Aquinas experts: Source this quote for me

[ransom14]

In his essay on Catholic Social Teaching, titled “Sun of Justice,” Harold Robbins quotes Aquinas as saying:

“The highest manifestation of life consists in this, that a being governs its own actions. A thing which is always subject to the direction of another is somewhat of a dead thing. Now a slave does not govern his own actions, but rather they are governed for him. Hence a man, in so far as he is a slave, is a veritable image of death.”

He cites this as follows: St. Thomas, Opus XVII, Cap 14.

Anyone know what “Opus” stands for?–or which work this may have come from?

 

[Peter_Plato]

In his essay on Catholic Social Teaching, titled “Sun of Justice,” Harold Robbins quotes Aquinas as saying:

“The highest manifestation of life consists in this, that a being governs its own actions. A thing which is always subject to the direction of another is somewhat of a dead thing. Now a slave does not govern his own actions, but rather they are governed for him. Hence a man, in so far as he is a slave, is a veritable image of death.”

He cites this as follows: St. Thomas, Opus XVII, Cap 14.

Anyone know what “Opus” stands for?–or which work this may have come from?

Good question.

It could be Opusculum Contra Errores Graecorum, but I checked it out and could not find the quote based upon the chapter info cited above.
dhspriory.org/thomas/ContraErrGraecorum.htm

The entire body of his works are here:

Latin:
corpusthomisticum.org/iopera.html

Englsih
aquinasonline.com/Texts/

I’ll keep looking into it.

 

[ransom14]

You pointed me in the right direction! I found it here: dhspriory.org/thomas/english/PerfectVitaeSpir.htm

Chapter 14:

“The state of slavery does in some sort resemble death, and is therefore called civil death. For life is chiefly manifested in ability to move; he that cannot move save by the agency of others, may be accounted dead. Now, a slave has no power over himself, but is governed by the will of his master; and therefore this condition of bondage may be compared to death. Hence a man, who, for the love of another, delivers. himself to bondage, practises the same perfection of charity, as he who exposes himself to death. Nay, we may say that he does more; for slavery is more abhorrent to our nature than is death.”

 

[Peter_Plato]

You pointed me in the right direction! I found it here: dhspriory.org/thomas/english/PerfectVitaeSpir.htm

Chapter 14:

“The state of slavery does in some sort resemble death, and is therefore called civil death. For life is chiefly manifested in ability to move; he that cannot move save by the agency of others, may be accounted dead. Now, a slave has no power over himself, but is governed by the will of his master; and therefore this condition of bondage may be compared to death. Hence a man, who, for the love of another, delivers. himself to bondage, practises the same perfection of charity, as he who exposes himself to death. Nay, we may say that he does more; for slavery is more abhorrent to our nature than is death.”

Would that mean that if we, as contingent creatures, cannot move save by the agency of God, then we may be accounted “slaves” to God?

The other point I would suggest worth considering, is: If we give ourselves over to the will of a Master whose power is infinitely greater than our own, wouldn’t that be freedom from bondage to our own limited wills and not death?

 

[Linusthe2nd]

In his essay on Catholic Social Teaching, titled “Sun of Justice,” Harold Robbins quotes Aquinas as saying:

“The highest manifestation of life consists in this, that a being governs its own actions. A thing which is always subject to the direction of another is somewhat of a dead thing. Now a slave does not govern his own actions, but rather they are governed for him. Hence a man, in so far as he is a slave, is a veritable image of death.”

He cites this as follows: St. Thomas, Opus XVII, Cap 14.

Anyone know what “Opus” stands for?–or which work this may have come from?

" Opus " means " work, " but I have never seen his works listed as " Opus. " As far as I know his works are cited by Title. Check your reference again, perhaps Robbins is quoting from the " Opus " of another author who is quoting Thomas. Some authors do that instead of quoting from the primary sourse, which, in this case, would be a work of Thomas. If you can find out who that author is that should give you the Title of the work by Thomas.

Pax
Linus2nd