§ 108. THOMAS AQUINAS. 673
John 4 : 13. Blessedness consists in nothing else than the vision of God as He is in Himself.1 Satisfaction is a nec essary concomitant of blessedness, as warmth is a concomitant of fire.
The virtues are the three religious virtues infused by God, — faith, hope, and love; and the four philosophical or cardinal virtues, — prudence, righteousness, endurance, and continence. These are treated at great length.2 The ethical sections conclude with discussions bearing on the habits of the cler ical profession. In committing the same sins as laymen do, clerics sin more grievously. " Ought they to live of alms ?" This and a multitude of other questions of the same kind are handled with all gravity and metaphysical precision. The essence of Christian perfection is love.3
In his theory of Church and State also Thomas did not rise above his age.4 He fixed the theological statement concern ing the supremacy of the spiritual realm, the primacy of the pope, and the right to punish heretics with death. His views are laid down in his Summa, and in three other writings, on the Rule of Princes? the Errors of the Greeks, and the contra Crentes. Thomas' argument is that the State exists to secure for man the highest end of his being, the salvation of his soul, as well as for his material well-being in this life. He shows no concern for the separate European states and nationalities.6 As the head of the mystical body of Christ, the pope is supreme over the civil estate, even as the spiritual nature is superior to man's physical nature. Christian kings
1 In visione divince essentice. Migne, II. 43.
2 No less than forty-six questions are devoted to the religious virtues, Migne, III. 9-375; and one hundred and twenty-four to the philosophical, Migne, III. 375-1194.
3 Per se et essentialiter consistit perfectio Christiana vitce in charitate. Summa, II. (2), 84, 3; Migne, III. 1295.
* See Werner, I. 760 sqq., 794 sqq. Kostlin, art. Staat und Kirche, Herzog Enc., 2d ed., XIV. 629 sqq. Reusch, Die Falschungen, etc.
6 De regimine principum ad regem Cypri. Two of the four books of this famous work are certainly genuine. The last two books are probably by Thomas' disciple, Ptolemy of Lucca. Poole has some judicious remarks on this work, Illustr. of Med. Thought, pp. 240-266.
6Eicken, D. Philosophie d. Thomas, etc., p. 38. 2x
674 THE MIDDLE AGES. A.D. 1049-1294.
owe him subjection, as they owe subjection to Christ himself, for the pope is Peter's successor and the vicar of Christ.1 The monarchia Christi has taken the place of the old Roman imperium.
As for the Church itself, Rome is the mistress and mother of all churches. To obey her is to obey Christ. This is ac cording to the decision of the holy councils and the holy leathers.2 The unity of the Church presupposes a supreme centre of authority.3 To the pope, it belongs to determine what is of faith. Yea, subjection to him is necessary to salvation.4 High churchmanship could no further go.
In his declarations about heresy and its treatment, Thomas materially assisted in making the persecution of heretics unto
1 successor Petri, Christi vicarius Eomanus Pontifex cui omnes regespopuli Christiani oportet esse subdito sicut ipsi domino Jesu Christo. De reg. principum, I. 14.
2 Romance ecclesice magistrce et matris omnium ecclesiarum cui obediendum est tanquam Domino Deo Jesu, etc. Contra errores Grcecorum, Reusch's ed., p. 9. Also Mirbt, Quellen, pp. 143 sq. This work contains a discussion of four points : the Procession of the Holy Ghost, the primacy of the pope, the use of unleavened bread in the eucharist, and purgatory. It was written at the time when the reunion of the Greeks and Latins was the subject of negotiations. In the preparation of this treatise, Thomas used a work put into his hands by Urban IV., once patriarch of Jerusalem. Thomas refers to it as libellum ab excellentia vestra mihi exhibitum sanctissime Pater Urbane Papa diligenter perlegi. It is full of citations from Cyril of Jerusalem, Cyril of Alexandria, Chrysostom, and other Fathers, as Reusch, following Launoy, learnedly shows. Thomas accepts the quotations without a question as genu ine. The tract has never been published in full. It was known to the abbot Uccelli from a MS. in the Vatican, and parts of it bearing on the papacy were issued by his hand, 1870. Reusch prints a portion of the Vatican MS., and also a part of the unpublished MS., the Thesaurus veritatis fidei by the Do minican Bonacursius, who wrote later than Thomas, and drew from the same source as Thomas did. The Dominicans were specially active in urging the extravagant claims of the papacy as against the Greek patriarch.
3 Cum tota ecclesia sit unum corpus, oportet si ista unitas debet conservari, quod sit aliqua potestas regitiva respectu totius ecdesice supra potestatem episcopalem, qua uniquceque specialis ecclesia regitur, et hcec est potestas papce. Summa, Supplem., 40, 7 ; Migne, IV. 1075.
4 Quod subesse Romano pontijici sit de necessitate salutis. contra errores Grcecorum. Dollinger, in Das Papstthum, says that "Thomas was the first theologian to discuss the theory of papal infallibility as an integral part of systematic theology." Leitner, pp. 10-14, etc., denies this. See Chapter XV.