See this online text:
- [The Moral Specification of Human Acts According to Thomas Aquinas]*, by Dr. Duarte Sousa-Lara, translated by Dr. Joseph T. Papa from Dr. Sousa-Lara’s dissertation, A especificação moral dos actos humanos segundo são Tomás de Aquino (Roma: Edizioni Università Santa Croce, 2008). The translated chapters, from this page of Etica e Politica, are:
- Chapter 1, “The Sources of Aquinas on Human Action”;
- Chapter 2, “Albert [Magnus] on human action and Aquinas”;
- Chapter 3, “Human Action and its Morality in Aquinas (2008)”;
- Chapter 4, “Aquinas on the Object of the Human Act: A Reading in Light of the Texts and Commentators”, in the Josephinum Journal of Theology, Vol. 15, No. 2 (2008): pp. 243-276;
- Chapter 5, “‘Genus naturae’ and ‘Genus moris’ in Aquinas”;
- Chapter 6, “‘Materia ex qua’ and ‘Materia circa quam’ in Aquinas”;
- Chapter 7, “‘Intentio’ and ‘Electio’ in Aquinas”;
- Chapter 8, “Aquinas on Interior and Exterior Acts: Clarifying a Key Aspect of His Action Theory”, in the Josephinum Journal of Theology, Vol. 15, No. 2 (2008): pp. 277-316;
- Chapter 9, “‘Circumstantia’ and ‘Conditiones’ in Aquinas”;
- Chapter 10, “‘Per se’ and ‘Praeter Intentionem’ in Aquinas (2011)”, in the Josephinum Journal of Theology, Vol. 18, No. 2 (2011): pp. 418-453; and
- Chapter 11, “The Ordo Rationis and the Moral Species”, in the Josephinum Journal of Theology, Vol. 17, No. 1 (2010): pp. 80-125. [Note that the last may not be an exact translation, as the author states that: “This essay was developed from the eleventh chapter”.]
- [N.B. *The title is supplied for the Project, as a translation of the original Portuguese title of the dissertation.]
- [N.B.2, The original Portuguese text has an Imprimatur and is available through this page at Etica e Politica. To our knowledge, its Introduction and Conclusion have not been translated into English.]
On the Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas the Theologian in the Maronite Church: may his prayers be with us. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).
“Faith and life are inseparable, for Faith apart from works is dead. The moral law is the work of divine wisdom and leads man to the promised blessedness. Consequently, the ‘knowledge of the divine and natural law is necessary’ to do good and reach this goal. Accepting this truth is essential for all people of good will. For he who dies in mortal sin without repentance will be forever separated from God… The moral law is not a burden, but part of that liberating truth through which the Christian walks on the path of salvation and which may not be relativized.” (Gerhard Cardinal Müller, “Manifesto of Faith“, citations omitted)