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On Love and Charity: Readings from the Commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard

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Duhem quotes

Sancti Thomæ Aquinatis Scriptum super primum librum Sententiarum , Lib. I, Dist. XVII, pars II, quæst. II: Utrum charitas augeatur per additionem? [Super Sent. , lib. 1 d. 17 q. 2 a. 2 co.]

in his Études sur Léonard de Vinci vol. 3 pp. 337-8 (PDF pp. 245-6), which appears on pp. 39-40 (PDF pp. 72-3) of this translation.

PDF pp. 105-7 (pp. 72-74) is the same question from St. Thomas's Lectura romana , a new commentary he made in Rome (1265-66), after his Paris one (1252-6). The Lectura romana was recently discovered in the 1970s and published in 2006.

"Webnotes" begin on PDF p. 441.

From Bonin's Aquinas in English bibliography:

All texts on love and charity from the Commentary on the Sentences —book 1, distinction 17 in both the Parisian and Roman versions [the Lectura Romana]; book 3, distinctions 27 to 32; and selected articles from all four books—accompanied by textual and interpretive notes

St. Thomas (surprisingly) says, on pp. 75-77 (PDF pp. 108-10), that charity does not admit of decrease (even by venial sins, which he compares to charity as points taken from a line), but that it can only be completely taken away (by mortal sin):

Est autem comparatio peccatorum venialium ad caritatem sicut si auferantur puncta a linea: sicut enim ex quibuslibet punctis adiunctis non fit linea neque crescit, ita ex quibuslibet sublatis non diminuitur; et similiter nec quaecumque venialia diminuunt caritatem.

Thus, there is indeed a minimum degree of charity ("Utrum caritas minuatur" Lectura Romana , d. 17 q. 2 a. 4). His corresponding, older version:

Super Sent. , lib. 1 d. 17 q. 2 a. 5 (pp. 51-57 or PDF pp. 84-90)

cf. also: S.T. II-II q. 24 a. 10 & De Malo q. 7 a. 2

cf. p. 236 or PDF p. 270 fn. b of the question of whether all are bound to perfect charity

PDF pp. 241-4 is on "Whether the order of charity is to be looked to regarding affection or effect", parallel passage: ST II-II, q. 26, a. 6 ("Whether we ought to love one neighbor more than another?")