The Theology of Fear in Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae
Ebook
The Theology of Fear in Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae excavates and explores Thomas Aquinas’s comparatively expansive theology of fear that he develops in the Summa theologiae. Whereas many classify fear under a single category (e.g., an emotion, passion, or sentiment), Thomas specifies seven major categories of fear, including the passion and gift of fear. And while many classify courage as the lone virtue indexed to fear, Thomas argues that courage and perseverance perfect it, adding that a Spirit-empowered gift of courage also perfects human fears so that human beings may attain and remain in blessedness. A work in retrieval theology designed for Thomas and non-Thomas scholars operating within the interactions of theology and psychology, this book argues that understanding this theology’s motivations, internal coherence, and merits is necessary for understanding Thomas’s instruction for beginners in the Christian religion and its ongoing relevance for today.
List of Tables and Figures
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Passion of Fear
Chapter 2: Courage and Perseverance
Chapter 3: The Gifts of Courage and Fear
Chapter 4: The Sins of Fear and Fearlessness
Chapter 5: Christ’s Fear
Chapter 6: Assembly and Analysis
Bibliography
About the Author
Both Thomas Aquinas and fear are growing areas of interest in contemporary scholarship, making this book very timely. Cartagena is an upcoming Thomistic scholar, and this monograph is a revision and publication of his dissertation. It offers the first full-length treatment of fear in Aquinas's Summa Theologiae. Cartagena offers an intelligent and thoughtful exegesis of Aquinas’s questions on fear as well as the virtues, vices, and gifts that perfect fear. In conclusion, Cartagena presents a systematic summary and assessment of Aquinas’s overall theology of fear. Given that this text is singular in its field and appeals to other fields as well, it is likely to become a cornerstone for scholars interested in Thomas Aquinas, the psychology of fear, or virtue theory (even if his arguments or exegesis are at times debatable). Its readable style and helpful introduction make it accessible to undergraduate and general readers as well. Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals.
Fear is a pervasive part of human life but, surprisingly, it is an under-studied topic in philosophy. Thomas Aquinas is one of the history of philosophy’s most original and thorough theorists of fear—its nature and its connection to a flourishing human life. In this crystal clear study, Cartagena elucidates Aquinas’s philosophy and theology of fear, situating it within the wider context of Aquinas’s philosophical anthropology, moral psychology, and theology. Specialists will find a real contribution here, and non-specialists will benefit from Cartagena’s patient and thorough exposition of Aquinas’s texts.
Thomas Aquinas’s psychological perceptiveness includes an especially rich account of fear and its role in the moral life, often overlooked precisely because it is spread throughout discussions of passions, habits, sin, gifts, and the person of Christ. Nathan Cartagena offers here a systematic study of Aquinas on fear, which serves both as an accessible introduction to Thomistic moral psychology, and a sophisticated engagement with philosophical and theological scholarship on the passions. Including critical reflection which will no doubt invite further scholarly discussion, Cartagena models sensitive and sympathetic exegesis, finding that the disparate parts of Aquinas’s “expansive theology of fear” form a cohesive and unified whole.
- Title: The Theology of Fear in Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae
- Author: Nathan Luis Cartagena
- Publisher: Lexington Books
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666953824, 9781666953817, 1666953814, 1666953822
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666953824
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-12-04T16:46:08Z
Nathan Luis Cartagena is assistant professor of philosophy at Wheaton College.