Christ in Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae: Peripheral or Pervasive?

The Thomist 67 (2003): 221-48 CHRIST IN AQUINAS'S SUMMA THEOLOGIAE: PERIPHERAL OR PERYASIVE? JEAN-MARC LAPORTE, S.J. Regis College Toronto, Ontario, Canada BornTHOMASAQUINAS and Bonaventure, having completed their doctoral cursus in the 1250s, could leave the Sentences of Peter Lombard behind and apply their own theological acumen to the organization of sacra doctrina. Since Bonaventure was elected Minister General of his order in the same year he was recognized as a master by the University of Paris, his academic career was curtailed. He did manage in that same year, in response to the request of many students, to compose his Breviloquium, universally recognized as an attractive, accessible, and profound work of doctrinal synthesis.1 Aquinas had the opportunity to teach for many years before he began around 1265-66 to write his Summa Theologiae, his crowning achievement . Though unfinished, this work, far more extensive than the Breviloquium, made available to students of his era and to us the fruit of his mature thought in a carefully devised pedagogical order.2 In this essay we are principally concerned with the Summa and its ordering of topics, but to help us highlight its distinctive features we will contrast it with the Breviloquium. As our title 1 In the general prologue to his Breviloquium (hereafter Brev.), Bonaventure gives the following title to the chapter that surveys the plan of his work: "De illis septem, de quibus est theologia in summa" (Brev. 1.1.1) This shows that he is conscious of at least schematically covering the entirety of theology. 2 Aquinas's Compendium Theologiae corresponds more closely to the Breviloquium in length and purpose. We will refer to it when we examine the creedal roots of the Summa. 221 222 JEA."-T-MARC LAPORTE, S.J. suggests, the place given to Christ in these two syntheses offers a locus of significant comparison. first reading, Christ is dearly at the center of appears not to be at the center of the does Christ the organization of the Summa? That is question our investigation. To begin, us evoke the Breviloquium. That work stays much doser to structure Lombard's four books than does Aquinas's Summa. Nonetheless the changes Bonaventure makes to Lombard's appear slight on the surface, result in major improvements. The of his work companson to that of is presented in the following diagram: Bonaventure Lombard Prologue On Scripture and theology Book 1: Introduction; God as One arid God as Parr 1 The of God, followed by Triune appropriated attributes: efficiency and power to the Father, exernplarity and wisdom to the Son; finality and will to the Spirit (Brev. L6.9). Part 2 The World God as Origin Book 2: Crearure of God (appropriated to Creation; Father: Brev. Original Justice; 2.5.5) Grace Part 3 The Coirrnptio1.1 God as Restorer of Sin (preceded by an account of the need for Part 4 Incru.uation of restoration); Book 3: ilie Word Sending of the Incarnation; Word as Exemplar Redemption; Virtues, Gifts, Precepts Part 5 The Grace of God as End; the Holy Spirit Sending of the Spirit to achieve Part 6 S2cramental the return of Book4: Medicine human creatures to Sacraments; God. Last Things Part 7 Fina! judgment CHRIST IN THE SUMMA 223 Two major differences need to be brought out. First, the Breviloquium brings out the tacit Trinitarian structure of Lombard's work. In part 1, after a brief conspectus of the whole work, Bonaventure immediately goes to the heart of the matter which is God as triune, whereas Lombard begins his treatment with the existence of God. Bonaventure also tightens up Lombard's subsequent consideration of attributes of God by selecting those that can be seen in a dear relationship of appropriation to the persons of the Trinity and in their role in the Trinitarian unfolding of the rest of his treatise.3 Second, Bonaventure aligns his Trinitarian structure more closely to the Trinitarian structure of the creeds. The rteatment of grace and the virtues is somewhat scattered in Lombard (partly in book II and partly book HI). Bonaventure goes back to the order of his own teacher, Alexander of Hales, and deals with both together...