Aquinas' Summa Q. 24 "The Book of Life"

[jerome_ky]

This is probably obscure, but I have 2 questions.

1. There seems to be an error in Article 1 of this Question. There are only 3 Objections, but 4 Replies to Objections. This is not only in the copy I have “Translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province” but also on NewAdvent.org and a downloaded PDF I obtained (I forget where). Does anyone have a copy with the 4th Objection?
2. Why do I ask for such an obscure thing? Well, this particular Question is very difficult. Rightly so, I think, as it speaks of Predestination and God’s Book of Life. My difficulty is that in Article 2, Aquinas says, “On the contrary, The book of life is the knowledge of predestination, as stated above (A[1]). But predestination does not regard the life of grace, except so far as it is directed to glory; for those are not predestined who have grace and yet fail to obtain glory. The book of life altogether is only so called in regard to the life of glory.”

However, in Article 3, he says, “For the book of life is the inscription of those ordained to eternal life, to which one is directed from two sources; namely, from predestination, which direction never fails, and from grace; for whoever has grace, by this very fact becomes fitted for eternal life. This direction fails sometimes; because some are directed by possessing grace, to obtain eternal life, yet they fail to obtain it through mortal sin. Therefore those who are ordained to possess eternal life through divine predestination are written down in the book of life simply, because they are written therein to have eternal life in reality; such are never blotted out from the book of life. Those, however, who are ordained to eternal life, not through divine predestination, but through
grace, are said to be written in the book of life not simply, but relatively, for they are written therein not to have eternal life in itself, but in its cause only.”

This is, for me, one of the key questions about God and humanity, the question of predestination, the question that Calvin is most famous for botching, in my opinion. I had hoped for some great illumination from Aquinas. This is either a flat-out contradiction or so brilliant as to be blinding at first.

Any serious Aquinas students out there care to help a newbie out?

 

[The_Exodus]

1. Why do I ask for such an obscure thing? Well, this particular Question is very difficult.

Yes. It is a very profound doctrine.

jerome:

Rightly so, I think, as it speaks of Predestination and God’s Book of Life. My difficulty is that in Article 2, Aquinas says, “On the contrary, The book of life is the knowledge of predestination, as stated above (A[1]). But predestination does not regard the life of grace, except so far as it is directed to glory; for those are not predestined who have grace and yet fail to obtain glory. The book of life altogether is only so called in regard to the life of glory.”

The traditional Thomists hold that there are two different graces given to mankind: one is sufficient, the other, efficacious. Efficacious grace is intrinsically efficacious. This means that it requires nothing outside itself (e.g. no human concurrence), to be effective. Rather, the grace itself is what causes the will to consent to the call to supernatural beatitude. Sufficient grace, however, is not necessarily followed by efficacious grace, for it can be resisted. You can read the greatest Thomist of the 20th century on grace here:

ewtn.com/library/Theology/gracegarrlagr.HTM

 

[Ghosty]

With due respect to the previous poster, if you you’re simply reading Aquinas and not studying “Thomism”, I would forget all about notions of sufficient and efficacious grace. Neither concept is found in the writings of Aquinas, but was rather developed later by other theologians who followed in Aquinas’ style.

As for the difficulty you’re facing, it’s simply that Aquinas often addresses concepts from multiple angles. Since the Book of Life is spoken of both absolutely and conditionally in Scripture, Aquinas is addressing it in both senses. In the absolute sense of predestination, which the Book of Life ultimately displays, the names are fixed, but in the conditional sense of the Book of Life being used to refer to all who are “on the path” to Glory a name can be removed or put into the Book, because Grace (which is the path to Glory) can come and go according to the actions of people.

Another important way to view things is that predestination is God’s foreknowledge of a person’s final destination. It is NOT something that is “given” to a person. Grace is given or lost, and Grace carries people to Glory, but predestination is the knowledge of who will ride the Grace to Glory.

Peace and God bless!