Reading Sacred Scripture with Thomas Aquinas: Hermeneutical Tools, Theological Questions and New Perspectives

624 Pages·2015·1.83 MB·English

by  Piotr Roszak

Fédération Internationale des Instituts d’Études Médiévales
TEXTES ET ÉTUDES DU MOYEN ÂGE, 80
READING SACRED SCRIPTURE WITH
THOMAS AQUINAS. HERMENEUTICAL
TOOLS, THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS
AND NEW PERSPECTIVES
Edited by
Piotr ROSZAK and Jörgen VIJGEN
FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DES INSTITUTS D’ÉTUDES MÉDIÉVALES
Présidents honoraires :
L.E. BOYLE (†) (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana et Commissio Leonina,
1987-1999)
L. HOLTZ (Institut de Recherche et d’Histoire des Textes, Paris, 1999-)
Président :
J. HAMESSE (Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve)
Vice-Président :
G. DINKOVA BRUUN (Pontifi cal Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto)
Membres du Comité :
P. CAÑIZARES FERRIZ (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)
O.R. CONSTABLE (†) (University of Notre Dame)
M. HOENEN (Universität Basel)
M.J. MUÑOZ JIMÉNEZ (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)
R.H. PICH (Pontifi cia Universidade Católica do Río Grande do Sul, Porto
Alegre)
Secrétaire :
M. PAVÓN RAMÍREZ (Centro Español de Estudios Eclesiásticos, Roma)
Éditeur responsable :
A. GÓMEZ RABAL (Institución Milá y Fontanals, CSIC, Barcelona)
Coordinateur du Diplôme Européen d’Études Médiévales :
G. SPINOSA (Università degli Studi di Cassino)
Fédération Internationale des Instituts d’Études Médiévales
TEXTES ET ÉTUDES DU MOYEN ÂGE, 80
READING SACRED SCRIPTURE WITH
THOMAS AQUINAS. HERMENEUTICAL
TOOLS, THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS
AND NEW PERSPECTIVES
Edited by
Piotr ROSZAK and Jörgen VIJGEN
F
2015
This book uses information gathered through grant: «The Bible and
Metaphysics. The Hermeneutics of the Medieval Commentaries of Thomas
Aquinas on Corpus Paulinum» funded from resources of the National
Science Centre in Poland (NCN), allotted following the decision no. DEC-
2012/04/M/HS1/00724.
© 2015, Brepols Publishers n.v., Turnhout, Belgium
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the
prior permission of the publisher.
D/2015/0095/207
ISBN: 978-2-503-56227-8
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Piotr ROSZAK & Jörgen VIJGEN: Towards a ‘Biblical Thomism’:
Introduction VII
Part 1: Hermeneutical Tools
Marco PASSAROTTI, What You Can Do with Linguistically Annotated
Data. From the Index Thomisticus to the Index Thomisticus
Treebank 3
Gilbert DAHAN, Thomas Aquinas: Exegesis and Hermeneutics 45
Elisabeth REINHARDT, Thomas Aquinas as Interpreter of Scripture in
Light of his Inauguration Lectures 71
Jeremy HOLMES, Participation and the Meaning of Scripture 91
Piotr ROSZAK, The Place and Function of Biblical Citations in
Thomas Aquinas’s Exegesis 115
Mauricio NARVÁEZ, Intention, probabiles rationes and Truth: The
Exegetical Practice in Thomas Aquinas. The Case of the Expositio
super Iob ad litteram 141
Margherita Maria ROSSI, Mind-space. Towards an “Environ-mental
Method” in the Exegesis of the Middle Ages 171
Olivier-Thomas VENARD, Metaphor, Between Necessitas and Delectatio 199
Timothy F. BELLAMAH, The Interpretation of a Contemplative:
Thomas’ Commentary Super Iohannem 229
Leo ELDERS, The Presence of the Church Fathers in Aquinas’
Commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of
John 257
Jörgen VIJGEN, The Use and Function of Aristotle in Aquinas’s Biblical
Commentaries 287
VI TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part 2: Theological Questions and New Perspectives
Matthew LEVERING, The Old Testament in Aquinas’s Moral Theology 349
Enrique MARTÍNEZ, The Elevation of Human Knowledge According
to the Biblical Commentaries of Thomas Aquinas 375
Robert J. WOŹNIAK, An Emerging Theology Between Scripture and
Metaphysics: Bonaventure, Aquinas and the Scriptural Foundation
of Medieval Theology 415
Mirosław MRÓZ, Virtue Epistemology and Aquinas’s Biblical
Commentary on the Corpus Paulinum 435
Lluís CLAVELL, Philosophy and Sacred Text: Mutual Hermeneutical
Help. The Case of Ex 3:14 457
Matthew RAMAGE, In the Beginning: Aquinas, Benedict XVI, and the
Book of Genesis 481
Daniel KEATING, Exegesis and Christology in Thomas Aquinas 507
Christopher BAGLOW, The Principle(s) of Ecclesial Nature: The
Church in the Ephesians Commentary of St. Thomas Aquinas 531
Bibliography 555
Editions of the Works of Thomas Aquinas and Abbreviations 555
Ancient and Medieval Authors 560
Modern Authors 562
Contemporary authors 562
Indices
Index of Manuscripts 591
Index of Ancient and Medieval Names 593
Index of Modern and Contemporary Names 595
PIOTR ROSZAK – JÖRGEN VIJGEN
TOWARDS A ‘BIBLICAL THOMISM’: INTRODUCTION
Many years ago Étienne Gilson wrote that «the entire theology of St.
Thomas is a commentary on the Bible; he advances no conclusion without
basing it somehow on the word of Sacred Scripture, which is the Word of God»1.
This volume offers a collection of essays on the hermeneutical tools used
by Thomas Aquinas in his biblical exegesis and its contemporary relevance.
Its goal is to familiarize the contemporary reader with an indispensable
dimension of his scholarly activity: as a master in Sacred Scripture (magister
in sacra pagina) Aquinas taught theology as a form of speculative reading of
the revealed Word of God and hence the reading of the various books of the
Bible constituted the axis of medieval scriptural didactics.
Thomas Aquinas († 1274) lived at a time when biblical exegesis had seen a
signifi cant transformation: the monastic practice of lectio continua had given
way to a scholastic heuristics of the Bible2. In this new paradigm of biblical
science, the reading of Sacred Scripture was carried out on various levels:
from familiarity with its contents during the lectio, through discovering its
profound meaning in the disputatio to the application in everyday life in the
praedicatio3. In other words, the scholarly engagement with the Bible starts
from a textual exposition of the Bible, it discovers the speculative insights
of the text and ultimately leads to the pastoral application thereof, following
the three major steps of engaging Sacred Scripture: exegesis, speculation
and preaching. The exegetical practice of Thomas Aquinas continues in this
direction, benefi tting from both the patristic tradition (especially Augustine
and Jerome) as well as from the advances of his more immediate 12th century
predecessors such as the school of Laon, the writers of the various Glossae
and the Victorine school, in particular Hugh of St. Victor4.
1 É. GILSON, Les tribulations de Sophie, Vrin, Paris 1967, p. 47.
2 Cf. M. M. ROSSI, «Conversazioni medioevali: associazioni sul tema della Bibbia
nel medioevo», Divus Thomas, 35 (2002) 184-198.
3 Cf. G. DAHAN, L’exégèse chrétienne de la Bible en Occident médiéval, XIIe-XIVe
siècle, Cerf, Paris 1999, pp. 239-297.
4 G. DAHAN, «L’infl uence des victorins dans l’exégèse de la Bible jusqu’à la
fi n du XIIIe siècle», in D. POIREL (ed.), L’École de Saint Victor de Paris. Infl uence et
rayonnement du Moyen Âge à l’époque moderne, Brepols, Turnhout 2010, pp. 153-178.
VIII PIOTR ROSZAK – JÖRGEN VIJGEN
The theological activity of Aquinas as master in Sacred Scripture
consists in explaining and exploring the meanings of the biblical text based
on a hermeneutic model that leads to a theological exegesis and ultimately
to an ecclesial application. At the heart of his exegetical practice stand the
three levels of literal exposition formulated by Hugh of St. Victor littera –
sensus – sententia: from the textual analysis and brief explanation of the
words and their context (littera) to the analysis of the various elements
(sensus) and the true understanding of the theological content, underlying
the text (sententia)5. This characteristic of his hermeneutics, in which
the literal sense has the principal and regulative role, leads to a rigorous
reading of the Bible which contains a genuine scientifi c warrant. This partly
explains why his exegesis is held in high regard by so many theologians,
from Erasmus of Rotterdam6 to contemporary exegetes7.
Aquinas’s commentaries to the Old and New Testament contain various
other techniques such as the division of the biblical text (divisio textus),
which conduces and facilitates a coherent and thematic interpretation,
the insertion of theological questions and philosophical digressions, the
connection of the text commented upon with passages from other books
of the Bible, etc. All these techniques are not merely hermeneutical tools
standing on their own but are also modes in which the genuine biblical
character of his theology, the way in which he approaches the inspired texts
and the role of these texts in developing a sacra doctrina come to the fore.
The thought of Aquinas undoubtedly operates within a biblical horizon8. A
5 Cf. Hugh of St. Victor, Didascalia VI, 8: «Expositio tria continet: literam,
sensum, sententiam».
6 Cf. Desiderium Erasmus, Annotationes in Novum Testamentum, Rom. 1:5, in
Idem, Opera omnia, ed. JOANNES CLERICUS, 10 vols. (Lugduni Batavorum: cura et
impensis Petri Vander AA, 1703-1706) [facsimile reprint = Olms, Hildesheim 1962],
VI, col. 554E: «Dictu mirum est, quam se torqueat hoc loco Thomas Aquinas, vir
alioqui non suo tantum seculo magnus. Nam meo quidem animo nullus est recentium
Theologorum, cui par sit diligentia, cui sanius ingenium, cui solidior eruditio: planeque
dignus erat, cui linguarum quoque peritia, reliquaque bonarum litterarum supellex
contingeret, qui iis quae per eam tempestatem dabantur tam dextre sit usus». The
critical edition is now available in Annotationes in Novum Testamentum. Pars tertia,
Ed. P. F. HOVINGH, E. J. Brill, Leiden 2011 (Editio Amstelodamensis, VI,7).
7 Cf. M. LEVERING, Participatory Biblical Exegesis: A Theology of Biblical
Interpretation, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame 2008.
8 Cf. P. ROSZAK, «Between Dialectics and Metaphor: Dynamics of the
Exegetical Practice of Thomas Aquinas», Angelicum 90 (2013) 507-534.
TOWARDS A ‘BIBLICAL THOMISM’: INTRODUCTION IX
comprehensive understanding of Aquinas has to take into account therefore
not merely his systematic works but also his biblical commentaries.
Apart from the ‘material’ reason of the biblical commentaries
themselves, there is also a ‘formal’ reason why Aquinas’s biblical
commentaries are an indispensable part of his theological output and even
the key for a comprehensive understanding of his theological thought.
Almost all of his systematic works, and in particular his Summa Theologiae,
are constructed around a set of biblical quotations. This becomes apparent
by the fact that the sed contra of the individual articles of for instance the
Summa Theologiae mostly contain biblical quotations, which serve as the
authoritative basis for discussing the question at hand. In these cases it is
necessary not to treat the particular biblical quotation as a mere argument
from authority but to turn to the context of the particular quotation, as
commented upon by Aquinas in his commentary on the biblical verse in
question.
Another element that highlights the importance of his biblical
commentaries is the introduction of theological excursuses by way of
formulating a series of quaestiones, occasioned by reading a particular
passage from the Bible. This practice not only gives an insight into the
didactic nature of Aquinas’s commentaries but also forms an echo of what
happened at the classroom during his lectures. It also demonstrates the
catechetical potential of Scripture and shows how these commentaries are
incorporated into an ongoing dialogue between Scripture on the one hand
and the Church and the ‘world’ on the other hand.
Nevertheless, the history of reading and commenting on the works of
Thomas Aquinas has resulted in a different picture of Thomism than the
one outlined briefl y above. Thomas was and is still most widely known
for his Summa Theologiae and as a commentator of Aristotle whereas
his contribution as a biblical theologian has been overlooked9. Although
medieval biblical exegesis in general has witnessed a revived interest due
9 An investigation into the reason why Aquinas’s contribution as a biblical
theologian has received so little recognition is a matter we cannot discuss here. The
fact that the critical editions of almost all his biblical commentaries are still lacking
has certainly contributed to this situation. It is worthwhile to recalling, however, the
observation by Fergus Kerr: «The lack of decent texts, it has to be admitted, is entirely
due to the fact that Thomists themselves have never read the biblical commentaries
much. The Aquinas often criticized for being unbiblical is the creation of his self-
styled admirers». F. KERR, «Recent Thomistica 1», New Blackfriars, 83 (2002) 248.
X PIOTR ROSZAK – JÖRGEN VIJGEN
to the increasing availability of critical editions and such seminal works
as those of Beryl Smalley (The Study of the Bible in the Middle Ages)
and Henri de Lubac (Exégèse médiévale: les quatre sens de l’écriture),
published since the 1950’s, the credit for underlining the importance of
Thomas Aquinas the exegete goes to Ceslaus Spicq’s work Esquisse d’une
histoire de l’exégèse latine au Moyen Âge, published in 1944 and to his
lengthy contribution entitled «Saint Thomas d’Aquin Exégète» in the
Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique10. The results of these works laid
the groundwork for such studies as those of Marie-Dominique Chenu11,
Maximino Arias Reyero12, Thomas Domanyi13 and others.
In more recent times the «forgotten corpus of the Angelic Doctor»14
has been applied to a number of issues related to moral and dogmatic
theology because it is perceived as «a medieval exegetical project of
striking breadth and depth that still has much to teach contemporary
theology and biblical studies»15 and can be made fruitful for the ecumenical
dialogue. Simultaneously various translations of his commentaries into
modern languages have appeared, among which the French translations
undertaken by J.-É Stroobant de Saint-Éloy, often richly annotated and
carefully introduced by Gilbert Dahan deserve special mention. In this
way one is witnessing the development of what has been called ‘Biblical
Thomism’ in which Aquinas’s thought is being explored through his study
of Scripture16.
10 Edited by A. VACANT – E. MANGENOT – E. AMANN, Libraire Letouzey et Ané,
Paris 1946, col. 694-738.
11 M.-D. CHENU, Introduction à l’étude de saint Thomas d’Aquin, Institut d’études
médiévales – Vrin, Montréal – Paris 1950.
12 M. ARIAS REYERO, Thomas von Aquin als Exeget, Johannes Verlag, Einsiedeln
1971.
13 Th. DOMANYI, Der Römerbriefkommentar des Thomas von Aquin: Ein Beitrag
zur Untersuchung seiner Auslegungsmethode, Peter Lang, Bern 1979.
14 «Preface» in Th. WEINANDY – D. KEATING – J. YOCUM (edd.), Aquinas on
Scripture. An Introduction to his Biblical Commentaries, T&T Clark International,
London – New York 2005, p. ix.
15 B. BLANKENHORN, «Aquinas on Paul’s Flesh/Spirit Anthropology in Romans»,
in M. LEVERING – M. DAUPHINAIS (edd.), Reading Romans with St. Thomas Aquinas,
The Catholic University of America Press, Washington D.C. 2012, p. 38.
16 For a concise description of ‘biblical thomism’ and its origins in the work of
Servais Pinckaers, cf. T. ROWLAND, Ratzinger’s Faith: The Theology of Pope Benedict
XVI, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2008, pp. 26-27.