FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   896   897   898   899   900   901   902   903   904   905   906   907   908   909   910   911   912   913   914   915   916   917   918   919   920  
921   922   923   924   925   926   927   928   929   930   931   932   933   934   935   936   937   938   939   940   941   942   943   944   945   >>   >|  
hat the Old Law given to men should not comprise other than moral precepts. Obj. 2: Further, those precepts that are styled ceremonial seem to refer to the Divine worship. But Divine worship is the act of a virtue, viz. religion, which, as Tully says (De Invent. ii) "offers worship and ceremony to the Godhead." Since, then, the moral precepts are about acts of virtue, as stated above (A. 2), it seems that the ceremonial precepts should not be distinct from the moral. Obj. 3: Further, the ceremonial precepts seem to be those which signify something figuratively. But, as Augustine observes (De Doctr. Christ. ii, 3, 4), "of all signs employed by men words hold the first place." Therefore there is no need for the Law to contain ceremonial precepts about certain figurative actions. _On the contrary,_ It is written (Deut. 4:13, 14): "Ten words . . . He wrote in two tables of stone; and He commanded me at that time that I should teach you the ceremonies and judgments which you shall do." But the ten commandments of the Law are moral precepts. Therefore besides the moral precepts there are others which are ceremonial. _I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 2), the Divine law is instituted chiefly in order to direct men to God; while human law is instituted chiefly in order to direct men in relation to one another. Hence human laws have not concerned themselves with the institution of anything relating to Divine worship except as affecting the common good of mankind: and for this reason they have devised many institutions relating to Divine matters, according as it seemed expedient for the formation of human morals; as may be seen in the rites of the Gentiles. On the other hand the Divine law directed men to one another according to the demands of that order whereby man is directed to God, which order was the chief aim of that law. Now man is directed to God not only by the interior acts of the mind, which are faith, hope, and love, but also by certain external works, whereby man makes profession of his subjection to God: and it is these works that are said to belong to the Divine worship. This worship is called "ceremony,"--the _munia,_ i.e. gifts, of Ceres (who was the goddess of fruits), as some say: because, at first, offerings were made to God from the fruits: or because, as Valerius Maximus states [*Fact. et Dict. Memor. i, 1], the word "ceremony" was introduced among the Latins, to signify the Divine worship, being
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   896   897   898   899   900   901   902   903   904   905   906   907   908   909   910   911   912   913   914   915   916   917   918   919   920  
921   922   923   924   925   926   927   928   929   930   931   932   933   934   935   936   937   938   939   940   941   942   943   944   945   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Divine

 

precepts

 
worship
 

ceremonial

 

ceremony

 

directed

 

instituted

 
chiefly
 

direct

 

fruits


signify

 

Therefore

 

relating

 

Further

 
virtue
 

stated

 

mankind

 

interior

 

reason

 

formation


Gentiles

 

expedient

 
matters
 
demands
 
morals
 

institutions

 
devised
 

Valerius

 
Maximus
 
states

offerings
 

Latins

 
introduced
 
goddess
 

external

 

profession

 
subjection
 
called
 

belong

 
ceremonies

observes

 

Christ

 

Augustine

 

figuratively

 

distinct

 

figurative

 
employed
 

styled

 
comprise
 

Invent