Philosophy the Handmaid of Theology · §50

Whether religion is a theological virtue distinct from faith

Article XXIII. Whether religion is a theological virtue distinct from faith.

1. Aquinas makes religion a moral virtue (not theological) rendering due worship to God. Others call it a theological virtue distinct from faith.

2. Broadly, religion is whole worship of God — not really distinct from faith, hope, and charity, but their exercise toward God. Strictly, as directing worship, it can be told apart from faith, yet is not theological in the same sense as faith, hope, and charity: its formal object is due worship, not God as supernatural end by revelation.

Latin

ART. XXIII. An Religio sit virtus Theologica a Fide distincta. 1. Thomas Aquinas 2.2. q.81 docet religionem esse virtutem moralem (non theologicam), qua DEO cultus debitus redditur. Alii eam virtutem theologicam a fide distinctam faciunt. 2. Nos: Religio late sumpta includit totum DEI cultum, & sic non est virtus a fide, spe, charitate realiter distincta, sed earum exercitium erga DEUM. Stricte, ut virtus specialis dirigendi cultus actus, potest a fide distingui, non tamen est virtus theologica eodem modo quo fides, spes, charitas — quia objectum ejus formale non est DEUS ut finis supernaturalis per revelationem, sed cultus debitus.

About this text

Robert Baron, Philosophia Theologiae Ancillans (Philosophy in Service to Theology): the first exercise, on being and essence, and the second, on the origin of the soul and the spread of sin — newly rendered from Latin. Later exercises are not in this volume.

English follows locked 1658 Oxford Latin. Prima Art. I-XII from IA PDF leaves ~15-53. Secunda Art. I-XV from PDF leaves 56-107 / printed pp.54-105 (tess+pdftotext+DjVu). No modern English copied. Exercitatio Tertia+ remain.

Catalogue & scope

Wing B887. IA bim_early-english-books-1641-1700_philosophia-theologi-an_baron-robert_1658. Exercitatio Prima Art. I-XII; Exercitatio Secunda Art. I-XV (De origine animae & propagatione peccati). Not whole Philosophia (213 pp). Exercitatio Tertia+ remain.

Witnesses

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.