Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/739

 THOMAS

675

THOMAS

Ad prinium air prooeditiir.

1. Videtur quod non ait neces-

8arium prjptcr philosophi- cas disciplinas aliam doc- trinam haberi. Ad ea enim qu» supra rationem sunt, homo non debet conari, secundum iiiud Eccli. 3. 22: Altiora te ne quiesieris. Sed ea qu® rationi subduntur, auf- ficienter traduntur in philosophicis disciplinis. Superfluum igitur videtur prseter philosophicas dis- ciplinas aliam doctrinani haberi.

2. Prffiterea, doctrina non po-

test esse nisi de ente; nihil enim scitur nisi verum. quod cum ente converti- tur. Sed de omnibus en- tibus tractatur in disci- plinis philosophicis et etiam de Deo; unde quie- dam pars philosophise dici- tur theologia, sive scientia divina, ut patet per Phil- osophum in 6 Metaph. (com. 2). Non fuit igitur necessarium prater phil- osophicas disciplinas aliam doctrinani haberi.

Sed contra est quod dicitur 2 ad Timoth.. 3, 16: Omnis Bcriptura divinitus in- spirata utilis est ad docen- oum, ad arguendum, ad corripiendum, ad erudi- endum, ad justitiam. Scriptura autem divinitus inspirata non pertinet ad philosophicas disciplinas, quae sunt secundum hu~ manam rationem invent£e. Utile igitur est praeter philosophicas disciplinas esse aliam scientiam divin- itus inspiratam.

Respondeo dicendum quod. necessarium fuit ad hu- manam salutem esse doc- trinam quamdam secun- dum revelationem divinam pneter philosoph- icas disciplinas quEe ra- tione humana investi- gantur. Primoquidemquia homo ordinatur ad Deum sicut ad quemdam finem, qui comprehensionem ra- tionis excedit, secundum jllud Isai. 64. 4: Oculus non \'idit, Deus, absque te, qu» prseparasti expectan- tibus te. Finem autem oportet esse prfiecognitum hominibus, qui suas in- tentiones et actiones de- bent ordinare in finem. Unde necessarium fuit homini ad salutem quod ei nota fierent quffdam per revelationem di\-inam qua rationem humanam exce- dunt.

Ad ea etiam quff de Deo ratione humana investigari pos- 8unt. necessarium fuit hominem instrui revela- tionc divina; quia Veritas de Deo per rationem in- vestigata, a paucis, et per longum tempus, et cum admixtione m u 1 t o r u m errorum homini proveni- ret; acujustamen veritatis cognitione dependet tota faominis salus, quae in Deo eat. Ut igitur salua homini- bus et con venientius et cer- tius proveniat, necessarium fuit quod de divinis per di\nnam revelationem in- struerentur. Necessarium Igitur fuit, prffter philo- sophicas disciplinas qus per rationem investigan- tur, sacram doctrinara per revelationem haberi.

We proceed thua to the first article:

Objection 1.— It seems that, be- sides philosophical science, we have no need of any further knowledge. Man should not seek to know what is above reason: Seek not the things that are too high for thee (Ecclua., iii, 22). But whatever is not above reason is fully treated of in philosophical science. Therefore any other knowledge besides philosophical science is superfluous.

Objection 2. — Further, knowl- edge can only be con- cerned with being, for nothing can be known, save what is true; and all that is, is true. But everything that is, is treated of in philosophical science —

even God himself — so that there is a part of phi- losophy called theology, or the Divine science, as Aristotle has proved. Therefore, besides philo- sophical science, there is no need of any further knowl- edge.

On the contrary', it is said: All Scripture inspired of God is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to in- struct in justice (II Tim., iii, 16). Scripture, in- spired of God. is no part of philosophical science, which has been built up by human reason. Therefore, it is useful that, besides philosophical science, there should be other knowledge, i. e., inspired of God.

I answer that, It was necessary for man's salvation that there should be a knowl- edge revealed by God. be- sides philosophical science built up by human reason. First, indeed, because man is ordained to God, as to an end that surpasses the grasp of his reason. The eye hath not seen, be- sides Thee, O God, what things Thou hast prepared for them that wait for Thee (Isa., Ixiv, 4). But the end must first be known by men who are to direct their thoughts and actions to the end. Hence it was necessar>' for the sal- vation of man that certain truths which exceed human reason should be made known to him by Divine Revelation.

Even as regards those truths about God which human reason could have discov- ered, it was necessary that man should be taught by a Divine Revelation; because tlie truth about God such as reason could discover, would only be known by a few. and that after a long time, and with the admix- ture of many errors. Whereas man's whole sal- vation, which is in God, depends upon the knowl- edge of this truth. There- fore, in order that the sal- vation of men might be brought about more fitly and more surely, it was necessary that they should be taught Divine Truths by Divine Revelation. It was therefore necessary that, besides philosophical

Ad primum ergo dicendum, quod, licet ea quse sunt altiora hominis cognitione non sint ab homine per ra- tionem inquirenda, sunt tamen a Deo revelata, sus- cipienda per fidem; unde et ibidem (EccH.. Ill, 25), subditur: Plurima supra sensum hominum ostensa sunt tibi. Et in hujus- modi sacra doctrina con- sistit.

Ad secundum dicendum quod diversa ratio cognoscibilis diversitatem scientiarum inducit. Eamdem enim conclusionera demonstrat astrologus, et naturalis, puta quod terra est ro- tunda; sed astrologus per medium mathematicum, id est, a materia ab- stractum; naturalis au- tem per medium circa materiam consideratum. Unde nihil prohibet de eisdem de quibus philo- sophicae discipline trac- tant, secundum quod sunt cognoscibilia lumine natu- ralis rationis, etiam aliam

dum quod cognoscuntur lumine divinte revela- tionis. Unde theologia, quae ad sacram doctrinam pertinet, diflfert, secundum genus, ab ilia theologia qu» pars philosophiffl ponitur.

science built up by reason, thrrr should be a sacred H r i r n r learnt through Revelation.

Rfply Objection 1. — Although those things which are be- yond man's knowledge may not be sought for by man through his reason, nevertheless, once they are revealed by God they must be accepted by faith. Hence, the sacred text continues: For many things are shown to thee above the understanding of m a n (Ecclus., iii. 25). And in this the sacred science con- sists.

Reply Objection 2. — Sciences are differentiated accord- ing to the various means through which knowledge is obtained. The astrono- mer and the physicist both may prove the same con- clusion — that the earth, for instance, is round; the as- tronomer by means of mathematics (i.e., abstract- ing from matter), but the physicist by means of mat- ter itself. Hence there is no reason why those things which may be learnt 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.

eyicL.Uan

BoLLANDisTS, Acta SS,, VII Mar. ; Hurt bnick, 1906), 308; Mortier, Ihrt^nr.- ,h.

r0rrfrc(/es FF. Pr^r/tejzrs vPariH, ]'iii,;i; (HiA M li - /-s

sources historiques du moyen ^tw, II rjwi t.l , [' >' i, 117

sqq.; Ueberweq, tr., Hist, of I'/nlt'^nph;. i i\. u \ ..rl,, 1mi):ii, 442; Sertill.\nges, S. Thomas <rAqu{n. II {Pari,^ 11110). ;i:i7; Perrier, The Revival of Scholastic Philosophy (New^ York, 1909), 249.

On Life and Works. — The earliest biographers were Peter Calo (d. 1310 or 1348), William de Tocco (d. about 1324), Ptolomeo of Lucca (d. 1327), and Bernard Guidonis (d. 1331). Calo, Life, is printed in PrOmmer. Fonlcs vit(p S. Thomm (Toulouse, 1911); Tocco is given in Acta SS. In vol. I of the 1588 Venetian edition of the Summa is found the same Life, viz., Authons vita R. P. Fr. Gail, de Thocco authore, qui eum vidit, et audivit legentem et prctdicantevi; Nunc prim7tm edita. Gerardus de Fracheto (d. 1271), Vitce Fratrum Ord. Prcrd., ed. Reichert (Louvain, 1896). Notices of these biographers are given in Echard, Script. Ord. Prad. (Paris. 1719-21), also an ex- tensive account of St. Thomas and his writings, I, 271 sqq. St. Antoninus and Nataus Alexander arc humiIk rtil mihhtiusI ihe biographers. Touron, La vie de S. I ' "H

eipost de sa doctrine et ses ouvrages ■ i if

valuable information. Vielmus, Z>« / -/

scriptis (Padua, 1564; Venice, 1575; Jin i . ;i;

Denifle, Die Universitdten .•. ■:■ U^fi'l.ilters, II (Beriin, 1886); Denifle-Chati i m-.. ' ^I ' -- I'niv. Pari-

siensis (Paris, 1889-91); Chk\\iiih, (.>',,/. ...-u. critique dea muvres de S. Th. d'Aquin (Romans. 1SS6); Mandonnet, Siger de Brabant: Ecrits authentiques (see above) and Les litres doctoraux de S. Th. d'Aquin in Rev. Thomiste (1909), XVII, 597-608; Frigerio. Vita di S. Tomaso (Rome. 1615, 1668); Werner. Der heil. Thomas von Aquino (Ratisbon. 1858); De Groot. Ilet Lnen van den fl. Thomas van Aquinas (Amsterdam, 1882; Utrecht, 1907); Bareille, Hist, de S. Th. d'Aquin (Paris, 1846, 1859, 1862); Didiot, Le Docieur AngHique (Lille. 1894); Vauqhan, Life and Labours of S. Thomas of Aquin (2 vols., London, 1871-72: abridged, in one vol., London, 1S75); Kavanauoh, The Life of S. Th. Aquinas (Ix>ndon, 1890); Conway, St. Thomas Aquinas (London and New York, 1911).

Commentaries. — The principal commentators on St. Thomas's works are: St. Antoninus, Bannez. Billuart, Cajetan. Ca- PREOLD8, Contenson. Gonet, John OF St. Thomas, Luqo, Medina, Porrecta (Capponi), Salamanticenses (see Salman-

TICEN8E8 AND COMPLUTENSEs), SoTO, SuaHEZ, SvLVESTER, SyL-

VIU8, Toletus, Valentia, VAsquF.z, \'icTHiA, Francis. The following have appeared since the publication of the Mterni Patris (1879): Bdonpensiere. Comment, in /•"> P. S. Theol. S. Th. Aquin. (Rome. 1902); Billot, Janssens, Sum. Theol. ad modum Comment, in Aquin. Sum. (Rome, 1899. sqq.); Paquet, Disp. Theol.. seu Comment, in Sum. Theol. S. Thomw (Quebec, 1893-1903); Pi:ouF.8, Comment, fran^ais liUSral de la Somme Thiol, de S. Th. d'Aquin (Toulouse, 1906 sqq.); Satolli. In Sum. Theol, i>. Th. Aquin. Pralediones (Rome, 1884-88).