Summa Theologica

The Summa Theologica , or Somme of theology ( summa theologica ) is a theological treaty and philosophical of the holy Doctors of the Church Thomas d' Aquin (1224 or 1225-1274), written between 1267 and 1273 which remains unfinished.

Its project is exposed to the prolog of the first part: " the doctor of the catholic truth must not only teach most advanced, but also inform beginning them, according to these words of the Apostle (1 Co 3,1-2): “As with small children in Christ, it is milk which I gave you to drink, not solid food. ” Our intention is thus, in this work, to expose what relates to the Christian religion in the most suitable way to the formation of the beginners (...) we will try, trustful in the divine capacity, to present crowned doctrines briefly and the clearly , as much as the matter the permettra." Let us guarantee that extremely important volume and the consistency of this work did not have, in its intellectual posterity, the only consequence to inform the beginners in Théologie.

The method scholastic

The Summa Theologica examines different questions of a theological nature, of which several divided into articles which constitute as many aspects of it. An article generally has a form in four parts:

objections ( sententiae );
in contrary direction ( sed countered );
answer ( respondeo dicendum );
solution ( explicatio ).

The first part is a sample of arguments against the position which it will support in its answer. The second part, in contrary direction is shorter in the Somme of theology than in the other theological writings in the form of questions. They are the arguments held by other authors who go in contrary direction of the objections, and generally in the same direction as holy Thomas; most of the time only one, sometimes two or three arguments. The answer is the argumentation of saint Thomas d' Aquin itself. The solutions are a beautiful school of intellectual honesty, Thomas shows that the arguments called upon in the objections do not carry, but it shows also most of the time under which angle they are true.

The heart of the article is located in its center, in the respondeo , which constitutes all the argumentative development of the subject. The objections and the answers constitute the disputatif framework of the covered subject, which places any article of the Sum within the framework scholastic of the disputatio , sails very about it in the medieval universities.

Composition of the Summa Theologica

PRIMA leave (I leave) examines 119 questions, which go from what is the “doctrines crowned” (question 1) with the “body propagation of the man” (question 119). It is the study of God ( of Deo ) and of creative God ( of deo Creatore )

PRIMA secundae (Ia, IIae) examines 114 questions, which go from “the ultimate end of the human life” to the question of the “merit”. It is the study of the human acts in general ( in universali )

the Secunda secundae (IIa, IIae) examines 189 questions, which go from “the object of the faith” at “the entry in religion”. It is the study of the human acts as private individuals ( in particulari) .

the Tertia (III leave) examines 90 questions which go from “the suitability of the Incarnation” to the “parts of penitence in general”. It is the study of Christ as a mediator and way to go back to God ( of Christo mediatore ).

The problem of time

The Summa Theologica contains proposals surprising on the Temps:

this one would have a origin (the creation of the world being accompanied by that of time, concept which is not without pointing out the Big Bang; cf Short meditations on the creation of the world of Jean-Marc Rouvière, ED. Harmattan 2006) and moves away much from the popular representation (but begins again there an idea already expressed by Augustin d' Hippone with book 11 of the Confessions ).

it would be located in what Thomas names the aevum , which has neither beginning for its part, nor end.

The aevum would be to regard as distinct from the Temps strictly speaking, as well as of the eternity. The difference between the aevum and time is covered by article 5 of question 10 ( PRIMA leave ), relative to “the eternity of God”.

The Summa Theologica and modern catholic theology

The work seems to comprise two contradictions with important points of modern catholic theology:

In the Tertia , question 27 is written: “Marie was purified original sin”. This does not agree with the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Marie, 1854, who establishes that Marie was " preserved intact of any stain due to the sin originel" , and did not have thus to be purified about it (except hearing the word in the direction of preserved ).

In the Supplément with the Summa Theologica , quesion 70bis is marked that “certain men, not having received the revelation of God, die consequently without the sanctifying grace and charity and is damnés for eternity”. the Vatican II takes a position opposed, row besides on the Catéchisme of saint Pie X : “Since Christ died for all and that the last vocation of the man is really single, namely divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all, in a way that God alone knows, the possibility of being associated with the Pascal mystery” (Gaudium and Spes, 22,5).

That being, Thomas d' Aquin, for Doctors of the Church which it was going to be, was only a simple monk, and thus exciper claimed of nothing of any pontifical Infaillibilité - concept of the unknown remainder at its time.

He said remainder embarrassed to receive requests for opinion on theological questions which had been according to him spring of Rome. Not that it could not slice them, but to do it without the pontifical downstream seemed to him excessive.

Tables of content

Spacings are set up for questions of legibility, and are not present in the Summa Theologica (of which makes the words themselves of them are not separated by spaces either).

PRIMA leave : God, creation

PRIMA secundae: General morals

Secunda secundae: particular morals

Tertia leave: Christ, sacraments, fine the last

See too

Holy Thomas d' Aquin
Christian Philosophy
Theology
capital Sins
Scholastic
Somme against Nice the

Summary bibliography

Sources

Thomas d' Aquin, Summa theologiae cum Supplemento and commentariis Caietani , Leonine edition, T. IV-XI, Rome, 1886-1906.
Thomas d' Aquin, Summa Theologica , edition of the Review of the Young people, 68 vol., Paris, Turned, Rome, 1925-.
Thomas d' Aquin, Summa Theologica , 4 T., ED. stag, Paris, 1984-1986.

Comments

F. Gaboriau, the Project of the Sum. An idea for our time , FAC, Paris, 1996.
G. Lafont, Structures and method in the Summa Theologica of saint Thomas d' Aquin , ED. stag, Paris, 1996.

External bond

complete French works of saint Thomas d' Aquin, Project Doctor angelica. The whole of this site is under license GFDL (Free Documentation License).
Summa Theologica Volume I with the Editions of the Stag.

Detail of the articles of each question

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