Skip to main content
Article
Thomas Aquinas and Medieval Canon Law: Two Cases of Gratian's Influence in the Summa theologiae
Ius Ecclesiae (2021)
  • Justin M. Anderson, Seton Hall University
  • Jörgen Vijgen, Tiltenberg, Major Seminary
Abstract
In this essay we argue that Thomas Aquinas’s interaction with Gratian’s Decretum constitutes a provocative yet relatively unexplored avenue of study. As a sample of this thesis, we analyze two passages where Aquinas explicitly refers to Gratian directly and the juridical tradition indirectly. The first passage pertains to Aquinas’s interpretation of Gratian’s definition of natural law in the Prima Secundae of the Summa Theologiae, but leads us to move to other places in Thomas’s tract on the virtue of justice and his commentary on Peter Lombard’s Sententiae. The second exemplification is found in Aquinas’s tract of the sacrament of penance in the closing pages of the Summa. Both instances are quick glimpses of a vastly larger intellectual domain awaiting exploration.
Keywords
  • Aquinas,
  • Medieval Canon Law,
  • Gratian,
  • Natural Law,
  • Penance
Publication Date
May 24, 2021
Citation Information
Justin M. Anderson and Jörgen Vijgen. "Thomas Aquinas and Medieval Canon Law: Two Cases of Gratian's Influence in the Summa theologiae" Ius Ecclesiae Vol. 8 Iss. 1 (2021) p. 219 - 240 ISSN: 1120-6462
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/justin-anderson/19/