aeterni patris summary

Its solid foundations having been thus laid, a perpetual and varied service is further required of philosophy, in order that sacred theology may receive and assume the nature, form, and genius of a true science. It opens with the consideration that the Church, although officially the teacher of revealed truth only, has always been interested in the cultivation of every branch of human knowledge, especially of philosophy on which the right cultivation of other sciences in great measure depends. A comparison is drawn between the way in which the Hebrews took with them Egyptian treasures to offer to the service of God, and the way in which truths discovered by the philosophy of the pagans are to be turned to the use and purposes of revealed doctrine. Aeterni Patris, the Encyclical, of Leo XIII, issued August 4, 1879. Indeed, since the French Revolution, most pontiffs had preferred to condemn the errors in contemporary philosophy, not to recommend explicitly a return to the old. The vigorous reintroduction of St. Thomas into the Catholic philosophical teaching was perceived by many as a bold and unprecedented step by the new pope. The wisdom of St. Thomas, We say; for if anything is taken up with too great subtlety by the Scholastic doctors, or too carelessly stated-if there be anything that ill agrees with the discoveries of a later age, or, in a word, improbable in whatever way-it does not enter Our mind to propose that for imitation to Our age. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Aeterni-Patris, The Catholic Encyclopedia - Biography of Aeterni Patris. Aeterni Patris (English: Of the Eternal Father) was an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII in August 1879, (not to be confused with the apostolic letter of the same name written by Pope Pius IX in 1868 calling the First Vatican Council ). Whoso turns his attention to the bitter strifes of these days and seeks a reason for the troubles that vex public and private life must come to the conclusion that a fruitful cause of the evils which now afflict, as well as those which threaten, us lies in this: that false conclusions concerning divine and human things, which originated in the schools of philosophy, have now crept into all the orders of the State, and have been accepted by the common consent of the masses. Philosophy alone is insufficient to emerge from error or prevent further erroneous conclusions concerning divine or human things. The faith of the Christian religion preserves philosophic truth by bringing to men the grace of the divine wisdom. Neither reason nor philosophy is destroyed by faith; God, creator of the light of reason in the human mind, strengthens man and his reason by faith. But well do We know that vain will be Our efforts unless, venerable brethren, He helps Our common cause who, in the words of divine Scripture, is called the God of all knowledge;(41) by which we are also admonished that "every best gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights",(42) and again: "If any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men abundantly, and upbraideth not: and it shall be given him."(43). We think it hazardous that its special honor should not always and everywhere remain, especially when it is established that daily experience, and the judgment of the greatest men, and, to crown all, the voice of the Church, have favored the Scholastic philosophy. Inst., 7, 7 (PL 6, 759). 17. And with regard, venerable brethren, to the origin, drift, and excellence of this scholastic learning, it may be well here to speak more fully in the words of one of the wisest of Our predecessors, Sixtus V: "By the divine favor of Him who alone gives the spirit of science wisdom, and understanding, and who thou ages, as there may be need, enriches His Church with new blessings and strengthens it with safeguards, there was founded by Our fathers, men of eminent wisdom, the scholastic theology, which two glorious doctors in particular angelic St. Thomas and the seraphic St. Bonaventure, illustrious teachers of this faculty, . (23) Moreover, the Church herself not only urges, but even commands, Christian teachers to seek help from philosophy. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In the Councils of Lyons, Vienna, Florence, and the Vatican one might almost say that Thomas took part and presided over the deliberations and decrees of the Fathers, contending against the errors of the Greeks, of heretics and rationalists, with invincible force and with the happiest results. The twenty-first paragraph of the encyclical continues the list of testimonials to St. Thomass greatness by mentioning some of the popes who have honored, borrowed from, and praised the work of St. Thomas. https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/aeterni-patris, "Aeterni Patris In the first place, philosophy, if rightly made use of by the wise, in a certain way tends to smooth and fortify the road to true faith, and to prepare the souls of its disciples for the fit reception of revelation; for which reason it is well called by ancient writers sometimes a steppingstone to the Christian faith,(6) sometimes the prelude and help of Christianity,(7) sometimes the Gospel teacher. It is dated Rome, 29 June, 1868. What is more, those venerable men, the witnesses and guardians of religious traditions, recognize a certain form and figure of this in the action of the Hebrews, who, when about to depart out of Egypt, were commanded to take with them the gold and silver vessels and precious robes of the Egyptians, that by a change of use the things might be dedicated to the service of the true God which had formerly been the instruments of ignoble and superstitious rites. Revelation has the force of certain truth so that what is contrary to faith is also contrary to reason. 7. ", Pereira, Jose last Updated: 2021-02-11 02:00:18 and needs the of. Encyclopedia.com. Since it was the work of the Scholastic theologians, according to the Encyclical, to unite divine and human science, their theology could never have succeeded, as it did succeed, if their philosophy had not been a complete system. 31. Univ. As one 15. For, as the Apostle says, the invisible things of Him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made: His eternal power also and divinity;(9) and the Gentiles who have not the Law show, nevertheless, the work of the Law written in their hearts. Quadratus, Justin Irenaeus, are counted among the early Christian apologists, who devoted their works to the defence of Christian truth against the pagans. But the learned men whom We call apologists speedily encountered these teachers of foolish doctrine and, under the guidance of faith, found arguments in human wisdom also to prove that one God, who stands pre-eminent in every kind of perfection, is to be worshiped; that all things were created from nothing by His omnipotent power; that by His wisdom they flourish and serve each their own special purposes. Augustine says: "Do we not see Cyprian, that mildest of doctors and most blessed of martyrs, going out of Egypt laden with gold and silver and vestments? To the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops of the Catholic World in Grace and Communion With the Apostolic See. The philosophers of old who lacked the gift of faith, yet were esteemed so wise, fell into many appalling errors. SEA PATRIS (IMO: 8415794) is a Vehicles Carrier that was built in 1985 (37 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of PA. 27. The Patris left Piraeus, Greece, for her first immigrant voyage to Australia on 14 December 1959 . Later on, the doctors of the middle ages, who are called Scholastics, addressed themselves to a great work-that of diligently collecting, and sifting, and storing up, as it were, in one place, for the use and convenience of posterity the rich and fertile harvests of Christian learning scattered abroad in the voluminous works of the holy Fathers. Tertullian, Apologet., 46 (PL 1, 573). Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps. The name of two papal documents of Pius IX and Leo XIII. Such an idea is most false and deceptive, and its sole tendency is to induce foolish and ungrateful men wilfully to repudiate the most sublime truths, and reject the divine gift of faith, from which the fountains of all good things flow out upon civil society. Wisd. The Church commands Christian teachers to enlist the help of philosophy in instructing the faithful but cautions against philosophical arguments that are contrary to revealed truth. The nineteenth paragraph begins a discussion of the many ways in which Aquinass authority has been recognized through the centuries. g. f. ritzel, "Some Historical Background of the Encyclical Aeterni Patris," Nuntius Aulae 38 (1956) 135155. a. alexander, "Thomas Aquinas and the Encyclical Letter," Princeton Review N. S. 5 (Jan. 1880) 245326. The arts were wont to draw from philosophy, as from a wise mistress, sound judgment and right method, and from it, also, their spirit, as from the common fount of life. And that we may receive fuller fruits of the divine goodness, offer up to God the most efficacious patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is called the seat of wisdom; having at the same time as advocates St. Joseph, the most chaste spouse of the Virgin, and Peter and Paul, the chiefs of the Apostles, whose truth renewed the earth which had fallen under the impure blight of error, filling it with the light of heavenly wisdom. Retrieved January 17, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/aeterni-patris. May the Word of the Eternal Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, be made flesh for you, this Christmas, in your memories and in your longings, in . Pointing to the Church Fathers, the encyclical shows how reason and science were used to call people to faith. The encyclical, however, was no surprise to any acquainted with Cardinal Pecci, who had for years been spearheading a Thomistic renaissance in the schools in his diocese of Perugia, leading to such theologians and philosophers as Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, Etienne Gilson, and Jacques Maritain. The second document is the encyclical of Leo XIII, dated Aug. 4, 1879, and written to restore scholastic philosophy in general and that of St. Thomas Aquinas in particular. However, Christ, as the power and wisdom of God, restores knowledge through his followers, and by their efforts redeems what is true in pagan philosophy. But in the case of such doctrines as the human intelligence may perceive, it is equally just that philosophy should make use of its own method, principles, and arguments-not, indeed, in such fashion as to seem rashly to withdraw from the divine authority. 3. Pope Leo XIII had recognized the detrimental effects to both society and religion when reason is privileged over faith. Its purpose was the revival of Scholastic philosophy, according to the mind of St. Thomas Aquinas. Nor is that more accurate or fuller knowledge of the things that are believed, and somewhat more lucid understanding, as far as it can go, of the very mysteries of faith which Augustine and the other fathers commended and strove to reach, and which the Vatican Council itself(20) declared to be most fruitful, to be passed over in silence or belittled. ." And, here, how pleasantly one's thoughts fly back to those celebrated schools and universities which flourished of old in Europe - to Paris, Salamanca, Alcal, to Douay, Toulouse, and Louvain, to Padua and Bologna, to Naples and Coimbra, and to many another! Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Aeterni Patris ( English: Of the Eternal Father) was an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII in August 1879, (not to be confused with the apostolic letter of the same name written by Pope Pius IX in 1868 calling the First Vatican Council ). Given at St. Peter's, in Rome, the fourth day of August, 1879, the second year of our pontificate. The fact that revelation assists the philosopher in reasoning correctly does not detract from the dignity of the human intellect because wisdom is gained in recognizing the limits of reason. Overall length is 176,72 meters, and width is 29,2 meters. This high regard was most especially evident during the Council of Trent, in which his Summa was laid upon the altar, together with sacred Scripture and the decrees of the supreme Pontiffs., 23. Aeterni Patris, an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on Aug. 4, 1879, which strengthened the position of the philosophical system of the medieval Scholastic philosopher-theologian St. Thomas Aquinas and soon made Thomism the dominant philosophical viewpoint in Roman Catholicism. In paragraph 13, Pope Leo XIII continues his list of those who have advanced the Christian intellectual tradition. 2. Nor is the triumph of the Christian faith a small one in using human reason to repel powerfully and speedily the attacks of its adversaries by the hostile arms which human reason itself supplied. [1] (21), 7. But Augustine would seem to have wrested the palm from all. 1. The aim . LAMENNAIS, HUGUES FLICIT ROBERT DE With wise forethought, therefore, not a few of the advocates of philosophic studies, when turning their minds recently to the practical reform of philosophy, aimed and aim at restoring the renowned teaching of Thomas Aquinas and winning it back to its ancient beauty. "Ite ad Thomam", Accessed Feb. 6, 2013, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aeterni_Patris&oldid=1131186430, On the restoration of Christian Philosophy, Hill, Harvey. For, not in vain did God set the light of reason in the human mind; and so far is the super-added light of faith from extinguishing or lessening the power of the intelligence that it completes it rather, and by adding to its strength renders it capable of greater things. The Accademia has done much to help on the movement thus inaugurated, and a Collegium of Dominican Fathers have ever since been working at the new (Leonine) edition of St. Thomas. 34. Aquinas has been equally esteemed even among critics of the Church, who openly declared that, if the teaching of Thomas Aquinas were only taken away, they could easily battle with all Catholic teachers.. 12. In the first place, then, since in the tempest that is on us the Christian faith is being constantly assailed by the machinations and craft of a certain false wisdom, all youths, but especially those who are the growing hope of the Church, should be nourished on the strong and robust food of doctrine, that so, mighty in strength and armed at all points, they may become habituated to advance the cause of religion with force and judgment, "being ready always, according to the apostolic counsel, to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you,"(39) and that they may be able to exhort in sound doctrine and to convince the gainsayers. 35. Epistola 147, ad Marcellinum, 7 (PL 33, 589). "Zigliara also helped prepare the great encyclicals Aeterni Patris and Rerum novarum and strongly opposed traditionalism and ontologism in favor of the moderate realism of Aquinas."[5]. Gilsons Being and Some Philosophers (1949) and Maritains The Degrees of Knowledge (1932) are still widely popular among students of Thomism. 14. To the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops of the Catholic World in Grace and Communion With the Apostolic See. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Beginning with a consideration of the Church's concern for teaching true philosophy because of its relation to theology, the pope declares that many modern evils stem from false philosophy. Among these St. Justin Martyr claims the chief place. Thus, from the very first ages of the Church, the Catholic doctrine has encountered a multitude of most bitter adversaries, who, deriding the Christian dogmas and institutions, maintained that there were many gods, that the material world never had a beginning or cause, and that the course of events was one of blind and fatal necessity, not regulated by the will of Divine Providence. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Thus, the philosopher is discouraged from accepting any conclusion that is opposed to revealed doctrine. 24. 31. 25. To this end assuredly have tended the incessant labors of individual bishops; to this end also the published laws and decrees of councils, and especially the constant watchfulness of the Roman Pontiffs, to whom, as successors of the blessed Peter in the primacy of the Apostles, belongs the right and office of teaching and confirming their brethren in the faith. "terni Patris." . For these reasons most learned men, in former ages especially, of the highest repute in theology and philosophy, after mastering with infinite pains the immortal works of Thomas, gave themselves up not so much to be instructed in his angelic wisdom as to be nourished upon it. 25. It begins with the same words, and is therefore quoted under the same title, as the Encyclical of Leo XIII on scholastic philosophy. [4] According to the encyclical, the philosophy most conformable and useful for the faith is that of St. Thomas. Revival? Aeterni Patris, the Encyclical, of Leo XIII, issued August 4, 1879. 34. When philosophy stood stainless in honor and wise in judgment, then, as facts and constant experience showed, the liberal arts flourished as never before or since; but, neglected and almost blotted out, they lay prone, since philosophy began to lean to error and join hands with folly. Since, then, according to the warning of the apostle, the minds of Christ's faithful are apt to be deceived and the integrity of the faith to be corrupted among men by philosophy and vain deceit,(2) the supreme pastors of the Church have always thought it their duty to advance, by every means in their power, science truly so called, and at the same time to provide with special care that all studies should accord with the Catholic faith, especially philosophy, on which a right interpretation of the other sciences in great part depends. For, the teachings of Thomas on the true meaning of liberty, which at this time is running into license, on the divine origin of all authority, on laws and their force, on the paternal and just rule of princes, on obedience to the higher powers, on mutual charity one toward another-on all of these and kindred subjects-have very great and invincible force to overturn those principles of the new order which are well known to be dangerous to the peaceful order of things and to public safety. You know how often among some truths they taught false and incongruous things; what vague and doubtful opinions they held concerning the nature of the Divinity, the first origin of things, the government of the world, the divine knowledge of the future, the cause and principle of evil, the ultimate end of man, the eternal beatitude, concerning virtue and vice, and other matters, a true and certain knowledge of which is most necessary to the human race; while, on the other hand, the early Fathers and Doctors of the Church, who well understood that, according to the divine plan, the restorer of human science is Christ, who is the power and the wisdom of God,(27) and in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,(28) took up and investigated the books of the ancient philosophers, and compared their teachings with the doctrines of revelation, and, carefully sifting them, they cherished what was true and wise in them and amended or rejected all else. And both Gregory of Nazianzen(12) and Gregory of Nyssa(13)praise and commend a like mode of disputation in Basil the Great; while Jerome(14) especially commends it in Quadratus, a disciple of the Apostles, in Aristides, Justin, Irenaeus, and very many others. It opens with the consideration that the Church, although . The twentieth paragraph of the encyclical refers to all the great universities of the scholastic period where Thomistic theology enjoyed prominence, creating harmony among all the schools adhering to his teaching. In August 1879, eighteen months into his pontificate, Pope Leo XIII (formerly Joachim Cardinal Pecci, bishop of Perugia), issued the encyclical letter Aeterni Patris. It is known that nearly all the founders and lawgivers of the religious orders commanded their members to study and religiously adhere to the teachings of St. Thomas, fearful least any of them should swerve even in the slightest degree from the footsteps of so great a man. It also insists that St. Thomas constantly founded his reasons and arguments on experiments; in the course of the centuries which have passed since his time, experiments have, of course, been disclosing facts and secrets of nature; nevertheless the writings of St. Thomas bear witness that the experimental spirit was as strong in him as it is in us. For it pleased the struggling innovators of the sixteenth century to philosophize without any respect for faith, the power of inventing in accordance with his own pleasure and bent being asked and given in turn by each one. 8. . 30. 21. It was subtitled 'On the Restoration of Christian Philosophy in Catholic Schools in the Spirit (ad mentem) of the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas'. See Inscrutabili Dei consilio, 78:113. The history of philosophy is marked by those who lacked the gift of faithan error that led to doubtful claims about the nature of reality but especially divinity. It is worthy of remark that Leo XIII, following up the Encyclical, addressed (October 15, 1879) a letter to Cardinal de Luca in which, besides ordering that the philosophy of St. Thomas be taught in all the Roman schools, he founded the Accademia di San Tommaso, and made provision for a new edition of St. Thomass works. Jesus thus shows that he is the bread of life which the eternal Father gives to mankind. An encyclical letter of Pope Leo XIII (issued 4 August, 1879); not to be confused with the apostolic letter of the same name written by Pope Pius IX. The Encyclical next shows, by extracts from many Fathers of the Church, what reason helped by revelation can do for the progress of human knowledge. Moreover, the Angelic Doctor pushed his philosophic inquiry into the reasons and principles of things, which because they are most comprehensive and contain in their bosom, so to say, the seeds of almost infinite truths, were to be unfolded in good time by later masters and with a goodly yield. The only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, who came on earth to bring salvation and the light The chief aim of Aeterni Patris was the reintroduction of Thomism into Catholic educational centers for the purpose of bringing faith and reason back into a fruitful dialectic. Clement VI in the bull In Ordine; Nicholas V in his brief to the friars of the Order of Preachers, 1451; Benedict XIII in the bull Pretiosus, and others bear witness that the universal Church borrows lustre from his admirable teaching; while St. Pius V declares in the bull Mirabilis that heresies, confounded and convicted by the same teaching, were dissipated, and the whole world daily freed from fatal errors; others, such as Clement XII in the bull Verbo Dei, affirm that most fruitful blessings have spread abroad from his writings over the whole Church, and that he is worthy of the honor which is bestowed on the greatest Doctors of the Church, on Gregory and Ambrose, Augustine and Jerome; while others have not hesitated to propose St. Thomas for the exemplar and master of the universities and great centers of learning whom they may follow with unfaltering feet. In doing so, Catholic doctrine was developed and defended against heretics and other adversaries who sought to propose contrary views. Leo XIII then marks out St. Thomas as the prince of the Scholastic theologians and philosophers, for which he finds evidence in the acknowledgment of the universities, of popes, general councils, and even of those outside the Church, one of whom boasted that if the works of St. Thomas were taken away he would fight and defeat the Church. The chief aim of Aeterni Patris was the reintroduction of Thomism into Catholic educational centers for the purpose of bringing faith and reason back into a fruitful dialectic. From a mass of conclusions men often come to wavering and doubt; and who knows not how easily the mind slips from doubt to error? 20. Thomas.! 26. Therefore in this also let us follow the example of the Angelic Doctor, who never gave himself to reading or writing without first begging the blessing of God, who modestly confessed that whatever he knew he had acquired not so much by his own study and labor as by the divine gift; and therefore let us all, in humble and united prayer, beseech God to send forth the spirit of knowledge and of understanding to the children of the Church and open their senses for the understanding of wisdom. Lactantius, Div. And we know how in those great homes of human wisdom, as in his own kingdom, Thomas reigned supreme; and that the minds of all, of teachers as well as of taught, rested in wonderful harmony under the shield and authority of the Angelic Doctor. The only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, who came on earth to bring salvation and the light of divine wisdom to men, For the human mind, being confined within certain limits, and those narrow enough, is exposed to many errors and is ignorant of many things; whereas the Christian faith, reposing on the authority of God, is the unfailing mistress of truth, whom whoso followeth he will be neither enmeshed in the snares of error nor tossed hither and thither on the waves of fluctuating opinion. Indeed, venerable brethren, on this very subject among others, We briefly admonished you in Our first encyclical letter; but now, both by reason of the gravity of the subject and the condition of the time, we are again compelled to speak to you on the mode of taking up the study of philosophy which shall respond most fitly to the excellence of faith, and at the same time be consonant with the dignity of human science. In short, all studies ought to find hope of advancement and promise of assistance in this restoration of philosophic discipline which We have proposed. 16. After having tried the most celebrated academies of the Greeks, he saw clearly, as he himself confesses, that he could only draw truths in their fullness from the doctrine of revelation. This Encyclical letter, issued in August 1879, urged the Catholic Church to reject modern philosophy and return to the Scholastic school of philosophy, especially the teachings of Thomas Aquinas . This species of religious strife St. Jerome, writing to Magnus, notices as having been adopted by the Apostle of the Gentiles himself; Paul, the leader of the Christian army and the invincible orator, battling for the cause of Christ, skillfully turns even a chance inscription into an argument for the faith; for he had learned from the true David to wrest the sword from the hands of the enemy and to cut off the head of the boastful Goliath with his own weapon. Aeterni Patris February 2020 Authors: Margaret Fagbamigbe Dominican Institute 0 Reads 706 Recommendations 1 Learn more about stats on ResearchGate Abstract PRCIS This is an Encyclical in which. This accord is exemplified by the openness of Aquinas and Albertus Magnus, among other scholastics, to giving large attention to the knowledge of natural things.. He turns his attention first to St. Augustine, who Leo says [w]ould seem to have wrested the palm from all. The genius of Augustine was his ability to combat most vigorously all the errors of his age, as well as his ability to lay down the safe foundations and sure structure of human science. The paragraph ends with mention of John Damascene, Basil, and Gregory of Nazianzen as carrying the tradition in the East, and Boethius and Anselm in the West, all of whom Pope Leo says [a]dded largely to the patrimony of philosophy..

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