Aquinas: Political Writings

by Thomas Aquinas , Edited and translated by R. W. Dyson

• ISBN13: 9780521375955
• ISBN10: 0521375959
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-11-25
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) is an extremely influential figure in the history of Western thought and the Catholic church. In this major addition to the Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought series, Robert Dyson has translated texts by Aquinas that reflect the complete range of his thinking, and clearly show his development of a Christian version of the philosophy of Aristotle. His translations are supported by brief biographies, notes for further reading and a concise critical introduction.

Table of Contents

Preface	xv
Abbreviations	xvi
Introduction	xvii
A brief chronology of St Thomas's life	xxxvii
Bibliography	xxxviii
Government and politics	1	(56)
Summa theologiae Ia 96: Concerning the dominion which belonged to man in the state of innocence	1	(4)
Whether men were equal in the state of innocence	1	(2)
Whether in the state of innocence man would have had dominion over man	3	(2)
The treatise `De regimine principum' or `De regno'	5	(47)
Preface	5	(1)
Book I	5	(40)
Book II	45	(7)
Summa theologiae IaIIae 105:1: Concerning the reason for the judicial precepts [of the Old Testament]	52	(5)
Whether the old law enjoined suitable precepts concerning rulers	52	(5)
Obedience	57	(19)
Summa theologiae IIaIIae 104: On obedience	57	(15)
Whether one man is bound to obey another	57	(2)
Whether obedience is a specific virtue	59	(4)
Whether obedience is the greatest of the virtues	63	(3)
Whether God is to be obeyed in all things	66	(2)
Whether subjects are bound to obey their superiors in all things	68	(2)
Whether Christians are bound to obey the secular powers	70	(2)
Scripta super libros sententiarum II, Dist. 44, quaest. 2	72	(4)
Whether Christians are bound to obey the secular powers, and tyrants in particular	72	(4)
Law	76	(82)
Summa theologiae IaIIae 90: The essence of law	76	(7)
Whether law is something belonging to reason	76	(2)
Whether law is always directed to the common good	78	(2)
Whether the reason of anyone whatsoever can make laws	80	(2)
Whether promulgation is essential to law	82	(1)
Summa theologiae IaIIae 91: The various kinds of law	83	(12)
Whether there is an eternal law	83	(2)
Whether there is a natural law in us	85	(2)
Whether there is a human law	87	(2)
Whether it was necessary for there to be a Divine law	89	(2)
Whether there is only one Divine law	91	(2)
Whether there is a `law of lust' [lex fomitis]	93	(2)
Summa theologiae IaIIae 92: The effects of law	95	(6)
Whether it is an effect of law to make men good	96	(3)
Whether the functions of law are properly described [as commanding, prohibiting, permitting and punishing]	99	(2)
Summa theologiae IaIIae 93: The eternal law	101	(13)
Whether the eternal law is supreme reason existing in God	101	(2)
Whether the eternal law is known to all men	103	(2)
Whether every law is derived from the eternal law	105	(2)
Whether necessary and eternal things are subject to the eternal law	107	(2)
Whether natural contingents are subject to the eternal law	109	(2)
Whether all human affairs are subject to the eternal law	111	(3)
Summa theologiae IaIIae 94: The natural law	114	(12)
Whether the natural law is a habit	114	(2)
Whether the natural law contains several precepts, or only one	116	(2)
Whether all acts of virtue are prescribed by the natural law	118	(2)
Whether the natural law is the same in all men	120	(3)
Whether the natural law can be changed	123	(2)
Whether the law of nature can be abolished from the heart of man	125	(1)
Summa theologiae IaIIae 95: Human law considered in itself	126	(11)
Whether it was useful for certain laws to be established by men	126	(3)
Whether every human law is derived from the natural law	129	(2)
Whether Isidore's description of the quality of positive law is appropriate	131	(2)
Whether Isidore's division of human laws is appropriate	133	(4)
Summa theologiae IaIIae 96: Of the power of human law	137	(12)
Whether human law should be framed for the community rather than the individual	137	(2)
Whether it belongs to human law to restrain all vices	139	(2)
Whether human law prescribes all acts of virtue	141	(2)
Whether human law binds a man in the court of conscience	143	(2)
Whether all men are subject to the law	145	(2)
Whether one who is subject to a law may go beyond the letter of the law	147	(2)
Summa theologiae IaIIae 97: Of change in the laws	149	(9)
Whether human law should be changed in any way	149	(2)
Whether human law should always be changed when something better arises	151	(2)
Whether custom can obtain the force of law	153	(2)
Whether the rulers of a community can dispense from human laws	155	(3)
Right, justice and judgment	158	(47)
Summa theologiae IIaIIae 57: On right	158	(10)
Whether right [ius] is the object of justice [iustitia]	158	(3)
Whether right is suitably divided into natural right and positive right	161	(2)
Whether the `right of nations' [ius gentium] is the same as natural right [ius naturale]	163	(2)
Whether paternal right and dominative right should be regarded as different species of right	165	(3)
Summa theologiae IIaIIae 58: On justice	168	(24)
Whether justice is suitably defined as `a constant and perpetual will to render to each his right'	168	(3)
Whether justice is always towards another	171	(2)
Whether justice is a virtue	173	(2)
Whether justice is in the will as its subject	175	(1)
Whether justice is a general virtue	176	(2)
Whether justice, insofar as it is a general virtue, is the same in essence as all virtue	178	(3)
Whether there is a particular justice as well as general [i.e. `legal'] justice	181	(2)
Whether particular justice has a specific field of concern	183	(1)
Whether justice is concerned with the passions	184	(3)
Whether the mean of justice is an objective mean [medium rei]	187	(2)
Whether the act of justice is to render to each his own	189	(1)
Whether justice is pre-eminent among the moral virtues	190	(2)
Summa theologiae IIaIIae 60: On judgment	192	(13)
Whether judgment is an act of justice	192	(2)
Whether it is lawful to judge	194	(2)
Whether it is unlawful to judge on the basis of suspicion	196	(2)
Whether doubts should receive the more favourable interpretation	198	(2)
Whether we ought always to judge according to the written law	200	(2)
Whether judgment is rendered wrongful by usurpation	202	(3)
Property relations	205	(34)
Summa theologiae IIaIIae 66: On theft and robbery	205	(15)
Whether it is natural for man to possess external things	205	(2)
Whether it is lawful for anyone to possess something as his own	207	(2)
Whether the nature of theft lies in taking someone else's property secretly	209	(1)
Whether theft and robbery are sins of different species	210	(2)
Whether theft is always a sin	212	(2)
Whether theft is a mortal sin	214	(2)
Whether it is lawful to steal by reason of necessity	216	(1)
Whether robbery may be committed without sin	217	(2)
Whether theft is a more grievous sin than robbery	219	(1)
Summa theologiae IIaIIae 78: On the sin of usury	220	(13)
Whether it is a sin to take usury for a loan of money	220	(5)
Whether one may ask for some other kind of consideration for a loan of money	225	(4)
Whether someone is bound to restore whatever profits he has made out of money lent upon usury	229	(2)
Whether it is lawful to borrow money upon usury	231	(2)
The letter to the Duchess of Brabant `On the government of Jews'	233	(6)
War, sedition and killing	239	(28)
Summa theologiae IIaIIae 40: On war	239	(8)
Whether it is always a sin to wage war	239	(3)
Whether it is lawful for clerics and bishops to fight	242	(3)
Whether it is lawful to make use of ambushes in war	245	(1)
Whether it is lawful to fight on holy days	246	(1)
Summa theologiae IIaIIae 42: On sedition	247	(4)
Whether sedition is a specific sin distinct from others	247	(2)
Whether sedition is always a mortal sin	249	(2)
Summa theologiae IIaIIae 64: On homicide	251	(16)
Whether it is unlawful to kill any living thing	251	(2)
Whether it is lawful to kill sinners	253	(2)
Whether it is lawful for a private person to kill a man who has sinned	255	(1)
Whether it is lawful for clerics to kill malefactors	256	(2)
Whether it is lawful for someone to slay himself	258	(3)
Whether it is lawful to kill the innocent	261	(1)
Whether it is lawful to kill someone in self-defence	262	(3)
Whether one incurs the guilt of homicide through slaying a man by chance	265	(2)
Religion and politics	267	(12)
Summa theologiae IIaIIae 10: On relations with unbelievers	267	(7)
Whether unbelievers ought to be coerced into the faith	267	(3)
Whether unbelievers may have authority or dominion over the faithful	270	(2)
Whether the rites of unbelievers ought to be tolerated	272	(2)
Summa theologiae IIaIIae 11: On heresy	274	(3)
Whether heretics ought to be tolerated	274	(2)
Summa theologiae IIaIIae 12: On apostasy	276	(1)
Whether a prince forfeits his dominion over his subjects by reason of his apostasy from the faith, so that they are no longer bound to obey him	276	(1)
Scripta super libros sententiarum 11, Dist. 44, quaest. 3	277	(2)
On spiritual and temporal power	277	(2)
Biographical glossary	279	(18)
Index	297