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Submitted: Jun 23 2011 09:22 AM
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Author: Saint Thomas Aquinas
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Author:
Saint Thomas Aquinas

e-Sword Version:
9.x - 10.x

Summary of Summa Theologiae, Part 1 (Prima Pars)

Saint Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae is a foundational text in Catholic theology, aiming to systematically present the nature of God and the principles of Christian doctrine. The Prima Pars (Part 1) primarily addresses the existence and nature of God, serving as an introduction to the entire work.

Aquinas begins by asserting that the existence of God can be demonstrated through human reason and natural revelation. He emphasizes that human beings naturally seek understanding of the divine, and that reason can lead us to certain knowledge about God's existence, even without divine revelation. He discusses the importance of faith and reason working together, but also maintains that certain truths about God can be known through natural reason alone.

The first significant question tackles whether God's existence can be proven. Aquinas presents five ways (Quinque Viae)—arguments that serve as rational proofs for God's existence. These include:

The Argument from Motion: Everything in motion must have been set in motion by something else; ultimately, this chain of motion leads to an Unmoved Mover, which is God.
The Argument from Causality: Every effect has a cause, and an infinite regress is impossible; therefore, there must be a first uncaused cause—God.
The Argument from Contingency: Contingent beings (those that could not exist) require a necessary being to explain their existence; this necessary being is God.
The Argument from Degree: The existence of degrees of perfection implies a maximum standard of perfection, which is God.
The Argument from Design: The order and purpose observed in nature suggest an intelligent Designer—God.

Aquinas then explores the nature of God's essence and attributes. He states that God's essence (what God is) is identical with God's existence (that God exists). God's nature is pure act, infinite, eternal, immutable, and perfect. These attributes distinguish God from created beings.

He also discusses the distinction between God's absolute nature and His relationship to creation, emphasizing that God's knowledge, power, and goodness are infinite and perfect. God’s simplicity (lacking parts or composition) is stressed, asserting that God's attributes are identical to His essence.

In summary, Part 1 of the Summa lays the groundwork for understanding God’s existence, nature, and attributes using philosophical reasoning. It demonstrates that belief in God is rationally justified and provides a foundation for further theological exploration.

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Bibliographic Record   Creator   Aquinas, Thomas, Saint, 1225?-1274
Title   Summa Theologica, Part I-II (Pars Prima Secundae)
From the Complete American Edition
Language   English
EText-No.   17897
Release Date   2006-03-01
Copyright Status   Not copyrighted in the United States. If you live elsewhere check the laws of your country before downloading this ebook.
Base Directory   /files/17897/

     “The greatest theological book ever written . . .”
    —Norman L. Geisler

Thomas Aquinas stands among the most important thinkers in the history of Christianity, and his famous Summa Theologica represents the pinnacle of medieval theology and perhaps the most influential theological work in the history of Western Christianity. In the volumes of his writings, we find the forerunners of every intellectual development in the eight centuries that followed, and the depth of his understanding of the nature and being of God has left a lasting mark on the enterprise of Christian theological reflection ever since.

    “Perhaps no other man ever came so near to calling the Creator by his own name.”
    —G.K. Chesterton

In this massive tome, Aquinas outlines the meaning of all of Christian theology. As a theologian, Aquinas articulates the goals, purposes, and enterprises of theology, and gives theology a prominent place in scholarship, calling theology “the queen of sciences.” As a scholastic, Aquinas sought to understand Christian theology in light of the rediscovery of Aristotle’s works in the twelfth century, and redefined the relationship between revelation and reason, science and theology, and faith and philosophy for the next eight centuries. As a philosopher, Aquinas developed principles of just war and natural law, and outlined an argument for God’s existence from contingency—the intellectual forerunner to the modern Argument from Design. As an aesthetic, Aquinas articulated a vision of God’s beauty, and his aesthetic influence can be felt in the writings of literary figures as diverse as Dante Alighieri, James Joyce, and Umberto Eco.
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/17897
Thomas' most significant work is his Summa theologiae or 'summary of Theology,' a gigantic work which attempts to present all of Christian theology as systematically as possible. Thomas worked on it from 1266 through 1273. Then, when he was nearly finished, he underwent an experience so intense that, as he himself explained, everything he had written seemed like straw. He completely stopped writing and died three months later. Thomas was canonized in 1323.
The Summa theologiae is written in a form common to treatises of that age. All of theology is divided into its major topics. These, in turn, are divided into subtopics described by Thomas as 'questions. " The first "question" in the Summa theologiae deals with The nature of Theology itself, the second with God's existence.
The 'questions" are in turn divided into what Thomas calls "articles," specific queries concerning the topic being explored in that particular "question." (Thus, confusingly enough, what Thomas calls "questions" are actually general topics, whereas what he calls "articles" are really what we would mean by the word "questions.") These "articles" form the basic unit of the Summa theologiae, and they proceed according to an invariable form. A specific query is made, then a section beginning with the word videtur ("it seems that") offers arguments for what will later turn out to be the wrong answer to that query. Next, a brief section be ginning with the words sed contra ("but on the contrary") introduces a different answer. A section labeled responsio ("response") finally presents arguments for what Thomas considers the correct view. The question then closes with a refutation of the arguments presented in the videtur section.
The following selection consists of the prologue and first two questions of the Summa theologiae. Some articles of the first question are omitted, but those included are given in their entirety, so that the reader can see how the work (and Thomas' mind) is constructed.
PRIMA PARS.
Sacred Doctrine. The One God. The Blessed Trinity. Creation. The Angels. The Six Days. Man. The Government of Creatures.
PRIMA SECUNDÆ PARTIS.
Man's Last End. Human Acts. Passions. Habits. Vice and Sin. Law. Grace.
SECUNDA SECUNDÆ PARTIS.
Faith. Hope. Charity. Prudence. Justice. Fortitude. Temperance. Acts Which Pertain to Certain Men.
TERTIA PARS.
The Incarnation. The Life of Christ. Sacraments. Baptism. Confirmation. The Holy Eucharist. Penance.
SUPPLEMENTUM TERTIÆ PARTIS.
Penance (continued). Extreme Unction. Holy Orders. Matrimony. The Resurrection. Appendices.