Summa Contra Gentiles Book I: The Several Names Spoken of God Are Not Synonymous

From Contemplating History

Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 7 March 1274), was a Doctor of the Church, Philosopher, Theologian, Jurist, Dominican Friar, and Priest. Known as Doctor Angelicus "Angelic Doctor," and the Doctor Communis "Universal Doctor" his writings serve as a defense and proof of the validity of Christ's authority over all. The Summa contra Gentiles (also known as Liber de veritate catholicae fidei contra errores infidelium, "Book on the truth of the Catholic faith against the errors of the unbelievers"). The Summa contra Gentiles consists of four books. The structure of Saint Thomas's work is designed to proceed from general philosophical arguments for monotheism, to which Muslims and Jews are likely to consent even within their own respective religious traditions, before progressing to the discussion of specifically Christian doctrine. Book I begins with general questions of truth and natural reason, and from chapter 10 investigates the concept of a monotheistic God. Chapters 10 to 13 are concerned with the existence of God, followed by a detailed investigation of God's properties (chapters 14 to 102). When demonstrating a Truth about God which can be known through reason, St. Thomas gives multiple arguments, each proving the same Truth in a different way. Whether you are a history enthusiast, a student of religion, or simply curious about the impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the world, this playlist is designed to provide an informative and engaging journey through its captivating past. Subscribe to the Contemplating History channel for more educational content and immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of history.

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From Redcoat History

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What Are "Matters of Morality"? A Look at What Vance (and Leo) Said

J.D. Vance claims to be a Catholic. Is he so badly catechised or stupid that he doesn't know that immigration and war are "matters of morality"?

From Aleteia

By Daniel Esparza

Should the Vatican stick to "what is going on in the Catholic Church"? And what is going on?

A wide variety of voices from all around the world have spoken about US President Trump's social media post and the chance that Pope Leo had to respond some hours later, as he was on a plane with journalists headed to Africa.

Among those who have spoken about the situation is the US Vice President, JD Vance, himself a Catholic, who was asked about it and the later post of an image that many thought seemed to be the president depicted as Jesus (the president later took that down).

In a lengthy spot on Fox News’s “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Vance gave an update on discussions with Iran, as well as responding to a question about disagreements with the Vatican.

The vice president said, "We're going to have disagreements, Bret, from time to time to time."

He added, "I think it's a  good thing, actually, that the Pope is advocating for the things that he cares about."

He pointed out disagreements with Pope Leo on immigration policy and foreign policy, adding that it is the prerogative of the president to set those policies for the United States.

"We certainly have a good relationship with the Vatican," he said, "but we're also going to disagree on substantive questions from time to time and I think that's a totally reasonable thing."

He added:

But I certainly think that in some cases it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of, you know, what is going on in the Catholic Church and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy. 

Writing for The New York Times, Chris Cameron said this about Vance's statement:

The vice president’s suggestion that Leo “stick to matters of morality” is also a notable distinction. Being a Roman Catholic requires acknowledgment of and adherence to the pope’s authority over the church, but not his political views. President John F. Kennedy, defending his Catholic faith during his 1960 presidential campaign, said that he believed in an America “where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the pope.”

Understanding the terms

While the president's social media post has brought renewed attention to this issue, it's not a new question. On March 24, Aleteia published an analysis that begins like this:

It is a familiar criticism: the pope should "stay in his lane" and "keep out of politics." The claim sounds reasonable in an age wary of power and ideology, marked by the separation of Church and state. Yet it rests on a misunderstanding of what politics actually is. It forgets that when it comes to what affects the human person, the Church is the foremost expert.

What is politics? We think of it today as conservatives vs liberals, Republicans vs Democrats, senators and representatives, prime ministers and presidents, or perhaps even kings and queens.

But "for thinkers like Aristotle, it concerns life in the polis — the shared space where human beings live 'among others' (inter homines esse). ... Politics, in this deeper sense, is about how we order our common life."

And what is morality? What are "matters of morality"?

The Catholic Catechism and the dictionary overlap in their definitions, using the terms good and evil and right and wrong:

The dictionary defines morality as "principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior."

CCC 1749 grounds morality in human freedom:

Freedom makes man a moral subject. When he acts deliberately, man is, so to speak, the father of his acts. Human acts, that is, acts that are freely chosen in consequence of a judgment of conscience, can be morally evaluated. They are either good or evil.

When Pope Leo says, as he did at the global Vigil for Peace on Saturday, "Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life," he is referencing human acts, acts that are good or evil; his is a reference to morality ... but also, to politics. 

Politics and politics

The commentary from the New York Times, though, makes a distinction between the "pope’s authority over the church," and "his political views."

There is a distinction to be made but the terms are tricky.

On the plane in response to Trump's post, some of what Leo said reflects the differences in understanding of the concepts.

"I am not a politician, and I do not want to enter into a debate with him."

"We are not seeking to do foreign policy as he calls it, from the same perspective that he would have."

"I say this to all world leaders, not only him: Let us end wars and promote peace and reconciliation.”

“I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel and inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, and looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible.”

What is "going on in the Catholic Church"?

The Church is the people of God -- it's made up of the individual humans who make moral choices about their life together (their politics).

But one thing is a moral principle, such as the "inherent dignity of other human beings is threatened by continuous violations of international law" (from Pope Leo's address at the vigil).

A moral principle does not necessarily overlap with a political view, but should be its foundation. So one might disagree with a person's take on the rate for sales tax or the speed limit of a highway, but still share the same moral principles.

The Church's basic moral principles on interacting in society (some list 7 basic principles) are summarized in a body of teaching known as Catholic social doctrine.

You can find information on social doctrine here at Aleteia, clicking here.

Here, an understanding of both catholicity and politics is at play: Catholic means universal, for the Church bears the fullness of the faith and is sent to the whole human race, so her moral speech cannot be reduced to private housekeeping.

In Greek, ethos names not only custom or habit (ἔθος) but also character and even one’s way of inhabiting the world (ἦθος); in the classical sense politics is not an annex to morality but the very life of the polis, the way one lives among others, and the habits that built a community ordered toward the human good, both individually (personal virtue and happiness) and collectively (a virtuous, happy society).

To separate morality from politics is conceptually incoherent: human beings never live nowhere, but always in a shared world of laws, institutions, borders, obligations, and vulnerable neighbors, so moral judgment necessarily bears on public order, just as public order shapes the moral possibilities of ordinary life.

Catholic teaching says exactly this when it defines the common good as the social conditions that allow persons and groups to reach their fulfillment, and when it insists that the Church may and sometimes must pass moral judgment on matters touching public order whenever fundamental human rights or the salvation of souls are at stake.

For Catholics, the virtue of prudence guides the concrete applications of moral principles, determining the best way to protect human dignity. And that application is the work of politicians. They will be in agreement with the pope if they share, at the very least, similar basic moral principles.