Virtue and Grace in the Theology of Thomas Aquinas

Throughout his writings, Thomas Aquinas exhibited a remarkable stability of thought. However, in some areas such as his theology of grace, his thought underwent titanic developments. In this book, Justin M. Anderson traces both those developments in grace and their causes. After introducing the various meanings of virtue Aquinas utilized, including 'virtue in its fullest sense' and various forms of 'qualified virtue', he explores the historical context that conditioned that account. Through a close analysis of his writings, Anderson unearths Aquinas's own discoveries and analyses that would propel his understanding of human experience, divine action, and supernatural grace in new directions. In the end, we discover an account of virtue that is inextricably linked to his developed understanding of sin, grace and divine action in human life. As such, Anderson challenges the received understanding of Aquinas's account of virtue, as well as his relationship to contemporary virtue ethics.

Introduction; Part I. Virtue and the Developments in Grace: 1. A brief overview of the Thomistic conception of virtue; 2. Analogous language and meanings; 3. Historical context of the foundations of virtue; Part II. The Conditions of Virtue Simpliciter: 4. The conditions for the beginning of virtue simpliciter; 5. The conditions for perseverance in virtue simpliciter; 6. The conditions for the end of virtue simpliciter; Part III. The Conditions of Virtue Secundum Quid: 7. The conditions for the beginning of virtue secundum quid; 8. The conditions for perseverance in virtue secundum quid; 9. The end of virtue secundum quid; Part IV. Confirmations and Conclusions: 10. The suitability of Thomas Aquinas's definition of virtue; Selected works cited; Index.

Justin M. Anderson is associate professor at Seton Hall University, New Jersey and co-author of Pursuing the Honorable: Reawakening Honor in the Modern Military (with Kenneth W. McDonald, 2019).