Thomas Aquinas's Quodlibetal Questions

Thomas Aquinas was one of the most significant Christian thinkers of the middle ages and ranks among the greatest philosophers and theologians of all time. In the mid-thirteenth century, as a teacher at the University of Paris, Aquinas presided over public university-wide debates on questions that could be put forward by anyone about anything. The Quodlibetal Questions are Aquinas's edited records of these debates. Unlike his other disputed questions, which are limited to a few specific topics such as evil or divine power, Aquinas's Quodlibetal Questions contain his treatment of hundreds of questions on a wide range of topics--from ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of religion to dogmatic theology, sacramental theology, moral theology, eschatology, and much more. And, unlike his other disputed questions, none of the questions treated in his Quodlibetal Questions were of Aquinas's own choosing--they were all posed for him to answer by those who attended the public debates. As such, this volume provides a window onto the concerns of students, teachers, and other interested parties in and around the university at that time. For the same reason it contains some of Aquinas's fullest, and in certain cases his only, treatments of philosophical and theological questions that have maintained their interest throughout the centuries.

Brian Davies is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Fordham University. He is the author of many books, including Thomas Aquinas's Summa Contra Gentiles: A Guide and Commentary (OUP, 2016).

Turner Nevitt is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of San Diego. His work has appeared in such journals as The Thomist and History of Philosophy Quarterly.

Preface

Note on the Translation

Introduction

Quodlibet I

Question 1: God's Divine Nature

Question 2: God's Assumed Human Nature

Question 3: Angels

Question 4: Human Nature

Question 5: Contrition

Question 6: Confession

Question 7: Relating to Clerics

Question 8: Relating to Religious

Question 9: Sin

Question 10: Glory

Quodlibet II

Question 1: Christ

Question 2: The Composition of Angels

Question 3: The Time of the Movement of Angels

Question 4: Virtues Related to Divine Matters

Question 5: Virtues Related to Human Matters

Question 6: Sins

Question 7: Punishments for Sins

Question 8: Forgiveness of Sins

Quodlibet III

Question 1: God's Divine Nature

Question 2: God's Assumed Human Nature

Question 3: Angels

Question 4: Teachers of Sacred Scripture

Question 5: Becoming a Religious

Question 6: Being a Religious

Question 7: Relating to the Laity

Question 8: The Soul's Substance

Question 9: The Soul's Knowledge

Question 10: The Soul's Punishment

Question 11: The Body

Question 12: Conscience

Question 13: Penance

Question 14: Purely Bodily Creatures

Quodlibet VI

Question 1: God

Question 2: Angels

Question 3: The Sacrament of Baptism

Question 4: Faith

Question 5: Relating to Religion or Worship

Question 6: Obedience

Question 7: Alms Given by Clerics

Question 8: Alms Given on Behalf of the Dead

Question 9: Sins

Question 10: Bodily Things

Question 11: Purely Bodily Creatures

Quodlibet IV

Question 1: God's Knowledge

Question 2: God's Power

Question 3: The Extent of God's Power

Question 4: The Son's Divine Nature

Question 5: The Son's Assumed Nature

Question 6: Grace

Question 7: The Sacraments of Grace

Question 8: Human Acts Related to Superiors and Prelates

Question 9: Human Acts Related to the Intellect

Question 10: The Act of Martyrdom

Question 11: Evil Acts

Question 12: The Religious Life

Quodlibet V

Question 1: God's Knowledge

Question 2: God's Power

Question 3: God's Assumed Nature

Question 4: Angels

Question 5: Human Nature

Question 6: The Sacrament of the Eucharist

Question 7: The Sacrament of Penance

Question 8: The Sacrament of Marriage

Question 9: Relating to the Virtues

Question 10: Relating to the Commandments

Question 11: Relating to Prelates

Question 12: Relating to Teachers

Question 13: Relating to Religious

Question 14: Relating to Clerics

Quodlibet VII

Question 1: The Knowledge of Spiritual Substances

Question 2: The Enjoyment of Christ's Soul During the Passion

Question 3: The Plurality of Spiritual Substances

Question 4: The Sacrament of the Altar

Question 5: The Bodies of the Damned

Question 6: The Senses of Sacred Scripture

Question 7: Manual Labor

Quodlibet VIII

Question 1: The Divine Ideas

Question 2: The Human Soul

Question 3: The Human Body

Question 4: Matters of Grace Related to Prelates

Question 5: Matters of Grace Related to Everyone

Question 6: Sin

Question 7: The Spiritual Punishment of the Damned

Question 8: The Bodily Punishment of the Damned

Question 9: The Glory of the Blessed

Quodlibet IX

Question 1: Christ's Divine Nature

Question 2: The Union of Christ's Human and Divine Natures

Question 3: The Outward Appearances Containing Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar

Question 4: Angels

Question 5: Human Nature

Question 6: Grace

Question 7: Sin

Question 8: Glory

Quodlibet X

Question 1: God

Question 2: Angels

Question 3: The Soul's Substance

Question 4: The Soul's Activity

Question 5: Matters of Grace Related to Commandments and Counsels

Question 6: Sins Opposed to Right Action

Question 7: Sins Opposed to Right Faith

Question 8: Glory

Quodlibet XI

Question 1: God's Infinity

Question 2: God's Knowledge

Question 3: God's Predestination

Question 4: Angels

Question 5: The Human Soul

Question 6: The Human Body

Question 7: The Sacrament of Confirmation

Question 8: The Sacrament of the Eucharist

Question 9: The Sacrament of Marriage

Question 10: Fraternal Correction

Quodlibet XII

Question 1: God's Existence

Question 2: God's Power

Question 3: God's Predestination

Question 4: Angels

Question 5: The Heavens

Question 6: The Human Soul

Question 7: Human Knowledge

Question 8: Consequences of Human Knowledge

Question 9: The Sacrament of Baptism

Question 10: The Sacrament of Penance

Question 11: An Effect of the Sacraments

Question 12: The Identity of the Church

Question 13: The Intellectual Virtue of Truth

Question 14: The Moral Virtues

Question 15: Restitution

Question 16: The Office of Commentators on Sacred Scripture

Question 17: The Office of Preachers

Question 18: The Office of Confessors

Question 19: The Office of Vicars

Question 20: Original Sin

Question 21: Actual Sins of Thought

Question 22: Actual Sins of Action

Question 23: Punishments

Abbreviations

Parallel Passages

Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Authors and Works Cited

Notes

Index