Secunda Secundae #
A study of St. Thomas Aquinas’s Secunda Secundae (Second Part of the Second Part of the Summa Theologiae). These lectures examine the theological virtues—faith, hope, and charity—and the particular applications of moral theology, exploring specific virtues and their practice in Christian life.
12 episodes, about 12 hours
Listen #
Classes #
Class 1 2017-09-21 #
Part 1 of 2 · Prologue to the Secunda Secundae: the seven virtues, the eleven emotions and the order of faith, hope and charity (Dei Verbum), with an overview of Question 1 on the object of faith #
63 min Berquist opens the Secunda Secundae, laying out its sevenfold structure of virtues, gifts, vices, and precepts, then turns to Question 1 of the Summa on faith’s object as “first truth.”
Part 2 of 2 · II-II, Q.1, Articles 1–2: is the object of faith the First Truth, and is it simple or complex (a statement)? #
60 min Berquist opens Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 1, working through articles 1 and 2: is the object of faith God alone, or does it reach created things too—and is that object simple or something stated in a proposition?
Class 2 2017-09-28 #
Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas on Faith, Part 1: Mary’s Unique Grace, Whether Anything False Can Be Believed (II-II Q.1 A.3), and Whether Faith Is About Things Seen (A.4) #
59 min Berquist works through Aquinas on whether faith can hold something false and whether its object is something seen (Summa II-II, q.1, aa.3-4), with a detour on Mary’s unique grace.
Part 2 of 2 · Aquinas on Faith, Part 2: The Light of Faith, Whether Faith Can Be Scientific Knowledge (A.5), and the Articles of Faith (A.6) #
70 min Berquist continues through Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 1, working articles 4 through 6: whether the believer in some sense “sees,” whether faith can be scientific knowledge, and why the articles of faith are divided as they are.
Class 3 2017-10-05 #
Part 1 of 2 · Summa II-II, Question 1, Articles 7–8: How the articles of faith grew over time, and why there are fourteen (unity, Trinity, the humanity of Christ; the rule of two or three) #
70 min Berquist works through Summa II-II, q. 1, aa. 7-8: whether the articles of faith grow over time, and why they number fourteen—unity, Trinity, and the humanity of Christ.
Part 2 of 2 · Summa II-II, Question 1, Articles 8–10: The objections on the articles answered, the Creed as a summary of Scripture, the Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian Creeds, and the Pope’s authority over the Creed #
45 min Berquist finishes the objections on God’s unity and Trinity, then turns to Summa II-II, q. 1, aa. 8–10 on why the Creed’s wording matters and who has authority to revise it.
Class 4 2017-10-12 #
Part 1 of 2 · Distinction and Order, the Senses of ‘Before’, and Augustine’s Definition of Believing (II-II q.2 a.1) #
70 min Berquist works through Aristotle’s five senses of “before” from the Categories, ch. 12, then applies them to Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 2, a. 1, where Augustine defines believing as “thinking with assent.”
Part 2 of 2 · Believing God, Believing by God, Believing in God, and Why Faith Is Needed for Salvation (II-II q.2 aa.2–3) #
47 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 2, aa. 2–3, unpacking the threefold act of belief—credere Deum, credere Deo, credere in Deum—and why faith is necessary for salvation.
Class 5 2017-11-09 #
Part 1 of 2 · Washington’s Virtues, Believing God About God, and Why Truths Reason Can Prove Must Also Be Believed (II-II q.2 a.4) #
61 min Berquist opens with George Washington’s virtues as seen by Adams, Jefferson, and Irving, then turns to Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 2, a. 4: why must we believe even truths reason can demonstrate?
Part 2 of 2 · Explicit and Implicit Faith: The Learned and the Simple, and Belief in the Mystery of Christ (II-II q.2 aa.5-7) #
59 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae II-II, q.2, aa.5-7, asking whether all believers must explicitly hold every article of faith, or whether the simple may believe implicitly what the learned hold explicitly — including belief in Christ across different ages.
Class 6 2017-11-16 #
Part 1 of 2 · Explicit Faith in the Trinity, the Merit of Believing, and Reason’s Role in Faith (ST II-II q.2 a.8-10, q.3 a.1) #
62 min Berquist works through Aquinas on whether explicit belief in the Trinity is required for salvation, whether believing is meritorious, and whether reason strengthens or weakens faith’s merit (ST II-II q.2 a.8-10), then opens the question on confession as an act of faith (q.3 a.1).
Part 2 of 2 · Confession of Faith and the Definition of Faith: Substance of Things Hoped For (ST II-II q.3 a.2, q.4 a.1) #
59 min Berquist closes the question on confessing faith before opening Question 4, working through Paul’s definition of faith in Hebrews as “the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (ST II-II q.3 a.2, q.4 a.1).