My point is that Aquinas is not Catholic Doctrine. He had no confidence in his own conclusions, apparently.
The Church has been very careful to avoid taking a strong position on these issues. However, I believe that portions of Augustine and Aquinas can be demonstrated to be outside the teaching of grace and justification in the catechism.
Insofar as Calvin’s position is Augustinian, most Thomists are going to have to defend Calvin. It is not Calvin’s teaching on election that places him in opposition to the Catholic Church. So, unlike Contarini, on election at least, I actually think Calvin is right. Not only are you interpreting Calvin poorly (almost to the point of being unrecognizable), Calvin’s teaching on election is more sound than anything you have offered so far.
Beyond that, the Church has in fact expressed a great deal of confidence in Thomas and in Thomas’ teaching, and they have done so repeatedly. Thus to suggest that Thomas (and Augustine) is outside the bounds of Catholic teaching is ridiculous. Apparently it is the case that you do not merely not understand Calvin, you do not have a good sense of how important Thomas is to your own tradition.
So, my last word for a while on this thread will be to remind you how important Thomas is and what you are taking on in attacking Thomas…
Leo XIII’s
Aeterni Patris summarizes the issue very well calling on those interested in Catholic philosophy and theology to emulate those who came before and “surrendered themselves to his angelic wisdom, not merely to be taught by his words to be nourished by them. It is plain that nearly founders and lawgivers of religious orders have bidden their children study the doctrines of Thomas, and very religiously adhere to them…”
Leo then goes on to list all the Popes who have commended the work of Thomas for study and held it up as the standard of Catholic intellectual achievement. He concludes that with a quote from one of the first to champion Thomas, Innocent VI: “His doctrine above all other doctrine, with one exception of the Holy Scriptures, has such a propriety of word, such a method of explanation, such a truth of opinions, that
no who holds it will ever be found to have strayed from the path of truth; whereas
anyone who attacked it has always been suspected as to the truth.” (emphasis mine)
Leo doesn’t stop there though, he argues that Thomas is the presiding mind at a string of Councils, guiding the deliberations. This is seen most clearly at Trent, says Leo, where “we now come to the greatest glory of Thomas – a glory which is his own, and shared by no other Catholic Doctor. In the midst of the Council of Trent, the assembled Fathers so willing it, the
Summa of Thomas Aquinas lay open on the altar, with the Holy Scriptures, and the decrees of the Supreme Pontiffs, that from it might be sought counsel and reasons and answers.” This indicates for us the level of authority that Thomas has, says Leo.
Leo concludes with the following: “Let, then, teachers be carefully chosen by you to do their best to instill the doctrine of Thomas Aquinas into the minds of their hearers; and let them clearly point out its solidity and excellence above all other teaching.”
And just in case you think that was some moment of incense induced delusion of poor Leo, John Paul II, in
Fides et Ratio reaffirms
Aeterni Patris, and expresses disappointment that it is not being followed with the enthusiasm that one would like. Thomas is being ignored and it is wrong to do so. One sees this in ##43-44, which is explicitly on Thomas, but also again in the #60s where JP2 reaffirms Leo and again holds Thomas up as the standard which should guide Catholic thought.
This is how high a regard Catholicism has for Thomas. If you want to know and understand Catholicism…You read Thomas! If you want to know what Catholic’s believe and why…Read Thomas.
Your attack on Calvin, which only continues because you stubbornly refuse to listen to Calvin (who tells you why preaching is important), or to anyone else who has tried to tell you why human action is important in Calvin, is at the same time an attack on Thomas. And Thomas is NOT, in any way shape or form, outside Catholic doctrine. Thomas is THE great systematic philosophical and theological expositor of the Catholic tradition according to Leo13 and JP2, etc.
Clearly by this point I have given up hope that you will read Calvin rightly. I can only hold out some small hope that you will stop attempting to tear down the central figures of your (and my) own Catholic tradition by suggesting that election undermines the integrity of human actions. Instead, with Augustine, Thomas and Calvin we must find the true integrity of human actions in the fact that they are grounded in the divine election.
Allahu alam.
