The Meaning of Sacra Doctrina in Summa Theologiae I, q. 1

THE MEANING OF SACRA DOCTRINA IN SUMMA THEOLOGIAE I, q. 1 T HE SUMMA THEOLOGIAE of St. Thomas Aquinas was the outcome of a personal experienc~the experience of trying to teach theology to beginners. It was conceived and begun at Rome in 1266, continued at Viterbo and Paris, and left unfinished at Naples on Dec. 6, 1273. In the brief span of eight very active years Thomas wrote one of the masterpieces of Catholic theology. Thomas never taught the Summa in any classroom in any studium or university. It was intended as a handbook to give beginners all the essentials of scientific theology. Thomas never dreamt that his handbook would one day replace the Sentences of Peter Lombard in the classroom. But never could he have condoned the practice that obtained in certain institutions in the past of giving primacy to the Summa over that of Sacred Scripture. In the Middle Ages the Bible alone served as the official text of the Master.1 Today, of course, the science of theology-nay, rather, the wisdom of theology-has become so vast that the Summa is not enough; but this does not mean that it should be discarded . Its pages still contain the most lucid exposition of the Catholic faith in terms of the scientific principles involved, the scriptural, patristic, and cultural sources on which they depend, and an order of presentation intended to lead the beginner from point to point, from truth to truth. Thomas was about forty years old when he was assigned to open a studium for the province of Rome in 1265. The provincial chapter of the Roman province met at Anagni on Sept. 8, 1265, following the general chapter at Montpellier. At Anagni 1 H. Denifle, "Quel livre servait de base a l'enseignement des Maitres en Theologie dans l'Universite de Paris," Revue Thomiate, ~ (1894), 149-161. 49 50 JAMES A. WEISHEIPL the capitular fathers, including Friar Thomas, decided to establish a studium for the province at Santa Sabina in Rome: We enjoin on Friar Thomas d'Aquino in remission of his sins to establish a studium in Rome, and we direct that there be provided for the brethren who are with him for the sake of study, sufficient clothing from the priories of their origin. If, however, those students are found negligent in study, we give Friar Thomas full authority to send them back to their respective houses.2 Since Thomas attended this chapter in his capacity as preacher general, he would most certainly have taken part in the discussion before a decision was reached. Very likely Thomas himself suggested this turn in the history of the Roman province . At any rate, he was chosen to open the first studium in the province of Rome at Santa Sabina on the Aventine hill. This priory was one of the oldest in the Order, having been given to St. Dominic by the Holy See in 1221; the spacious basilica was designed by the same architect who designed Santa Maria Maggiore in fifth-century Rome. The studium that Thomas was asked to open was not to be a " general studium," but simply a " provincial studium." Only the general chapter of the Order had the right to open a general studium where all subjects were taught and to which students from all houses of the Order could be sent. At that time the Order had only four general studia: Paris, Bologna, Oxford, and Cologne (which Albert had been asked to open in 1248). Thomas's task was to teach young Dominican students of the Roman province the elements of theology through lectures and disputations. Thonias taught in Rome only two short years; in the summer of 1267 he was assigned to Viterbo, where Pope Clement IV had been residing for some months. During the two academic years in Rome, Thomas presided over the disputed questions De potentia and De malo. It is also possible that, following the example of Albert, he lectured on the De divinis nominibus of pseudo-Dionysius. There is not the slightest evi2 Acta Capitulorum Provincialium Provinciae Romanae (1243-1344), ed. T. Kaeppeli, O. P., Monumenta Ordinis Praedicatorum Historica (hereafter MOPH), XX, 3~. THE...