· Summa I-II & II-II
Moral Theology
The science of human acts ordered to the supernatural end. Conscience, law, sin, the virtues and vices, the Decalogue, the precepts of the Church. Tanquerey, Alphonsus Liguori, and Aquinas's Secunda Pars form the principal sources.
Primary Texts
42 chaptersIntroduction
Table of contents and overview
The Last End of Man
Existence of the Last End; Nature of the Last End; Attainment of the Last End.
Acts as Human
Definition; Knowledge Requisite for a Human Act; Effects of Concomitant, Consequent, and Antecedent Ignorance; Effects of Invincible and Vincible Ignorance; Consent Requisite for a Human Act; Kinds of Voluntary Acts; Obstacles to Consent; Habits; Two Kinds of Voluntary Acts.
Acts as Moral
Definition; The Sources of Morality; Good Acts; Bad Acts; Indifferent Acts; Morality of the External Act; The Morality of the Act That Is Indirectly Willed; The Morality of the Consequences of an Act; Imputability.
Acts as Meritorious
Definitions; Divisions; The second kind of merit mentioned above; The objects of condign merit.
The Passions
Definition; Division; Moral Value of the Passions.
Habits in General
Definition; Division; Strengthening and Weakening of Habits; Habits and Morality; Duties as regards Habits.
Good Habits, or Virtues
Definition; Division; Causes of Virtues; Properties of the Virtues; The Complements of the Virtues.
Bad Habits, or Vices
Definition; Divisions; Mortal Sin; Venial Sin; Imperfections; Change in the Gravity of Moral Defects; The Distinction of Sins; First Rule of Numerical Distinction; Second Rule of Numerical Distinction.
Law in General
Definition; Division; Collision of Laws; Since rights and duties are correlative; The Basis of All Laws.
The Natural Law
Meaning; Relation of the Natural Law to Other Laws; Division; Properties; Interpretation.
The Positive Divine Law
Meaning; Division; The Mosaic Law; The Excellence of the Mosaic Law; The Subjects of the Mosaic Law; The Duration of the Mosaic Law; The Law of the New Testament; Comparison of the Two Testaments from Other Viewpoints; Differences in the Precepts of the Two Laws.
Human Law
Definition; Division of Human Laws; Qualities; Obligation of Human Laws; Interpretation; Those Subject to Law; Change of Law; The Law of Custom; Dispensation.
Ecclesiastical Law
General Law of the Church; Lawgivers in the Church; Subject-Matter of Church Law; Those Bound by General Laws; Those Bound by Particular Laws; Promulgation; Fulfillment of Law; Interpretation; Rules for Doctrinal Interpretation.
Civil Law
Meaning; Origin; Subject-Matter; Those Subject to Civil Law; The Obligation of Civil Law; Special Kinds of Laws.
The Law of Conscience
Definition; Division; Obligation of Conscience; Exception; Results of Conscience.
A Good Conscience
Definition; Divisions; The Lax Conscience; Causes of a Lax Conscience; Special Dangers of a Lax Conscience; Remedies Recommended for a Lax Conscience; The scrupulous Conscience; Special Dangers of a scrupulous Conscience; The Perplexed Conscience.
A Certain Conscience
Necessity of Certitude; Kinds of Certitude; An Uncertain Conscience; Doubt and Suspicion; Opinion; The Moral Systems; Tutiorism; Laxism; Probabiliorism.
The Virtue of Faith
Excellence of the Virtue of Faith; Utility of Faith for the Individual; Utility of Faith for Society; The Meaning of Faith; The Object of Faith; The Acts of Faith; The Habit of Faith; The Gifts of Understanding and Knowledge.
The Sins against Faith
The Sin of Unbelief; Heresy; Various Kinds of Heresy; Apostasy; The Sin of Doubt; Credulity and Rationalism; Dangers to Faith; Dangerous Reading; Dangerous Schools.
The Commandments of Faith
The Commandment of Knowledge; The Commandment of Internal Acts of Faith; The Commandment of External Profession of Faith; Dangers of Profession of Unbelief; Forbidden Societies; Absolution of Those Who Belong to Forbidden Societies; Communication in Worship; Cooperation in Religious Activities.
The Virtue of Hope
Definition; The Object of Hope; The Excellence of Hope; Comparison of Hope with Faith; Comparison of Hope with Charity; The Subject of Hope; The Gift of Fear of the Lord; The Sins Against Hope; Since hope has many elements of which it is composed, despair.
The Virtue of Charity
Definition; The Excellence of Charity; Production of Charity; The Origin of Charity; The Decline of Charity; The Loss of Charity; The Object of Charity; Charity for Sinners; Association with Sinners.
The Effects of Charity
Internal Effects of Charity; Peace; Mercy; Mercy Compared with the Other Moral Virtues; Mercy Compared with Charity; The Obligation of Mercy; External Effects of Charity; Beneficence; Almsgiving.
The Sins against Love and Joy
Hate; Hatred of God; Hatred of God as a Special Sin; The Gravity of Hatred of God; Degrees of Malice in Hatred of God; Hatred of Creatures; Gravity of the Sin of Hatred of Neighbor; Hatred Compared with Other Sins Against the Neighbor; Various Species of the Sin of Hatred.
The Sins against Peace
Discord; Sinfulness of Intentional Discord; Sinfulness of Unintentional Discord; The Origin of Discord; Contention; The Sin of Contention; The Causes of Sinful Contention; Schism; The Principal Schismatical Movements.
The Sins against Beneficence
Scandal; Definition of Scandal; Causes of Scandal; Obscenity; Persons Who Give Scandal on Account of Obscenity; Results of Scandal; Sinfulness of Scandal; Practical Applications of the Preceding Paragraph to Confession; The Gravity of the Sin of Scandal.
The Commandments of Charity
The Commandment of Love of God; The Commandment of Love of Self; Examples of Sins Committed by Neglect of Necessary Education; Confession of Sins against Charity Owed to Self; The Commandment of Love of Neighbor; Fulfillment of the Commandments of Charity; The Intention of Performing All Good Works out of Love for God; Applications of the Preceding Paragraph; The precept of love of God obliges directly.
The Gift of Wisdom
The Nature of the Gift of Wisdom; The Persons Who Possess Wisdom; The Exercise of the Gift of Wisdom; The Beatitude and the Fruits that Correspond to Wisdom; The Sins Opposed to Wisdom.
The Virtue of Prudence
Definition; The Objects of the Act of Prudence; Necessity of Certitude; Relation of Prudence to the Other Moral Virtues; The Exercise of Prudence; Qualities of Prudence; The Parts or Kinds of Prudence; Integral Parts of Prudence; The Subjective Parts or Species of Prudence.
The Virtue of Justice
Nature of Justice; Definition of Right; Divisions of Right; Signs by which Strict and Non-Strict Rights May Be Distinguished; Legal Enforcement of Strict Rights; The Subject of Justice, or the Faculty of the Soul in Which It Exists; The Objects or Subject-Matter of Justice; Division of Justice; Comparison of Legal and Particular Justice.
The Subjective Parts of Justice: Distributive and Commutative Justice
The Three Species of Justice; Resemblance between Distributive and Commutative Justice; The Special Differences between Distributive and Commutative Justice; Commutations of Commutative Justice; Forms of Contract; The Equality Sought by Commutative Justice; Restitution; Differences between Satisfaction and Restitution; When Restitution Is Due.
The Vices Opposed to Commutative and Distributive Justice
The Vice Opposed to Distributive Justice; The Sinfulness of Favoritism from Revelation; The Sinfulness of Favoritism from Reason; The Gravity of the Sin of Favoritism; Favoritism in Spiritual Matters; Opinion of the Applicant or Appointee about His Own Fitness; Favoritism in Secular Matters; Favoritism in Marks of Esteem or Honor Shown to Others; Favoritism in Judges (Umpires, Arbitrators) and the Like.
The Quasi-Integral and Potential Parts of Justice; the Virtue of Religion and the Opposite Vices
The Quasi-Integral Parts of Justice; The Potential Parts of Justice; Degrees of Moral Debt; Epieikeia; The Virtue of Religion; Religion as a Moral Virtue; Superiority of Religion as a Virtue; Necessity of the Acts of Religion; The Internal Acts of Religion.
The Remaining Potential Parts of Justice; the Gift of Piety; the Commandments
The Virtue of Piety; Definition of Piety; The Reverence Required by Piety; The Assistance Required by Piety; Sins against Piety; Malice of Sins against Piety; The Virtue of Reverence; Species of Honor; Obligation of Showing Honor to Deserving Excellence.
The Virtue of Fortitude
The Virtue of Fortitude; Fortitude in General; Definition of Fortitude; The Two Acts of Fortitude; The Excellence of Fortitude; Martyrdom; Kinds of Martyrdom; Conditions for Martyrdom; Practical Questions about Martyrdom.
The Virtue of Temperance
Definition of Temperance; The Rule of Moderation; The Excellence of Temperance; The Vices Opposed to Temperance; The Parts of Temperance; Abstemiousness; Degrees of Abstemiousness; Austerity; The Excellence of Fasting and Abstinence.
The Duties of Members of the Church
The General Duties of the Faithful; The First Precept of the Church; The Affirmative and Negative Parts of the First Precept; How Mass Must Be Heard; Time and Place of Mass; Servile Works; Other Kinds of Works and Sunday Observance; Obligation of First Precept; Excuses from Observance of First Precept.
Duties of Members of Domestic and Civil Society
The Duties of Husbands and Wives; The Obligation of Paying the Conjugal Debt; Absence of Obligation; Suspension of Obligation; Is There an Obligation of Requesting Conjugal Intercourse?; The Morality of Venereal Acts of Marriage; Nota; Contraception; Some Arguments of Neo-Malthusians and Other Advocates of Contraception.
The Sacraments in General; the Sacramentals
Nature of a Sacrament; Rules on the Invalid Use of the Matter and Form of the Sacraments; Simultaneity of Matter and Form; Accidental Changes or Separations as to Matter and Form; Substantial Changes or Separations; Doubtful Matter; What Sacraments Have a Necessity of Means (see 360, 786, 2156)?; Reception of Sacraments *in re* or *in voto*; What Sacraments Have a Necessity of Precept?.
Baptism; Confirmation; the Eucharist; the Sacrifice of the Mass
The Sacrament of Baptism; Solemn and Private Baptism; Duties of Parish-Priests as to Baptism; Duties of Parents and Guardians in Reference to Baptism; Sponsors; Duties of Sponsors; Duties of the Minister of Baptism; The Sacrament of Confirmation; The Minister of Confirmation.
Repentance; Penance; Extreme Unction
The Virtue of Repentance; Repentance; The Character of Repentance; The Excellence of Repentance; Is Repentance Necessary as a Means or as a Precept?; How Soon Does the Precept of Repentance Oblige?; Accompaniments of Repentance as to Mortal Sin; The Fruits of Repentance; Forgiveness of Sin through the Use of the Sacraments.
Holy Orders; Matrimony
The Sacrament of Orders; Distinction of the Orders; The Hierarchy of Orders and Jurisdiction; The Matter and Form of the Various Orders in the Latin Church; The Minister of Ordination; The Special Duties of the Minister; The Recipient of Orders; Canonical Requirements for Ordination; Duties of Ordinandi According to Canon Law.
Glenn's Tour of the Summa
277 questionsGlenn's chapter-by-chapter précis of the Summa Theologica, with links to the full Latin–English text at New Advent.
Q.1 The End Man Seeks Q.2 Where Happiness is Found Q.3 What Happiness Is Q.4 Requisites for Happiness Q.5 The Attainment of Happiness Q.6 Voluntariness Q.7 Circumstances of Human Acts Q.8 Volition and Its Object Q.9 What Moves the Will Q.10 How the Will is Moved Q.11 Fruition or Enjoyment Q.12 Intention Q.13 Election or Choice of Means Q.14 Counsel Q.15 Consent Q.16 Use Q.17 Commanded Acts of the Will Q.18 Moral Good and Evil in Human Acts Q.19 Morality in Acts of the Will Q.20 Good and Evil in External Acts
Browse all 277 Tour questions for this tract →
Magisterial Documents
5Rerum Novarum
The founding document of Catholic social teaching — addressing the condition of workers, the right to private property, the just wage, and the proper roles of the state, the Church, and voluntary associations.
Casti Connubii
Reaffirms the sanctity and indissolubility of Christian marriage, condemns contraception, sterilisation, and eugenics, and establishes the doctrinal framework that Humanae Vitae later presupposes.
Quadragesimo Anno
Develops Leo XIII's social teaching forty years on — introducing the principle of subsidiarity, critiquing both unrestrained capitalism and socialism, and proposing a reconstruction of the social order.
Humanae Vitae
Reaffirms the Church's constant teaching that every act of marital intercourse must remain open to the transmission of life, prohibiting artificial contraception.
Veritatis Splendor
Provides the philosophical and theological foundations for Catholic moral theology — defending intrinsically evil acts, the objectivity of the moral law, and the inseparability of freedom and truth against proportionalism and consequentialism.
Philosophical Foundation
Catholic Philosophy
Ethics
Moral theology builds on ethics — the natural law, the virtues, the human good. Glenn's Ethics presents the philosophical foundation.