Theological Theses · §831 · Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu

Scholastics dispute whether unformed faith is a virtue: name-fight, not thing-fight

Scholastics split on whether unformed faith is a virtue: Thomas says no; Durandus and Bonaventure say even dead faith is a virtue — but the fight is largely about the name.

Affirmers take virtue generally as a habit of mind agreeing with right reason and divine law; in that sense Rome does not deny unformed faith is a virtue, binding the intellect in obedience of faith.

Deniers reserve virtue for what makes one live rightly and simply good; on that sense all concede that without charity neither faith nor any morally good habit is a virtue.

Latin

XI. An autem fides informis sit virtus, inter se disputant Doctores Scholastici. Virtutem esse negat Thomas. Alii vero ut Durandus & Bonaventura simpliciter affirmant fidem etiam mortuam & informem esse virtutem. Sed inter eos est de nomine certamen. Etenim qui affirmant mortuam istam fidem virtutem, virtutem esse sumunt sensu generali, prout describitur habitus animi rectae rationi consentaneus, idemque inclinans ad actum legi divinae consentaneum. Quo sensu in Schola Romana nemo negat fidem informem virtutem dici posse. Quae quantumlibet informis sit, manet semper juxta eos, habitus, quo intellectus voluntatis imperio captivatus in obsequium fidei firmiter ea credit quae divinitus credenda praecipiuntur. Qui vero negant fidem informem esse virtutem, virtutis nomen restringunt ad illam qua recte vivitur, & quae simpliciter bonum facit habentem. Juxta eam acceptionem concedunt omnes nec fidem, nec ullum habitum moraliter bonum, seclusa charitate virtutem esse; ut docet Estius ad distinctionem 23. lib. 3. Sentent. paragr. 9.

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