsYouKnow: Because of the compendium’s nature, St. Thomas frequently and repeatedly explains basic bits of Christian philosophy. He does this because subsequent articles and questions build on ideas explored in previous articles.

--> In cases of need all things are common property, so that there would seem to be no sin in taking another's property, for need has made it common.
* TheNicknamer: Usually, St. Thomas refers to other writers by nicknames. St. Paul is "the Apostle", Aristotle is "the Philosopher", Peter Lombard is “the Master”, and so on.

--> "Sciences are differentiated according to the various means through which knowledge is obtained. For the astronomer and the physicist both may prove the same conclusion: that the earth, for instance, is round: the astronomer by means of mathematics (i.e. abstracting from matter), but the physicist by means of matter itself. Hence there is no reason why those things which may be learned from philosophical science, so far as they can be known by natural reason, may not also be taught us by another science so far as they fall within revelation. Hence theology included in sacred doctrine differs in kind from that theology which is part of philosophy."

->''"It was necessary for our salvation that there be a knowledge revealed by God, besides philosophical science built up by human reason. Firstly, indeed, because the human being is directed to God, as to an end that surpasses the grasp of his reason. 'The eye hath not seen, O God, besides Thee, what things Thou hast prepared for them that wait for Thee' (Isaiah 64:4). But the end must first be known by men who are to direct their thoughts and actions to the end. Hence it was necessary for the salvation of man that certain truths which exceed human reason should be made known to him by divine revelation."''
-->-- '''St. Thomas Aquinas''', Summa Theologiae (I, q. 1, art. 1)

* JustifiedCriminal: Theft is wholly absolved of sin if done out of necessity.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Usually, St. Thomas refers to people by nicknames. St. Paul is “the Apostle”, Aristotle is “the Philosopher”, Peter Lombard is “the Master”, and so on.

* AsTheGoodBookSays: But of course. St. Thomas cites Scripture throughout this work.

-->--'''St. Thomas Aquinas''', Summa Theologiae (I, q. 1, art. 1)

The Summa has been highly successful in the Catholic Church and remains one of the most cited works of theology even to this day. Pope Leo XIII wrote in his encyclical, ''[[http://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_04081879_aeterni-patris.html Aeterni Patris]]'', about St. Thomas's influence in the Church and aimed to advance the revival of scholastic philosophy, especially that of St. Thomas. He even adds that the Summa, alongside Scripture and a book of decrees by the Supreme Pontiffs, was placed on the altar at the Council of Trent, underscoring how much respect the bishops at Trent had for the Summa for summarizing the Church's teachings. However, despite its profound influence, it is not to be taken as equivalent in authority to Scripture or the Church, and a few bits have since been formally rejected[[note]]One example of this would be St. Thomas' comments on the Immaculate Conception, in which the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin. In III q. 27, art. 2, St. Thomas, although he affirms that the Blessed Virgin Mary was born without original sin, denies that she was conceived without it, saying that "this would be derogatory to the dignity of Christ, by reason of His being the universal Saviour of all. Consequently after Christ, who, as the universal Saviour of all, needed not to be saved, the purity of the Blessed Virgin holds the highest place." Blessed John Duns Scotus, another scholastic philosopher who wrote after St. Thomas' time, argued that it is actually ''because'' of Jesus' excellence as redeemer, reconciliator, and mediator that Mary did not contract original sin, and that to say otherwise would be derogatory to the dignity of Christ. Blessed Scotus' comments would eventually lead Pope Blessed Pius IX to write the apostolic constitution [[https://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_pi09id.htm Ineffabilis Deus]] in 1849, in which the Immaculate Conception is declared a dogma, or a divinely revealed truth transmitted from the Apostles in the Scriptures or by tradition, and proposed by the Church for the acceptance of the faithful.[[/note]].

* HypocriticalHumor: Invoked when St. Thomas writes that the proof from authority is the weakest form of proof according to Boethius, which is in itself a proof from authority.

* AppealToAuthority: Typically, St. Thomas makes this kind of argument in the Sed contra to indicate his own position. The argument from authority is also discussed in Part I, Q. 1, Art. 8. One of the objections to sacred doctrine being argumentative is that the argument is either from authority or from reason. If it is from authority, then it would be unbefitting the dignity of sacred doctrine because the argument from authority is the weakest form of proof... according to Creator/{{Boethius}}. St. Thomas replies that the argument from authority is the weakest form of argument ''if'' it is based on human reason, but is the strongest if based on divine revelation. This argument works if the opponent concedes belief in divine revelation (which is why the Bible is used when disputing with heretics)

%%* BigBad: The Devil and the demonic, without a doubt. St. Thomas, however,

* EvilStoleMyFaith: Presented as one of the objections to the existence of God.

* AppealToAuthority: Typically St. Thomas makes this kind of argument in the Sed contra. This is to indicate his own position.

* TheCorrupter: Discussed in Part I, Q. 114 and Part II-1, Q. 80. St. Thomas says that the Devil and the demons definitely can have a role in causing a Christian to sin, but in the sense that they suggest to the Christian or propose an object of appetite (tendency or inclination). That said, if a Christian commits the sin as the Devil suggested, it is entirely by choice on the part of the Christian because the principle of a sinful action is the will and every sin is voluntary. St Thomas adds that sometimes, evil thoughts can arise entirely from the movement of free will, without any instigation from the Devil.