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Catholicism argues for a hierarchy of duty with regard to the love of neighbor. Christ our Lord taught the parable of the Good Samaritan to reveal that our duty to love our neighbor extends to all. Nevertheless, the order of love is not flattened out completely and redistributed to all persons without distinction. For example, as a married man, I have the obligation of love to make sure that my wife’s medical care is being met before I do the other 50 women on the same hospital floor. There is a higher love for my wife that is not wrong or selfish. Likewise, I have a higher obligation of love to make sure that my own children are properly nourished and clothed–above my duty to to feed and clothe children in France.

The principle is set down by Saint Paul:

But if any man have not care of his own, and especially of those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. 1 Timothy 5:8

As a Christian, I must have a concern for the well-being of all people made in the image of God, but I have a rightful prior concern for “those of his house.”

Saint Thomas Aquinas discusses the hierarchy or ordo caritatis (order of charity) at Summa theologiae II, q. 26 and orders love in this way:

1. God
2. Myself (“a man ought to love himself more than his neighbor.”)
3. Neighbor
4. My body (:”we ought to love our neighbor more than our own body.”)

Regarding our neighbor, Thomas teaches we love all universally but practically we must love unequally

On this respect we love all men equally out of charity: because we wish them all one same generic good, namely everlasting happiness. Secondly love is said to be greater through its action being more intense: and in this way we ought not to love all equally. STh q. 26, a. 6.

The degree of care we have for our various neighbors is related to proximity levels of kinship, friendship, and nationality:

Moreover there is yet another reason for which, out of charity, we love more those who are more nearly connected with us, since we love them in more ways. For, towards those who are not connected with us we have no other friendship than charity, whereas for those who are connected with us, we have certain other friendships, according to the way in which they are connected. STh q. 26, a. 6.

A proper ordo amoris may look like this:

1. God
2. myself
3. my spouse
4. my family, children and parents
5. my godchildren and extended family
6. my friends and coworkers
7. my neighborhood (I pay HOA for this one, not all neighborhoods)
8. my county
9. my state
10. my nation
11. my nation’s allies

The Christian may at any time extend charity, love and care to someone outside this levels of proximate and remote relationships. An American traveling for business can give alms to a stranger in Argentina. The act is perfectly Christian if done with the proper intention to honor God. The alms would immoral, however, if that money prevented him from paying the mortgage on his family home or prevented him from paying for a taxi to make his airplane flight back to his family. The ordo amoris establishes the what is and is not allowed in the quest for charity toward God and neighbor.

Consequently, we use our goods and time to execute a positive effect in the world so that “thy kingdom come, by will be done.” There is however a rational order, hierarchy and prevention mechanism in the pursuit of love or charity.

The post JD Vance and Thomas Aquinas on Ordo Amoris appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Was Jesus Christ born on December 25? Dr Taylor Marshall says “Yes, Christ was born on the historical day of December 25 in the year 1BC. Dr Taylor Marshall explains using the Church Fathers and the Gospel of Saint Luke.

This is a sample class from my online Catholic Curriculum “Early Church Fathers History” offered by the New Saint Thomas Institute. You can join for a limited time today for 47/month (and receive 7 more Courses thrown in) at:

https://NewSaintThomas.com

Watch the Youtube video by clicking here.

Or listen to the audio mp3 here:

This is a sample class from my online Catholic Curriculum “Early Church Fathers History” offered by the New Saint Thomas Institute. You can join for a limited time today for 47/month (and receive 7 more Courses thrown in) at:

https://NewSaintThomas.com

If you are already a student Member of New Saint Thomas Institute, you already have full access to this course. I look forward to seeing you inside the New Saint Thomas Institute!

Happy Advent,
Dr Taylor Marshall

The post Was Christ Born on December 25? Yes! Dr Marshall Explains [Podcast] appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

• Some bishops didn’t properly vet seminarians and admit perverts.
• Some bishops ordained mental disturbed, predatory priests.
• Some bishops covered the crimes of Judas priests.
• Some bishops relocated the predatory Judas priests.
• Some bishops made secret payouts to victims to keep them quiet.
• Some bishops have been molesting and having homo-relations with seminarians and priests.

The laity are shocked that so-called Episcopoi (Greek word for “bishop” meaning “supervisor” or “overseer”) could do such horrible things and still show up smiling for photos after the post-confirmation ceremonies. How could this be?

Continue reading the article below or watch the video Youtube version here:

Three Reasons for Sexual Scandals:

1. Denial of Christian Faith. These clerics are secretly atheists, agnostics, or Satanists who see the Church as a social justice network that pays well and provides a lifestyle of insurance, income, retirement and unquestioned access to compromised men and vulnerable children.
2. Homosexuality. The 2004 John Jay Report publicized that 80% of priest abuse victims are male. The orientation of abuse was overwhelming homosexual According to James Martin and Larry Stammer, 15–58% of American Catholic priests are homosexual in orientation. Father Dariusz Oko of Poland has suggested that 50% of the bishops in the United States are homosexual.
3. Evolution of the Mega-Diocese. Since 1900, the concept of the Catholic diocese has morphed into something that would not be recognized by Christians of the medieval period, and certainly not by the Church Fathers.

Today, I want to focus on the third. The problem of the Mega-Diocese: what it is, how it happened, and how it leads to clericalism and sexual abuse.

[callout]I am NOT stating that the Mega-Diocese is the root cause of sexual scandal or that eradicating it will fix everything! We need a a refocus on intrinsic evils, formation of true consciences, biblical literacy, removal of sexual active bishops/clergy, orthodox theological, Thomism, liturgical reverence, and heroic priests. But the Mega-Diocese is certainly infertile soil for these changes. Read on to discover the historic origin of this deformation and why it fosters abuse.[/callout]

Picture above: a bishop gathered with his diocese.

What is a Mega-Diocese?

A Mega-Diocese is a diocese so enormous that a bishop cannot oversee it. Remember “bishop” in Greek is επίσκοπος (episcopos) which means “overseer.” Epi means “over” as in the word epidermis. Skopos means “see” as in the English words scope and telescope.

[bctt tweet=”A Mega-Diocese is a diocese so enormous that a bishop cannot oversee it. ” username=”taylorrmarshall”]

We all desire lower Student/Teacher Ratios:

Parents eagerly search for schools with a low teacher/student ratio. Everyone in education knows that as you raise the teacher/student ratio, scores and academic performance go down. 12 students to 1 teacher proves to produce higher scores and better outcomes. 40 students to 1 teacher proves to produce lower scores and more drop outs.

But we currently have very high Disciple/Bishop Ratios:

What we have created over the last 150 years (since the loss of the Papal States, really) is an insanely high disciple/bishop ratio with regard to bishops. Bishops belong to the magisterium in union with the Pope. Magister is Latin for teacher. The bishop is the primary teacher. So we are discussing a student/teacher ratio here, as well. As the disciple/bishop ratio increases, what do we see? Lay people know their faith less (akin to lower scores), and they drop out at higher numbers (leave the church).

Currently here are the number of baptized in the top 4 USA archdioceses:

1  Los Angeles 4,174,304
2 New York 2,521,087
3 Chicago 2,442,000
4 Boston 2,077,487

How can a bishop manage this? He cannot. Not even Saint Paul could manage this? So how did we get here?

How did we get high Disciple/Bishop Ratios?

In the Patristic and Medieval Church, every wrinky-dink town had it’s own bishop. For evidence look at Italy:

• Italy has 227 dioceses. 116,350 sq mi and population of 60,483,973 people
• USA has 167 dioceses. 3,796,742 sq mi and population of 325,719,178 people

Here are 2 maps that I created for reference:

What we see here is that the Catholic Church from AD 100-1500 was appointing a bishop for almost every “town” in Italy since a bishop should be able to geographically access his flock.

[bctt tweet=”Italy has 227 dioceses.  USA has 167 dioceses. This is wrong for the USA and it’s contrary to subsidiarity.” username=”taylorrmarshall”]

After 1520, but especially after 1870, the Catholic Church slowed down its bishop appointments, and the Papacy began to settle for “mega-dioceses.” By the 1900s, this problem was everywhere in the United States and has become ridiculous since the death of Pope John Paul II.

In 1950, the bishop of Los Angeles served 832,375 lay Catholics. In 2016, the archbishop of Los Angeles was responsible for 4,392,000 lay Catholics.

How the Mega-Diocese Fails Christians:

The Mega-Diocese is based on the presumption that one man can shepherd a million people and oversee hundreds of priests (both are impossible). The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has 1,117 priests and 4,392,000 baptized laity. One bishop can not oversee 1000+ priests. One bishop cannot be shepherd for 4.3 million people. For reference, the entire population of England in AD 1086 was 3.6 million. Imagine if all of England in AD 1086 had only one bishop! Ridiculous.

[bctt tweet=”The Mega-Diocese is based on the presumption that one man can shepherd a million people and oversee hundreds of priests (both are impossible). ” username=”taylorrmarshall”]

Enter the Legal Fiction of Auxiliary Bishops:

In order to “fix” this problem, the Popes began to appoint “Auxiliary Bishops.” According to Apostolic example, Patristic custom, and ancient Catholic Councils, a bishop must be a bishop of a geographic place. So you cannot have 3 bishops of the same geographic region. For Saint Ignatius of Antioch or Polycarp, multiple bishops in one place would be a schismatic and heretical act. There is only one geographic bishop for one geographic place. 

So the Popes (initially Pope Leo X) created a legal fiction called Auxiliary Bishops with titular sees. The Pope appoints the Auxiliary Bishop to a geographical diocese that no longer exists, and then sends that auxiliary bishop to work inside the diocese of another bishop. Incidentally, the Pope that first allowed this legal fiction was the infamous Medici Pope Leo X (the same Pope whom Martin Luther spoke out against in 1517). Previous popes had banned the custom of auxiliary bishops with fictional titular sees.

For example, Bishop Robert Barron (to choose the most well-known auxiliary bishop) is an auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles. However, since every bishop must actually be a canonical bishop of his own geographical area, Bishop Barron is actually the titular bishop of “Macriana in Mauretania” – an ancient Berber town in Algeria.

On paper and in reality, this canonical appointment to Macriana in Mauretania is ridiculous. Bishop Barron has nothing to do with Macriana and we shouldn’t create the legal fiction of bishops over non-existing “sees.”

In the early Catholic Church, Bishop Barron would simply be bishop ordinary of his pastoral region of Santa Barbara. He would simply become Bishop of Santa Barbara – not Pretend Bishop of “Macriana in Mauretania” but really serving the people of Santa Barbara under the auspices of the geographical bishop of Los Angeles. What a mess.

I’m not blaming Bishop Barron or any auxiliary bishop for this situation. They are obeying the directives of canon law and the Pope and are in good faith with regard to their appointments. There are great men serving as auxiliary bishops throughout the world. But when we look at it from a systemic point of view, it reveals an ecclesiological problem that contradicts both the Council of Nicea and biblical and patristic theology about the local ecclesia.

How to fix the Mega-Diocese? Break it up with Subsidiarity

The Mega-Diocese is an offense against the Catholic doctrine of subsidiarity – the doctrine that matters ought to be handled by the smallest and most proximate competent authority – not by a Cardinal Archbishop living 90 miles away who also has the direct canonical care of souls for 1 million people. It’s a mistake to ask a bishop to be responsible for 1 million people and 1,000 priests. It’s a crime against the laity, too. The Mega-Diocese is bad for everyone.

[bctt tweet=”The Mega-Diocese is an offense against the Catholic doctrine of subsidiarity – the principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest and most proximate competent authority – not by an archbishop living 90 miles away who has canonical care of souls for 1 million people.” username=”taylorrmarshall”]

When we see a public school teacher with 50 students in a class, we know its bad for the teacher and bad for the students. Everyone loses. Same the episcopal-diocesan structure.

How do we fix the Mega-Diocese problem? Obviously, a diocese of over one million souls is too big and too spread out. We need to follow the custom of ancient popes and have many, many, many more dioceses and bishops appointed. We need ecclesial subsidiarity. If Italy has 227 dioceses and the USA has 167 dioceses, we have an apparent problem. Creating more Mega-Dioceses and more and more auxiliary bishops will yield more abuse inside a broken system.

How big should a diocese be? 

There were around 150-250,000 Catholics in the Archdiocese of Paris during the medieval era. It may seem extreme, but I don’t see the benefit of having a diocese any bigger than that. If a bishop had 100 priests and 100,000 people, it would be a manageable situation.

Still don’t believe me, ask Moses:

The biblical Mega-Diocese of Moses in Exodus 18 and the advice of Jethro:

Moses was exhausted overseeing the 400,000 Israelites under his pastoral supervision. His father-in-law Jethro observed this and rebuked Moses while providing a solution to break up his “Mega-Diocese”:

13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law (Jethro) saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”

17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone….21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

If Moses couldn’t handle it, so also the modern bishop cannot handle it. Moses followed the advice of Jethro. He appointed men to oversee “thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.” He didn’t place men “over 10,000 or even 100,000.” That’s too much! In other words, Jethro tells Moses: “Lets practice pastoral subsidiarity.”

[bctt tweet=”In other words, Jethro tells Moses: Lets practice pastoral subsidiarity.” username=”taylorrmarshall”]

It’s comical that my own enormous state of Texas has – 15 dioceses! The disciple/bishopratio here is horrible. Moreover, bishops spend entire weekends driving out into the country for confirmations at their parishes hours away.

Just like parents with kids in the school district, we lay people should beg and ask for a better disciple/bishop ratios. Say no to more auxiliary bishops. That’s a cheap bandaid covering the wound. The Archdioceses of LA and NYC should be broken into the 5 dioceses. The reason it won’t happen now is money. But in a pastorally sensitive church, those Mega-Dioceses would be prudently divided into 5 geographic dioceses. Let an auxiliary bishop simply be a bishop of that deanery and call him “bishop ordinary.”

[bctt tweet=”The Archdioceses of LA & NYC should be broken into the 5 dioceses. The reason it won’t happen now is money. But in a pastorally sensitive church, those Mega-Dioceses should be divided into 5 dioceses. Let an auxiliary bishop simply be a bishop ordinary of his deanery. ” username=”taylorrmarshall”]

Until we break up the Mega-Dioceses, do not expect clerical sexual scandal to get better or heal. The Mega-Diocese is unaccountable, noisy, not policed, and unsupervised. The Mega-Diocese allows the predatory priest (and bishop) to wear camouflage. Meanwhile a bishop close to his people and even closer to his priests as “father to fathers” is both more accountable and a better supervisor as episcopos.

I’d love to hear more recommendations, objections, and thoughts, especially from laity and clergy existing within the Mega-Diocese structures. One thing that I didn’t cover is that Mega-Diocese usually have low native seminarian counts and low ordination counts. They statistically cannot produce vocations. If the bishop is the sacramental “father of fathers,” then he is the overworked “absent father figure” within a Mega-Diocese. Vocations are not conceived by absent fathers.

[reminder]

Pray for the Church ad Jesum per Mariam cum Petro,
Dr Taylor Marshall

[bctt tweet=”If the bishop is the sacramental father of fathers, then he is the overworked absent father figure within a Mega-Diocese. Vocations are not conceived by absent fathers.” username=”taylorrmarshall”]

PS: I would also add that bishops should be chosen from among the local presbytery or at least from near regional dioceses, and not “imported” from elsewhere. Moreover, bishops should not be moved all over the nation like bishop pieces on a chess board. A bishop should stay the bishop of one place for life…like marriage. St John Fisher, pray for us.

The post Does the Mega-Diocese foster sexual scandals and bad priests? Yes appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Sometime around the 200s BC a Jewish document called “Book of Enoch” or 1 Enoch was produced. It gives all the details on how angelic beings copulated with human women and created a cosmic mess before the Flood. And here’s the interesting problem we have:

Saint Jude (Jude 1:14-15) directly quotes this non-biblical document known as “Book of Enoch” or 1 Enoch:

It’s not only this direct quotation of 1 Enoch by Jude, but Jude (and 2 Peter) allude to the fantastical events of 1 Enoch, namely the sexual encounters of fallen angels with human women, which gives birth to the nephilim or “giants.” The birth of the giants, according to 1 Enoch, is the reason for the Noah’s Flood.

And this belief is also found in the canonical book of Wisdom:

“And from the beginning also when the proud giants (γιγάντων) perished, the hope of the world fleeing to a vessel, which was governed by thy hand, left to the world seed of generation.” (Wisdom 14:6)

The author of Wisdom clearly associates the flood to a divine genocide of the race of the giants (γιγάντων) to leave the world a “seed of generation.” (Saint Paul quotes from Wisdom about 7 times – so Saint Paul also likely hold this belief.)

Let me tell you the story of Angels and Giants that 1 Enoch tells:

In 1 Enoch, Yahweh sends 200 angels to guide and instruct humanity. These 200 angels are called “Irin” in Aramaic and “Egregoroi” in Greek. Both words mean “Watchers.” These Watchers corrupt humanity by teaching them evil arts such as cosmetology (sorry ladies), sorcery, astrology, and the arts of war.

These angels also seduce human women and copulate with them. The women give birth to nephilim or giants. God causes these giants to fight and die. Then the souls of the giants turn into demons that haunt and tempt humans for the rest of time.

• So Yahweh binds these 200 evil angelic Watchers into “Tartarus.”
• What is Tartarus? In the Homer’s Iliad, Zeus teaches that Tartarus is “as far beneath Hades as heaven is above earth.” Tartarus is the deepest part of the underworld, far below Hades.
• It’s noteworthy that the term “tartarus” is used by Enoch and 2 Peter. This signals the blending of Hebrew history with Greek mythology since Greek myth depict Zeus (after 10 years of battle or titanomachy) sending the older primordial deities called Titans into the deep dungeon abyss of “tartarus.”

Notably 2 Peter explicitly uses Enoch’s word “Tartarus” for the condemnation of fallen “angels.” Jude and 2 Peter use almost the same words, but 2 Peter uses “Tartarus”:

It seems that 1 Enoch (and maybe Jude and 2 Peter) have assimilated the titanomachy legend of Zeus condemning the Titans into Tartaus into a legend about Yahweh condemning the 200 angelic Watchers into the chains of Tartarus. But in the 1 Enoch legend the crime is that of angels procreating mutant giants with human women.

“And when the angels, the sons of heaven, beheld them, they became enamored of them, saying to each other, Come, let us select for ourselves wives from the progeny of men, and let us beget children.” (1 Enoch 7:2)

The resulting children are called nephilim in Hebrew or gigantes (giants) in Latin and Greek. In 1 Enoch, the historical Enoch goes to God and seeks to make intercession for the forgiveness of the giants. God refuses and the giants are condemned. This part of the story is referred to in Sirach:

“He was not propitiated for the ancient giants who revolted in their might.” (Sirach 16:7)

The Dead Sea Scrolls contain 10 copies (!) of the Book of Giants – a work that describes in detail the conception of giants in Genesis 6 from the union of women and angelic watchers. The giants were warriors and cannibals. This theology was an important part of the theology of Second Temple Judaism.

Church Fathers who explicitly teach that angels copulated with women and bred giants in Genesis 6:

Justin Martyr, Tatian, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian, Irenaeus, Athenagoras, Commodianus, Ambrose of Milan.

In the City of God, Saint Augustine taught that the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 were simply human ancestors of Seth and that they bred with the evil daughters of men/Cain. This became the received tradition in the post Augustinian Christian West. It’s notable, however, that his mentor Saint Ambrose believed that the “sons of God” were in fact angels that copulated with humans.

What’s going on here in the Hebrew tradition?

The “Legend of the Watchers” in 1 Enoch was written in the Maccabean period before Christ. It’s could be a Jewish appropriation of a Greek myth but it’s likely explaining how the Hellenistic invaders are:

1. The Gentile invaders of the Holy Land (312-63 BC)
2. Greeks teaching and requiring Jews to follow pagan customs
3. Greeks marrying and copulating with Jewish women
4. The production of “hybrid” Greek/Jewish children that are considered “monstrous”
5. The need to destroy and drive out the Greeks by means of the Maccabean Revolt (167-160 BC)

The titanomachy of Enoch is not historically “Zeus vs. Titans” or “Yahweh vs. Watchers,” but Judah Maccabeus vs. Greeks.

How does Catholic Christianity understand the “angels and tartarus” sections?

Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas (both had not read 1 Enoch) interpretted the passages in Jude and 2 Peter in this way:

1. Before the flood, the “sons of God” were the righteous humans and the “daughters of men” were the female daughters of evil humans from Cain. These women were evil and and they seduced the noble and righteous sons of Seth.
2. They interbred and this lead to the moral corruption of humanity.
3. God sent a flood to kill everyone since they were all now a mixture of sons of Seth and daughters of Cain.

The solution here is to read “sons of God” not as “angelic beings” but as holy humans. It’s plausible and it has become the accepted tradition in Catholicism. However, ever since the Flood, good people have been interbreeding with evil people. And we know that the child of a holy mother and an evil father can turn out either good or bad. There are not “evil genetics.”

We can see here that the problem of intermarrying between the righteous and the wicked didn’t suddenly stop because water covered the land.

So it seems that Genesis describes a “water genocide” of a corrupted angel-human species. And certainly 1 Enoch is following the idea. If Jude (and 2 Peter) considered 1 Enoch as theological true, this would mean that at least one (or two) Apostle(s) believed the Enochic legend of the Watcher angels being sent to “Tartarus” because they had deceived humans and copulated with them.

The Enochic Legend as a theological device in Jude and 2 Peter:

Regardless of whether Jude and 2 Peter believed the Enochic “Watcher-Angel legend,” we know for a fact that they applied it as a teaching paradigm for their contemporary Apostolic Church:

1. There are false heretical teachers that were once part of the Apostolic Church
2. These have fallen away from Christ and are teaching Christians false doctrine and sin
3. These heretics are having illicit sex with Christians (their lust here and in Revelation is highlighted)
4. These heretics will be judged in the same way as the Watchers: they will be locked up in the dark tartarus forever.

If Jude and 2 Peter did not quote and/or reference 1 Enoch, we could cast off 1 Enoch forever as a Jewish oddity. But since there is a theological reference of 1 Enoch within Jude and 2 Peter, it provides a challenge.

I’m curious, how do you read the canonical passages of Genesis 6, Jude, 2 Peter (as well as Wisdom, Sirach and several Dead Sea Scrolls that promote the idea of giants as children of human women and demonic angels) in light of 1 Enoch? Secondly, do you think Jude and 2 Peter take the Enochic Watcher-Legend literally or are they simply using it to make an contemporary application against lustful heretics?

[reminder]

Godspeed,
Dr Taylor Marshall

PS: I recorded a podcast on the role of 1 Enoch in the Noah film that came out a few years ago starring Russell Crowe as Noah. You can listen to it by clicking here: Podcast on Noah (2014 Film) and 1 Enoch.

The post Angels having Relations with Humans within Jude and 2 Peter and 1 Enoch appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

• Sometime in 1273: The sacristan Domenic of Caserta observes Thomas Aquinas to be levitating in prayer with tears before an icon of the crucified Christ. Christ said to Thomas, “You have written well of me, Thomas. What reward would you have for your labor?” Thomas responded, “Nothing but you, Lord.”
• Dec 6 1273: While celebrating the Mass of Saint Nicholas, Thomas went into ecstasy. Thomas’ friend and secretary Reginald later asks him: “Master, will you not return to your work?” Thomas Aquinas replied: “I can write no more. All that I have written seems like straw.” Thomas no longer works on the Summa theologiae.
• Pope Gregory X asks Saint Thomas Aquinas to reconcile the Greek Orthodox bishops at the Second Council of Lyon in France to be held on 1 May 1274.
• Early 1274, Thomas strikes his head on a tree branch along the Appian way near Monte Cassino. It’s not clear whether this happened while he was riding a horse or whether the branch or log was already on the ground.
• Thomas recovers and continues his journey to the port. His health fails again and he is taken to the Cistercian Abbey of Fossanova. While he was conscious, he gave a commentary on the Song of Songs, as had Saint Bernard.
• March 7, 1274: His brain continued to swell. He received Last Rites and his last words were: “I receive Thee, ransom of my soul. For love of Thee have I studied and kept vigil, toiled, preached and taught….” and then he was received into Heaven by Jesus Christ.

From this timeline, you can perceive the deep mysticism of Thomas Aquinas. Many wrongly assume that Thomas was an aloof college professor or academician. Far from it. He was a mystic full in love with Christ and driven to preach in teach in the parish churches and in the universities.

Please share this post on Facebook by clicking here.

I’d like to share two FREE resources for you to help you fall more in love with Saint Thomas Aquinas:

1. Here is a free book titled Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages. It is currently the most popular introduction to Thomas Aquinas available on amazon.com. You can have it free by clicking here.
   
2. Here’s a free podcast: “The Secret Life of Thomas Aquinas” in which I discuss the unknown mystical elements from the life of Thomas Aquinas. Click here to listen.
3. Here is a free video called “7 Reasons to Love Saint Thomas Aquinas”. This video will help you see the various levels of the spirituality and theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas in only a few short minutes. Watch it here.
   

If you’re a Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute, you can explore the dozens of video lessons on Saint Thomas Aquinas in our Philosophy and Thomistic Studies online curriculum by clicking here.

If you’d like to try taking online classes on Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, Mariology, Apologetics, Church History, and/or Medieval Theology, please explore the New Saint Thomas Institute: newsaintthomas.com.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

Dr. Taylor Marshall

PS: Please share this post on Facebook by clicking here.

[reminder]

The post 6 Facts about the Fatal Brain Injury of St Thomas Aquinas appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

We also look Eastern Catholic Church Bible translations AND the demonic sexual apparitions of the sucubus (female version) and incubus (male version) attested to by Augustine and Aquinas.

[reminder]

129: Aquinas Why Fish and No Meat in Lent PLUS the Demonic Incubus and Sucubus! [Podcast]

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[reminder]

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The post 129: Aquinas Why Fish and No Meat in Lent PLUS the Demonic Incubus and Sucubus! [Podcast] appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Since the Apostles and Church Fathers universally recognized that baptism was the instrumental means by which Jesus Christ removes sin and infuses grace, they also received the pastoral question of what happens to unbaptized babies. Before we look St Gregory the Theologian, let that sink in. The presumption is that infants should be baptized.

Not only that, but we know from the Eastern Fathers and from Western Fathers like Cyprian, Ambrose, and Augustine that baptized infants were confirmed and received the Holy Eucharist. We Roman Catholics would do well to request that the Apostolic and Patristic practice of paedo-communion (infant communion) be rightfully restored to our children.

Here is Saint Gregory “the Theologian” Nazianzus on the death of unbaptized children:

“And so also in those who fail to receive the gift [of baptism]…perhaps on account of infancy, or some perfectly involuntary circumstance through which they are prevented from receiving it, even if they wish…will be neither glorified nor punished by the righteous Judge, as unsealed [by baptism] and yet not wicked, but persons who have suffered rather than done wrong. For not every one who is not bad enough to be punished is good enough to be honored; just as not every one who is not good enough to be honored is bad enough to be punished.”

-Saint Gregory Nazianzus, Oration 40 on the Topic of Baptism, AD 329-390)

Let’s break all this down in bullet point format for clarity:

• Gregory begins with those that die without baptism as adults who are not baptized because of “involuntary circumstance.”
• Gregory then distinguishes those that die without baptism “on account of infancy.”
• Gregory states such persons are neither glorified or punished.

“neither glorified nor punished”

The terms “glorified” and “punished” are most important. What do they mean here?

Let’s start with “punished.” There are two forms of punishment in the afterlife. The first punishment of Gehenna is eternal. It is the punishment of everlasting damnation. The second punishment of therapeutic and cleanses the soul. This is the fire of purification in 1 Corinthians 3:15, and what we call purgative fire.

Clearly an unbaptized baby is not going to be burning in Gehenna forever (Augustine is the only known Christian theologian to even suggest this, and he admits it being untenable). Moreover, it is also untenable to suggest that unbaptized infants go into purgative fires after death, because there is not evil in the soul to cleanse. What is lacking is the gift of sanctifying grace.

In conclusion, no infant (by which we mean ages 0-7 years) would ever go into the eternal fires of Gehenna or the temporary fires of Purgatory.

What is Glorification?

Let’s now look at the term “glorified.” Saint Paul uses the language of “glorification” to describe the final transformation of the Christian after death in the presence of God:

“And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30)

Glorified means to enter the glory of God. It refers to the human soul partaking of the divine nature. Thomas Aquinas calls this becoming “deiform.”

Saint Gregory Nazianzus teaches that the unbaptized infant would not enter the divine glory or partake of the divine nature. So where does this leave the unbaptized baby?

It would seem that the Church Fathers were open to the idea of a natural paradise in the afterlife that was not the same as the supernatural glory paradise of Heaven. What is a “natural paradise”? Well it would entail perfect natural happiness. This would include all pleasure that could be naturally experienced. Saint Thomas Aquinas even suggests that angels infuse light and knowledge into the souls of unbaptized infants. However, it would stop short of the beatific vision and partaking of the divine nature.

Example: the Mother and Child in the Louvre

I once heard a priest suggest that it might be like a 3 year old accompanying his mother the Louvre Museum in Paris. The mother is in awe as she studies the Venus de Milo or the Mona Lisa. However, the 3 year old child does not possess the capacity to admire the Mona Lisa like his mother. The child may be perfectly happy holding the mother’s hand, or examining the pattern of her mother’s dress, or watching the janitor mop the floor in the adjacent gallery.

1. Is the child happy? Yes.
2. Is the child suffering or being punished? No.
3. Are the mother and child together? Yes.
4. Are the mother and child experiencing the same thing? No.
5. Can the child appreciate the Louvre more than he would appreciate a playground? Probably not – and that is perfectly fine!

Whether we call it Limbo, natural paradise, or something else, it doesn’t seem that we must rush to “all dogs and all babies go to Heaven no matter what.” One of the richest elements of Catholicism (that I constantly stress this on Youtube) is that there is a rich and exotic geography in the Catholic afterlife.

The Catholic Geography of the Afterlife:

There are “many mansions” in Heaven. There are various levels along the way. There is Hades or Inferno which contains up to 4 sections, including Purgatory which also contains various levels. Catholicism does have a binary finality of “Heaven and Hell” but that there are many levels, provinces, guilds, and neighborhoods within each. Every person in Heaven experiences God is a particular way relative to his life on earth. Every person in Hell experiences a varying degree of punishment and intensity relative to his life on earth. God is perfectly just and he doesn’t punish people inordinately.

You sometimes hear someone say: “So you’re saying that if I skip Mass on Sunday, I’m going to burn in Hell forever just like Adolf Hitler?”

That is not what we are saying. We are saying that there is a Hell and if you sin mortally you will be rightfully punished in Hell. That punishment for neglecting Mass will justly be less than the person who performed 5,000 abortions, raped 10 people, donated to the Nazi party, tortured pets, and was ordained as a priest of the Church of Satan. If there are a million and four people in Hell, there are one million and four justly arranged penalties for each and every inhabitant. God is infinitely and perfectly just, and he would never punish someone beyond the measure of their crimes.

The reverse is also true of Heaven. If there are one million and four people in Heaven, there are one million and four different ways of reward and experience of the divine nature. Saint Francis’s proximity and experience of the Holy Trinity is different than that of Saint Mary Magdalene or Saint Ambrose. Each has a various level of charity and merit based on their life and decisions. This delights God.

In conclusion, whether we speak of the Saints, the Old Testament righteous before Christ, those in purgatory, the unbaptized infant, or even the damned in Hell, the afterlife is indeed “customized” by the providential and perfect judgment of God in response to our faith, works, and charity. Nobody, as Gregory states, is punished for something he never performed.

If you’d like to take an online course in Church Fathers (including Gregory Nazianzus) or New Testament Studies (including St Paul on baptism), please visit our online classes for Catholic students:

• Certificate in Church Fathers
• Certificate in New Testament Studies

The post Concerning the Death of Unbaptized Infants by St Gregory Nazianzus appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is “counsel.”

What is counsel? Thomas Aquinas defines counsel in this way:

Again, it is proper to the rational creature to be moved through the research of reason to perform any particular action, and this research is called counsel. (STh II-II, q. 52, a. 1).

So counsel is research led by the influence of the Holy Spirit. Thomas also explains how it relates to the virtue of prudence – making right decisions.

It might be asked whether this gift of counsel remains in Heaven. Do the saints in Heaven need counsel? Do the angels need counsel?

Thomas says that counsel remains in the blessed and in the angels. Why?

Because the human saints and the angels in Heaven do not know everything. Contrary to what you may have learned in Sunday school, God doesn’t reveal everything to us in Heaven. There will remain mysteries.

The Blessed Virgin Mary knows more than the angels and saints, but she is still limited in our celestial knowledge. Only the Persons of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) know all things. Only the three person of the Holy Trinity are omniscient.

Because humans and angels in Heaven are not omniscient, we will continue to seek spiritual counsel. Angels are guided into helping those on earth. Even humans are guided by counsel from the Holy Spirit in aiding those on earth. Yes, Holy Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint Peter, Saint Therese of Lisieux, and your guardian angel continue to exercise that spiritual gift of “counsel.”

And we on earth especially need spiritual counsel. How do we gain it:

1. by not clouding our minds with venial or mortal sin.
2. by checking in with the Holy Spirit frequently throughout the day “Am I living your will for my life?”
3. by reading the documents written by the Holy Spirit – Sacred Scripture. Here we find explicit teaching and advice for our lives.
4. by explicitly asking the Holy Spirit to give us counsel on difficult problems in our lives.

Godspeed,
Dr Taylor Marshall

PS: You might also enjoy my Podcast: Did the Holy Spirit really appear as a Real Dove?

The post Will you know everything in Heaven? Thomas Aquinas answers appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

The post Is Our Salvation Based on the Concepts of Debt and Law? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

1. The name “Joseph” in Hebrew means “he increases.” We get it from the Greek form of Ιωσηφ (Ioseph), which comes from the Hebrew name יוֹסֵף (Yoseph). Saint Bernard of Clairvaux taught Joseph was rightly named because God “increased” the gifts and graces that were in the world through Saint Joseph (Hom. 2 super Missus est).
2. Saint Joseph is not mentioned in Mark’s Gospel, but he features in Matthew and Luke. He is only briefly mentioned by Saint John when he writes: “Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know” (John 6:41-51).
3. Saint Joseph is described in Greek as a τέκτων or “tekton,” which is translated as “carpenter,” but it is better translated as “artisan.” A tekton is anyone involved in physical construction and repair. Joseph may have worked with stone, wood, metal, cement, clay, and other substances. The words “technology” and “architecture” are related to the Indo-European root for tekton.
4. Joseph, while of the House of David in Bethlehem, lived in Nazareth, which is only a 40 mile (65km) walk to Jerusalem. Nazareth was a suburb of the town of Sepphoris described as: “Rich, cosmopolitan, deeply influenced by Greek culture, and surrounded by a panoply of races and religions, the Jews of Sepphoris were the product of the Herodian social revolution – the nouveaux riches who rose to prominence after Herod’s massacre of the old priestly aristocracy.” (Aslan, Reza. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, 44)This places Joseph, Mary, and Jesus in the proximity of a wealthy, Gentile culture. Most craftsmen in this region would likely have learned Greek and perhaps Latin to serve the economy of Sepphoris. This is why some speculated that Christ our Lord knew Hebrew (as a student of Scripture), Aramaic (as a native of Nazareth), Greek (Gentile language of politics and commerce), and Latin (the language of Roman occupants).
5. History testifies to two traditions of Saint Joseph – the Old Joseph (widower) and the Young Joseph (virgin) traditions. I personally follow the Young Joseph tradition as I think it’s more historical and more biblical. I’ve detailed the debate here: ARTICLE the Old Joseph (widower) and the Young Joseph (virgin).
6. Saint Joseph was truly married to the Blessed Virgin. This was debated and settled in the early Church. Some people wrongly state that Mary was an “unwed mother” and this is blasphemy. See my article: “Thomas Aquinas 12 Reasons Why Joseph was Married to Mary.”
7. It is speculated that Saint Joseph never sinned (confirmed in grace) and that he was sanctified before birth – but not at conception like the Blessed Virgin. Francisco Suarez, Jean Gerson, and Saint Alphonsus Ligouri each teach that Saint Joseph was sanctified and regenerated in his mother’s womb prior to birth. Sacred Scripture teaches us that the Prophet Jeremiah and Saint John the Baptist received this honor of sanctification in the womb. The eminent theologians above, notably Saint Alphonsus – a doctor of the Holy Church, extend this privilege to Saint Joseph. They even teach that Saint Joseph was confirmed in the grace, which means that he was so filled with grace that he never committed a mortal sin or a deliberate venial sin.
8. Some also speculate that since there are no relics of Saint Joseph, he was assumed bodily into Heaven. Francis Suarez maintained St. Joseph was taken up into heaven bodily. St. Bernardino of Siena, Gerson, and St. Vincent Ferrer held the same. St. Francis de Sales points out the fact that nobody claims the tomb of St. Joseph and that there are no relics of this saint. Then he continues in Les Vrais Entretiens Spirituels: Surely, when Our Lord went down into Limbo, St. Joseph addressed Him in this wise: “Be pleased to remember, Lord, that when you came down from Heaven to earth I received you into my house and family, that I took you into my arms from the moment you were born. Now you are going back to Heaven, take me with you (body and soul). I received you into my family, receive me into yours; I took you in my arms; take me into yours; I looked after you and fed you and guided you during your life on earth; stretch forth your hand and lead me into life everlasting.” It is based on the typology of Joseph from the last two lines in Genesis where the Patriarch Joseph requests that his bones be taken from Egypt: “And [Joseph] made them swear to him, saying: God will visit you, carry my bones with you out of this place: And he died being a hundred and ten years old. And being embalmed he was laid in a coffin in Egypt. (Genesis 50:24-25)

   Some have speculated that Saint Joseph was among the “saints” who were resurrected shortly after the death of Christ on Good Friday: “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split; the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many” (Mt 27:51-53).

9. It’s common practice to bury a statue of Saint Joseph to sell one’s home. This comes from condemned divination practiced called “Deprecation of the Saints,” whereby a person places a sack on a saint’s statue head or hides a statue in the closet or otherwise treats a saint statue disrespectfully until a request is granted. This is why folklore states that you’re supposed to dig up the Saint Joseph statue after the sale of the home to “reward” him for granting a request. It’s probably not a wholesome practice. Perhaps its better to place Saint Joseph’s statue in a place of honor in the home for intercession through Saint Joseph to our Lord Jesus Christ for the sale of one’s home. (Though feel free to debate this in the comments box.)

Have a happy and holy Feast of Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph pray for us.

[reminder]Do you think of Saint Joseph as an older widower or as a young guardian?[/reminder]

Dr. Taylor Marshall

The post 9 Facts about Saint Joseph (Plus Old vs Young Joseph Debate) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

• Sometime in 1273: The sacristan Domenic of Caserta observes Thomas Aquinas to be levitating in prayer with tears before an icon of the crucified Christ. Christ said to Thomas, “You have written well of me, Thomas. What reward would you have for your labor?” Thomas responded, “Nothing but you, Lord.”
• Dec 6 1273: While celebrating the Mass of Saint Nicholas, Thomas went into ecstasy. Thomas’ friend and secretary Reginald later asks him: “Master, will you not return to your work?” Thomas Aquinas replied: “I can write no more. All that I have written seems like straw.” Thomas no longer works on the Summa theologiae.
• Pope Gregory X asks Saint Thomas Aquinas to reconcile the Greek Orthodox bishops at the Second Council of Lyon in France to be held on 1 May 1274.
• Early 1274, Thomas strikes his head on a tree branch along the Appian way near Monte Cassino. It’s not clear whether this happened while he was riding a horse or whether the branch or log was already on the ground.
• Thomas recovers and continues his journey to the port. His health fails again and he is taken to the Cistercian Abbey of Fossanova. While he was conscious, he gave a commentary on the Song of Songs, as had Saint Bernard.
• March 7, 1274: His brain continued to swell. He received Last Rites and his last words were: “I receive Thee, ransom of my soul. For love of Thee have I studied and kept vigil, toiled, preached and taught….” and then he was received into Heaven by Jesus Christ.

From this timeline, you can perceive the deep mysticism of Thomas Aquinas. Many wrongly assume that Thomas was an aloof college professor or academician. Far from it. He was a mystic full in love with Christ and driven to preach in teach in the parish churches and in the universities.

I’d like to share two FREE resources for you to help you fall more in love with Saint Thomas Aquinas:

1. Here is a free book titled Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages. It is currently the most popular introduction to Thomas Aquinas available on amazon.com. You can have it free by clicking here.
   
2. Here is a free video called “NSTI: VIDEO: 7 Reasons to Love Saint Thomas Aquinas”. This video will help you see the various levels of the spirituality and theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas in only a few short minutes. Watch it here.
   

If you’re a Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute, you can explore the dozens of video lessons on Saint Thomas Aquinas in our Philosophy and Thomistic Studies online curriculum by clicking here.

If you’d like to try taking online classes on Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, Mariology, Apologetics, Church History, and/or Medieval Theology, please explore the New Saint Thomas Institute: newsaintthomas.com.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

Dr. Taylor Marshall

[reminder]

The post Timeline: How Thomas Aquinas died of a Brain Injury on March 7 appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

The Latin phrase used by Thomas Aquinas and others is “corporal fire.” For example:

I answer that, In Purgatory there will be a twofold pain; one will be the pain of loss, namely the delay of the divine vision, and the pain of sense, namely punishment by corporeal fire. (STh Supp. App I. q. 2, a. 5)

The Latin is ignis corporalis. The “corporeal fire” of Purgatory is one of the doctrines that the Greek Orthodox objected to during the Second Council of Lyons (1274). Saint Thomas Aquinas was discharged to defend the doctrine at this council, but he died on the way. Saint Bonaventure was sent in his stead (and Bonaventure died at the end of Council).

I very rarely disagree with Saint Thomas Aquinas, but I do disagree here – but I will offer a Benedict XVI suggestion that might provide a unique solution.

How can “corporeal fire” purify an immaterial non-corporeal soul in Purgatory? This is a metaphysical problem. You cold corporeal fire under an immaterial soul all day long and it would not touch the soul. And yet Thomas is insistent on the fire of Purgatory (and Gehenna) as corporeal.

Pope Benedict, in his Encyclical Spe Salvi, writes:

Some recent theologians are of the opinion that the fire which both burns and saves is Christ himself, the Judge and Savior. The encounter with him is the decisive act of judgment. Before his gaze all falsehood melts away. This encounter with him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us, allowing us to become truly ourselves (Pope Benedict, Spe Salvi 47).

This goes along with the teaching of Moses that “the Lord your God is a consuming fire” (Deut 4:24). If Christ Himself is the purifying fire, then here’s the twist: Christ is corporeal! He is resurrected. So a Christian might in fact say that the fire of purgatory is “corporeal” if in fact we are referencing the resurrected corpus Christi.

Is the particular judgment when we stand face to face with the resurrected Christ the burning fire of love that hurts, burns, cleanses, and restores the soul alive with sanctifying grace but lacking full sanctification at death. I think so.

I think all of this can be held along with holding (as do I) that Purgatory is “located” not in Heaven with the Beatific Vision but in the Infernus or Sheol.

Here’s my video on Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Four Regions of Hell:

[reminder]Comments are open. Please share your thoughts.[/reminder]

The post Is there literal physical fire in Purgatory? Video and Thomas Aquinas appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

If you wish that you had that intellectual edge in discussing and debating Catholicism, Thomas Aquinas is your best resource. And yet, most Catholics feel intimidated by Thomas Aquinas because they have been wrongly introduced to him and his writings. It doesn’t need to be that way. Thomas Aquinas expressly stated that he wrote for “beginners in theology.”

I’ve assembled over 100 video lessons to help you answer skeptics, Evangelicals, Mormons, Muslims, atheists, and fallen away Catholic through the lens of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Since it is his feast day, I want to share one with you:

Here is a free sample video on “7 Reasons to Love Saint Thomas Aquinas”. Like all of our New Saint Thomas Institute HD video lessons, it is short, to the point, and provides you practical and tangible theological education:

If you’d like to join the New Saint Thomas Institute, you can take more classes like this, receive access to hundreds of free Catholic books by the saints and Fathers and follow our clear and organized curricula in:

1. Certificate in Catholic Philosophy and Thomistic Studies
2. Certificate in Catholic Theology
3. Certificate in Catholic Apologetics
4. Certificate in Church History: Church Fathers
5. Certificate in Church History Medieval Theology
6. Certificate in Church History: Modern (coming 2017)

• “NSTI is such an AWESOME resource for me to know my faith, defend my faith, and bring others back to my Catholic faith, that I can’t wait to get started! We can’t really financially afford it with a one person income and 5 children, but it is so worth the sacrifice. We won’t go out to eat much but instead feed our souls with the fullness of the truth. Thanks be to God for the NSTI and what you are doing for the Kingdom of God!” – Sandra
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Our priority is that you begin obtaining a philosophical and theological education through the perspective on Saint Thomas Aquinas.Tuition is just over $1 a day and there are no contracts, so you can cancel at any time. We are 3000+ students (retired, students, mothers, professionals, religious, priests, deacons) strong delivering high quality theology and education through a cloud based delivery system to over 55 nations:

Learn more about the educational and charitable work of the New Saint Thomas Institute by clicking here:

If you’ve wanted to go back to school to study theology or philosophy, this is the easiest, most popular, and least expensive way to do it: newsaintthomas.com.

The post 7 Reasons to Love Saint Thomas Aquinas in 2017 appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

NSTI Catholic Video Lesson on the Life and Theology of Origen, student member link here:

But today we are getting crazy and talking about Origen…and his view of predestination as it relates to pre-existent souls.

Catholics and the Problem of Predestination

We have often discussed the intramural Catholic debate about Predestination over at the New Saint Thomas Institute: Augustine, double predestination, Molinism, Thomas Aquinas, Jansenism, etc.

Most new Catholic students react by saying, “Well we’re Catholics. We don’t believe in predestination.” The problem is that it is in the Bible and so we have to account for what it means. Saint Paul refers to predestination:

Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified (Romans 8:28-30).

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11).

The Greek word is προορίζω (proorizó).

To lay my cards on the table, I float back and forth between Molinism and Thomas Aquinas’s solution. If you are interested in this topic in Catholic theology and history, please use the search function at taylormarshall.com or better yet watch some of our videos on Augustine and Thomas Aquinas and the topic of predestination.

Origen and Predestination

One perspective that I’ve avoided entirely is the solution to predestination presented by Origen of Alexandria. This really out there, so hang with me.

Origen, in his book Peri Archon, states repeatedly that all rational creatures were once equally ranked minds prior to the creation of the universe.

According to Origen, God created millions of minds. He then tested these minds and they strayed from God to greater or lesser degrees.

1. Those that hardly strayed became angels and were arranged in an angelic hierarchy in accord to their fidelity to God.
2. Those that strayed more were destined to become humans in the future.
3. Those that strayed far away from God became demons and were arranged in a demonic hierarchy in accord to their hatred for God.

One of Origen’s favorites verses was Jeremiah 1:5:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

For Origen this proves that Jeremiah (and all humans) existed before they were formed in the womb – and some were already consecrated.

Another one from the canonical scriptures would be Wisdom 8:19-20:

“As a child I was naturally gifted, and a good soul fell to my lot; or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body.”

This verse seem to hold that “a good soul feel to my lot” and that the soul pre-existed the body and entered into it.

Origen also states that out of the millions of minds, one single mind did not stray at all. This one single soul remained 100% allied with God’s will and so it was immediately united with the Divine Logos – the Second Person of the Trinity. This was the soul that would eventually assume a body in the womb of the Virgin Mary.

Now Origen, then claims that it appears entirely unjust for some people to be born as Moses, Abraham, David, or John the Baptist while others are born as heathens. That’s totally unfair and this is often a topic of debate in youth groups and philosophical symposia about God’s justice.

Origen, says: “The answer is easy! Everyone is given a perfectly crafted life in conformity to their fidelity to God in the test prior to creation.”

So if a baby dies early. If a person is born in idolatrous India. If a girls is born in 1873 into the Martin family in Lisieux, France. If a boy is born into the Polish Wojtyła family in 1920…All these scenarios follow from God’s judgment of a soul’s response to God before creation.

Origen states that every person’s life was designed for their salvation based on their previous inclination (or lack thereof) in the test prior to the creation of the galaxy.

Origen says that Taylor Marshall was born into a nominally Christian home in Fort Worth Texas and given all by set backs and privileges based on how my pre-existent mind behaved toward God zillions of years ago.

Assessment of Origen and Predestination

Mormons have taken Origen’s doctrine of pre-existent souls. They hold something similar. Catholics, however, reject these schema. It has, however, been held by Catholics:

• Origen died in good standing.
• It’s likely that Clement of Alexandria held to this view of pre-existent souls.
• Didymus the Blind (a saint in the Oriental Orthodox Churches) held it.
• Perhaps Saint Gregory of Nyssa held it.
• The early Saint Basil the Great and the early Saint Gregory of Nazianzus held it. They later reject it.
• Allegedly, Saint Jerome held to this view in his early priesthood but later condemned it loudly and insistently.
• And there is no doubt that Evagrius Ponticus held to this view of pre-existence of souls and especially held to the role of the one sinless mind that became the soul of Christ which united to the Logos.
• The doctrine of pre-existent souls was condemned by the local Synod of Constantinople (AD 543) then again by the Emperor Justinian in his Edict of AD 544.
• The 5th Ecumenical Council (Constantinople II in 553) allegedly condemned this theology, but modern scholars are divided on whether the Fathers of the Council truly ratified the rulings of the Synod of Constantinople in AD 543.
• Notably, many of the quotes condemned as “Origenist” actually come from a book written by Evagrius Ponticus.

I don’t see how a Catholic would want to follow this view of predestination by Origen. I can see why a Catholic would be attracted to it. It levels out divine justice. It’s almost like Hindu karma. It allows a Christian to say, “So you don’t like your life? Sorry, but you earned it millions of years ago in a spiritual realm where you tested and apparently you failed. If you had acted better, you’d be Saint Michael the Archangel or a cherub. As it is, you are merely you. God has given you this particular life because it is the best way for you to be saved. Offer it up!”

Despite Jeremiah 1:5 stating “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you,” Sacred Scripture teaches that we come into being in our mother’s womb. We don’t pre-exist. The mystery of why Moses was born Moses and Pharoah was born Pharaoh remains a mystery. The tension I read in Romans 8-10 seems to keep this tension and does nothing to resolve it.

For this reason, the Catholic tradition has sought to find alternate views of predestination. Augustine holding to an unconditional predestination. Molinism holding to foreseen merits. And then various versions of the two systems.

One final strike against pre-existent souls is that none of us remember it. It seems that if we are punished or rewarded, we should know. That alone seems unjust.

[reminder]The first time I heard, my mind was blown. I’m interested to hear your thoughts and questions on this topic. I look forward to your thoughts.[/reminder]

The post Origen’s Solution to the Predestination Debate appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Renee, a student member of the New Saint Thomas Institute recently asked this question:

Ok, I am confused about something in regard to this subject.
As Jesus hung on the cross, one of the crucified thieves acknowledged Him as the Son of God, acknowledged Christ’s innocence, confessed his own sins, and asked to be remembered. The Bible says: (Luke 23:43) ‘Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” ‘
Since Jesus truly died, then descended into hell to preach, and then rose again on the third day, how is the construction of the sentence in Luke 23:43 possible? It makes sense to me if you move the comma like so: “Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in paradise”.

What is going on with this passage? How can the thief be with Jesus in paradise on THAT day when Jesus has descended (or will descend) into hell? Does the original Greek have a different context? Any help would be appreciated.

And here is my answer:

In Catholic tradition, we speak of Hell as “Infernum” in Latin, “Hades” in Greek, or “Sheol” in Hebrew. All three terms refer to the “grave” or the place “below” where the dead go.

The great Catholic scholastic theologians (eg, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, et al.) teach that infernum has four sections or abodes:

Gehenna (where damned people go – the lake of fire)
Purgatory (where saved people go to be purified – 1 Cor 3:15)
Limbo of the Fathers (a natural paradise where Old Testament believers waited for Christ to die – Abraham’s bosom)
Limbo of the Children (a natural paradise for children)

[Limbus in Latin means “out edge” or “hem.” It’s the place or state of being away from the fires of hell. it is described as a natural paradise.]

Catholic doctrine holds that when Christ died on the cross on Good Friday, His soul descended ad inferos “to the dead” in the Limbo of the Fathers. This is where we get “waiting in Limbo” from – since the OT believers were “waiting in Limbo” for Christ to die for their sins.

When Christ died, he went down into this natural paradise of Limbo (located inside “hell” or infernum) as a victorious champion over Satan, Hell, and death. He did not go there to suffer the pains of hell.

So Jesus met Adam, Eve, Abraham, Moses, David, Ruth, Anne, Joseph, John the Baptist, and all the saints of the OT and the thief on the cross in Limbo, which was a paradise and then he lifted this reality up to Heaven with the beatific vision.

In this way Jesus both descended ad inferos and opened Heaven to them in Heaven.

Godspeed,

Taylor Marshall

PS: Log into the New Saint Thomas Institute and follow the discussion.

The post Descended into Hell and Today you will be with me in Paradise: How does this fit? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

“Thomas Aquinas is too hard,” is a common myth and it derives from decades of teachers who were not enthusiastic and skilled in making Catholic Theology via Thomas Aquinas accessible to the ordinary person.

So here are 10 Reasons to Study Thomas Aquinas for 2016. Below you also find resources to help you:

1. Thomas Aquinas keeps things simple. “What? I thought he was complicated?” No, Thomas Aquinas writes in a simple bullet point style. Literally “bullet points.” He calls them objections and responses but they are numbered just like you would in MS Word. Once you learn how the numbering system works, you’re rocking. (If you’re a member of NSTI, we have a 10  minute class that teaches the system step by step. You can watch it here: “How to Unlock and Read the Summa”.
2. Thomas Aquinas was a mystic. Thomas would place his head on the tabernacle to gain knowledge. He was visited by angels. He was visited by Saint Peter and Saint Paul. He had a vision toward the end of his life that left him wordless.
3. Thomas Aquinas built theology on nature in a way you can understand. Like Christ his Master, Thomas uses nature and our experience through it (plus divine revelation) to present theology. Christ was the master of the parable (describing spiritual realities with natural occurrences: farming, fishing, taxes, losing items). Thomas believes grace perfects and elevates nature and he is constantly using analogies to clarify profound topics.
4. Thomas is systematic. There is nothing worse than reading contemporary soft theology because it is so often literary and formless. Thomas tells you straight up at the beginning of each topic: “First I’m going to show you x. Then I’m going to do y. And then I’m going to z. Now let’s go.” It’s a linear approach to Catholic Theology.
5. Thomas Aquinas is a biblical scholar. Today people would call Thomas a “philosopher.” He’d likely be offended by that. He would have identified himself as a biblical scholar or as a biblical preacher. Pick up his commentaries on the Gospels or, my personal favorite, his commentary on the Epistle of Hebrews.
6. Thomas Aquinas is a preacher. This relates to the above point. Thomas Aquinas’s goal was to communicate profound truths to the people. For him, it was not an academic exercise for university faculty. Thomas wanted to refute heretics, strengthen the faithful, make saints, and get people to Heaven.
7. Thomas Aquinas is Marian. Thomas loved the Blessed Virgin because he so deeply loved Christ. He left behind an entire series of sermons just on the Hail Mary. I know you’ve heard the bit about Thomas Aquinas denying the Immaculate Conception (to see how he didn’t always deny it, watch my video on Youtube: Did Aquinas deny the Immaculate Conception). Thomas also said that the Blessed Virgin Mary “was so full of grace that it overflows on to all mankind.” He was one of the original popularizes of the title “Mediatrix” for Our Lady.
8. Thomas Aquinas was Eucharistic. Thomas Aquinas centered everything on Christ. Christ was the beginning and end of everything for him. He would say Mass daily, and then to show his thanksgiving for the Eucharist and the priesthood, he would serve another Mass (as an altar server) for another priest. He wrote the great hymns for Corpus Christi (eg, Pange Lingua, the opening music of the NSTI video classes).
9. Thomas Aquinas will make you into an Evangelist and Apostle. Thomas wrote so that other people could explain the Catholic Faith. His works (eg Summa contra Gentiles and even his Summa theologiae) are written to equip others to share the Catholic Faith with those who disagree with them. If you want to draw your family and friends into the Catholic Church, Thomas is the best to help you.
10. Thomas Aquinas will make you fall deeply in love with God. My eyes want to feel with tears on this point. He will open to you the riches of God’s grace, love, and compassion. You will come to see Christ in all his glory and splendor. The sacraments will come alive. You will thirst for the Eucharist. You will love the Church. You cannot love what you do not know and Thomas is the best teacher in what you should know.

Resources to get started on Thomas Aquinas:

1. A have a free book Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages. You can download it for free at my website: taylormarshall.com. I wrote it to make the world a more Thomistic place. Spread the information and let others know about it. It’s helped tens of thousands of people get started with Saint Thomas Aquinas. You can also get it in paperback. (I’ll be giving away a few print copies tonight at our live Catholic Webinar on Thomas Aquinas.)
2. I’m teaching a free live Catholic Webinar on Thomas Aquinas and Natural Law. This will explain what natural law is how you can use it convince non-Catholics about morality and Catholic teaching. If you’ve ever wanted to master the basics on Natural Law (through the lens of Thomas Aquinas), then this is the Catholic webinar for you. Click here to sign up or learn more.

PS: Since today is the feast of Thomas Aquinas I’ll be giving away some Thomas Aquinas books in the webinar – including a 5 Volume hardback copy of his Summa Theologiae to one of our attendees. Click here to sign up or learn more.

One attendee will win this 5 volume Summa theologiae hardback set:

The post 10 Reasons to Study Thomas Aquinas in 2016 appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

We can use Scripture and Tradition, but when talking to a non-Christian we often need to reach deeper and craft the discussion around NATURAL LAW. Natural Law Theory is one of the most powerful teachings – and yet so few Catholics know what it is or how to use it.

You are invited. Please join us:

I wrote my PhD dissertation on Natural Law and Thomas Aquinas, and I’ll be giving a short and complimentary online class on Natural Law and how it will help you understand and explain key topics related to human sexuality, grace, and apologetics.

All attendees will receive a pdf copy of our Catholic Bible Cheat Sheet (gives all the Bibile verses for all our Catholic doctrines) and a Worksheet on Natural Law. It’s a free gift to help you in the New Evangelization.

Please click the button below or click here to register and reserve your spot:

The post Could You Explain Natural Law and Homosexuality? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Despite what you may have heard elsewhere, we Christians really do want our Jewish family and friends to experience the healing of baptism and the joys and consolation of the Holy Eucharist!

Christ is the King of the Jews, and (as St Paul and St Thomas Aquinas teach) their personal reception of Christ brings glory to God and is an eschatological sign!

I’m really excited to share with you this HD Catholic Class from the New Saint Thomas Institute with detailed practical advice on sharing the Catholic Faith with Jewish family, friends, and co-workers. Hanukah ends this week so it’s a great opportunity to brush up on your Catholic theology and Old Testament skills.

[If you already are a Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute, you received this video lesson last week, plus so much more. Your premium version access of this video is available here.]

If you’re not a Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute, here is a free sample of our high quality Catholic theological videos:

HD Video: How to Share Catholic Faith with a Jewish Friend:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ5fyysfCBM

If you don’t see this theological video in your email, click here to begin watching it.

If you are not yet a Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute and want to study Catholic theology with us online and earn your Certificate, our Advent Enrollment is currently open!

You can receive our Advent Apologetics package and over 100 videos on Catholic Theology and Apologetics by signing up today:

Sign up as a Student Member at the New Saint Thomas Institute by clicking here.

Share this video on Facebook by clicking here.

The post VIDEO: How to Share Catholic Faith with Jewish Friends appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Did you know that there is a connection between your child waiting for the prayer of blessing before meals and his ability to avoid premarital sex?

It has to do with delayed gratification:

When we sit down at a meal, it is just and right that we first thank God and ask His blessing upon the food that we are about to enjoy. Then, and only then, do we pick up our forks and eat.

Little children are usually tempted to sneak a bite from their plates while mother is turned around getting the last dish on the table. It’s the duty of parents to stop this. The children must learn to wait. Why?

Well one day their appetites will include not only food for preservation of the human body, but they will have an intense appetite for the preservation of the human race. Will they be allowed to nibble a little bit here and there before the blessing? In case you’re not following the analogy:

hungry child > dinner blessing > fulfillment of hunger appetite

young person > matrimonial blessing > fulfillment of sexual appetite

You see if Timmy learns that he can eat before the family is assembled and father leads in the religious blessing, well then, Timmy will not likely wait to have sex until after his family is assembled at church and Father has pronounced the religious blessing on Timmy’s bride and Timmy at the altar.

Are you following this?

Delaying Good Things for Good Reasons:

And this isn’t just about family meals. It’s about everything. School, jobs, Advent, Lent, the Eucharistic fast, fish Fridays, penance, sacramental preparation, childbearing, childrearing, illness, natural death, and so on and so on.

Catholicism is the religion of delayed gratification. This life is a test run to determine our eternal gratification. If we live only to have pleasure in the now, we won’t have beatitude in the future. Christ has instituted His Catholic Church to provide us with small mini-trials every day.

The Eucharistic fast is one obvious example. Humbling one’s self in the confessional before receiving the Holy Eucharist is another. It’s learning how to do something difficult or inconvenient for some other greater good.

Let’s go back to Timmy. If Timmy learns to break the Eucharistic fast or cheat his resolutions during Lent, what will he do in other areas of life? He’ll push the boundaries, but ultimately he’ll fail because he does not understand that all success derives from delayed gratification – both temporal and eternal.

Look at all these hipsters in America. They have college degrees. They vote. They are somewhat intelligent. They even own an interesting collection of vinyl records. Yet they do not have jobs.

It’s now being reported that our college educated hipsters are becoming dependent on state subsidies. They hang out in coffee shops discussing Renoir, Radiohead, and Rousseau, but they buy their groceries with food-stamps! It looks like they’ve fallen for the hipster trap.

What’s going on here?

These young people have been raised to reject delayed gratification. They are the products of society that glorifies immediate gratification  They want meaningful jobs…right now. They want to be art gallery directors, professors, CEOs, non-profit directors, film-directors, Facebook creators, authors, actors, and poets.

What they don’t see is that it takes a helluva lot of hard work to ascend to these professions.

This is why we must realize the value of Catholicism for our culture. Catholicism, in this regard, helps us in two ways: The first way is supernatural and the second way natural, temporal, and social.

1. First, the Catholic theology of waiting confirms that the honors and accolades of this world are vanity of vanities. The Faith is what led the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to resign his power and live his remaining days in an obscure monastery. The smaller natural pleasures of this life are not worth trading for the enormous supernatural beatitude to be attained in the next. This life itself is a prolonged wait for something better and beyond.
2. Secondly, the theology of waiting or delayed gratification is not one of passivity. You are active and waiting. Unlike the ideology of hipsters smoking hand rolled cigarettes and complaining about those faceless stiff-shirts belonging to the “one percent,” the theology of waiting calls for sacrifice now for something better later. So if you want a meaningful job, get up off your skinny jeans and produce something. Contribute. Nobody cares about your thoughts and feelings unless they contribute to something. If you’re an artist, it may take you 20 years to actually sell something. If you can’t accept that, then don’t throw a tantrum and complain about the world. Learn a little delayed gratification. Write down your goals and realize that it takes a long time to reach important goals.

Contraception and Delay:

Contraception is the perfect example for our society’s desire for instant gratification. Contraception is the idea that you can have lots and lots of immediate pleasure (feels really awesome!) without committing to one person (a sacrificial act), and without committing to a pregnancy (a hugely sacrificial act), and without committing to raising a human person for eighteen years (an immensely sacrificial act).

Back to Timmy for one last time. From the time Timmy is born, he will be maintaining his “threshold for waiting.” He will observe the “threshold of waiting” in his parents. Do they live on a whim? Do they go into debt to have fun now? Are they penitential? Are they religious hypocrites? Then he will begin to see how the standard for the “threshold of waiting” is applied to him. Is he allowed to throw temper-tantrums when he is not immediately gratified. Will he persevere in household tasks? Will he finish homework? Will he keep the Eucharistic fast or will he sneak a cookie before Mass? Will he maintain simple customs such as not eating before the Blessing? You get the idea.

If Timmy does not learn this Catholic principle of delayed gratification, what will he become? He’ll become a contracepting hipster with a B.A. waiting for that $60,000 job to fall into his lap. Regrettably, he’ll be a nothing. Worst of all, he won’t live the abundant life that Christ promised for those who would take up their cross and follow Him.

Of course, it’s not easy to assume this theology of waiting. It is the most difficult teaching of Catholicism. As the Blessed Virgin Mary said to Saint Bernadette: “I promise to make you happy, not in this world, but in the next.” Those words terrify me. However, it is a sure promise. None of us will be perfectly happy in this life. It’s just not going to happen.

C.S. Lewis once speculated that if God gave us perfect happiness in this life, it would be unjust since we would then stop seeking after God Himself. Saint Thomas Aquinas would say it is impossible to find happiness anywhere else since our Summum Bonum is none other than God Himself.

So don’t get down in the mouth about delayed gratification. It’s delayed…not never. Life won’t be perfect. Embrace this truth. There is freedom in it. There is joy in realizing it. Here the verse that wraps it all up nicely:

“But if you partake of the sufferings of Christ, rejoice that when his glory shall be revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:13)

And another:

“But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

Godspeed,
Taylor R. Marshall

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The post You Need a Theology of Delayed Gratification! appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Dear Taylor,
I am truly fascinated by Saint Thomas aquinas’ comment Beware the man of one book.
I can interpret that two ways and I was wondering if you had the original italian, because the word ‘un’ in Italian can mean one book or it can mean a book, and this would help better interpret the meaning.
If it means one book, then it can mean that a man who writes only one book could be limited in his views.
It can also mean that the writer of one book has put a lot of thought and study into writing and therefore he is a thinker and therefore, a person to be reckoned with or an authority on a subject.
On the other hand, to beware of the man who writes A book could mean any book (indefinite article.) which can then mean that he thinks he is an expert and may not be.
So I would love to know the original Italian and context for nothing more than curiosity.

Cheers,
Catherine

Dear Catherine,

You have some amazing analysis of this quote! I’ve never thought so much about it!

Fortunately for us, Thomas didn’t usually write in Italian! Let’s get into the Latin, which makes it very clear.

We don’t know if Thomas Aquinas really said this (it’s not in his Works as far as I’ve read), but in Latin the received Thomistic proverb is: “Hominem unius libri timeo.” I fear the man of a single book.

Here unius means one and only one. In a medieval context it would refer to a man who has only studied one book. Probably not a man who has written only one book.

So Saint Thomas Aquinas, if he really said it, is communicating that he fears “scholars” who only have a single speciality and not a breath of knowledge (as did his master Saint Albert the Great).

As we show in the New Saint Thomas Institute, Saint Thomas Aquinas was a master of:

1. Old Testament
2. New Testament
3. Aristotle
4. Boethius
5. Augustine
6. Dionysius the Areopagite
7. Eastern Church Fathers
8. Science and Astronomy (for his time)
9. Practical sermons and preaching

Thomas was hardly a man of one book or one speciality. I hope that helps. Thanks for the question!

Godspeed,
Taylor

PS: A few “back to school” slots will be opening up on Monday Aug 17 2015 for those that want to study with us at the New Saint Thomas Institute (NSTI). Please join the NSTI waiting list in order to hold a reservation.

The post Did Thomas Aquinas Fear the Man of One Book? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

The Gospel according to Saint Luke (the longest of the four Gospels) and Acts of the Apostles rank Saint Luke in first place as largest contributor to the New Testament. As I argued in my book The Catholic Perspective on Paul, Saint Luke is also the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Paul is the “author” and Luke is the “writer” or “drafter” Hebrews. (The Paul/Luke production of Hebrews is also the position of Saint Thomas Aquinas.)

Saint Luke as Loukas (3 mentions in NT)

This Luke (Λουκᾶς) is mentioned in Paul’s epistles three times:

Our dear friend Luke (Λουκᾶς) the physician, and Demas send greetings. (Col 4:14)

Saint Paul mentions Luke as his fellow worker along with Mark in Philemon:

And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers. (Philem 1:22-24)

And then again in 2 Timothy in connection with Mark yet again:

“Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you; for he is very useful in serving me.” (2 Tim 4:11)

Note here that Luke is Paul’s “dear friend,” Paul’s “fellow worker,” and Paul’s sole companion at the end of his life.

Saint Luke as Lucius (2 mentions in NT)

Lucius or Loukios (Greek: Λούκιος) appears two times in the New Testament, once in Acts (written by Luke) and once in Romans.

Lucius is the Romanized version of the name Luke. In a Roman context, Greek men would adapt their names to Latin by creating a -us ending so that their names would rightly decline in Latin. Hence, the way to give Λουκᾶς or “Loukas” a Roman ending is to modify the ending and render it as Lucius.

And wouldn’t you know it, we find this form of Luke’s name in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans!

Timothy, my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius (Λούκιος), Jason and Sosipater, my fellow Jews. (Rom 16:21)

Origen in his Commentary on Romans states that the “Lucius” in Romans is Saint Luke.

Lucius is also mentioned in connection with Barnabas and Paul in Acts:

In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene (Λούκιος ὁ Κυρηναῖος), Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. (Acts 13:1)

Note here the connection between Paul/Saul, Lucius, and Barnabas with…drumroll…Herod the Tetrarch. This proves that Paul/Saul was a Herodian. I’ll write more about this in a future post.

Luke as the “Famous Brother in the Gospel”

There is a unnamed man in 2 Corinthians that Paul refers to as a brother made famous in the Gospel:

But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord. With him we are sending the brother who is famous in the Gospel among all the churches (τὸν ἀδελφὸν οὗ ὁ ἔπαινος ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ διὰ πασῶν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν); and not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work which we are carrying on, for the glory of the Lord and to show our good will. (2 Cor 8:16-18)

Paul is sending Titus and another man who is famous “in all the churches.” Apparently, he is so famous that he doesn’t even need to be mentioned by name. The Corinthians know him already. Notably, he is famous “in the Gospel throughout all the churches” (ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ διὰ πασῶν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν). Paul frequently speaks of the Gospel, but never in this way. Some English translations wrongly read “famous for preaching the Gospel,” but the Greek says “famous in/for the Gospel.”

Saint Thomas Aquinas suggests that this “famous brother” is Saint Luke and that he famous because Saint Luke has by this time published his written Gospel and that it has made him “famous throughout all the churches.” The date of 2 Corinthians is around AD 57 and so this would date Saint Luke’s Gospel before AD 57.

Modern scholars will laugh at this, but I think it makes great sense since Saint Paul cites the Gospel of Luke as Sacred “Scripture” in 1 Timothy 5:17-18.

[reminder]

The post Saint Luke as the Roman Lucius and Famous Brother in the Gospel (2 Cor 8:18) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Words carry ideas. Ideas change people. So if a regime changes the meaning of words, the regime changes the ideas of people.

What is Marriage? Finding a Definition

Take “marriage,” for example. Marriage is an institution that ratifies a monogamous sexual exclusive relationship for procreation.

Notice the words I’m using here: monogamous, sexual, exclusive, procreation.

It’s not essentially a legal arrangement for “best friends.” It’s not a legal arrangement for insuring hospital visitation rights. It’s not essentially a structure for tax benefits. Holy Matrimony is an institution that ratifies a monogamous sexual exclusive relationship for procreation.

It is a legal contract and covenant that grants exclusive sexual access to one another’s body till the death of one spouse. It always hopes for the fruition of children whether God grants children or not. That’s what marriage is. By fully consenting to this reality, a marriage bond was publicly created.

The historic reason why marriage includes the additional lumping together of financial assets is: children, their rearing, and their inheritance!

But modern society has changed the definition of marriage and by doing so they have changed everyone’s idea of marriage.

Falling in/out of Love

With the advent of the birth control pill, the idea that the marriage contract meant exclusive sexual access to a spouse for the rearing of children decayed.

Decades later, they began to depict marriage as “falling in love.” If you fall in love, then you should be married. The problem is the phenomenon of “falling out of love.” And so in the 1970s we got “no fault divorce.” The children suffered. Matrimony had been a public institution to create and protect the next generation. The children were royally screwed over in the 1970s.

“Love Wins” With Same Sex

So for decades heterosexual spouses performed (and deformed) marriage by “falling in love” and “falling out of love’ while cranking up the divorce rate. Birthrates plummeted. There was no longer any sound reason in this new definition of marriage to prevent same sex marriage. If two men “fall in love” why not have a legal ceremony that means, um, very little to heterosexual people.

Heterosexuals since the 1960s already demonstrated to society that marriage does not mean:

1. male/female role polarity
2. life-long monogamy
3. covenantal indissolubility
4. natural conception and birth of babies
5. staying together to raise children
6. growing old together

Think about it. It was heterosexuals who destroyed those 6 points above – not the gay community! The homosexual lobby merely had to wait for the “normal society” to redefine things in their favor.

Matrimony works because it assures paternity assurance. If a woman has intercourse with 10 men and then becomes pregnant along the way, none of those 10 men are going to provide for that woman and care for the new baby. There is no paternity assurance. Men only invest where there is paternity security. Having children requires effort, time and money. A cuckolded man isn’t going devote that much energy in a promiscuous culture where progeny cannot be secured. That’s why we have the quickly growing MGTOW culture for men. Society breaks down.

How You Can become a Healer for a Broken Culture

I wrote about 10 Radical Ways We Can Reclaim Matrimony. There I explained our strategy to “take back” traditional vocabulary. One way we can accomplish this is to the avoid the word “individual.” Originally, the term individualis was applied to the the “undivided” essence of the Holy Trinity.

Around 1750, the word “individual” began to be used in place of a human “person.“ Why? Because society was already being restructured as “individualistic.” You can keep dividing nations, states, cities, even families, but according to them you can’t divide the “individual.” This was the era leading up to the French Revolution. The important aspect for an anti-Christian society was to elevate the solo-person – the undivided individual. Every man an island.

Previously, Christians spoke of “persons” not “individuals.” The family was the basic “undivided” unity (everyone comes from a family – not from an individual) for Christendom. But now it is the “individual” that it is the basic unit. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be an Individual (revolutionary). I want to be a Person (Trinitarian).

Reclaiming as an Example of Light

Remember how we learned that we must reclaim right WORDS and associate them with right ACTIONS. Ultimately, the best thing you can do is mentor others with your good example. This is how you best reprogram the definitions of words. If you are single, then you can live a life of noble chastity and avoid the hook up culture. Live with personal dignity and demonstrate the joy of Jesus Christ in your life.

If you are married, the best thing you can do is show your children how much you love and respect your spouse. This will overflow to those around you.

• Are you kind to one another? Do you give each other the benefit of the doubt before a fight breaks out?
• Men, are you affectionate with your wife when you get home. (Wives deeply desire love, affection and approval [“I love you and I missed you today. Close your eyes while I kiss you.”] more than they desire gifts or respect.)
• Women, do you respect your husband in front of the children and your friends? (Husbands deeply desire honor/respect [“I’m so proud that you’re my husband. You work so hard!”] more than they desire love.)
• Are you quietly teaching those in your circle of influence that lifelong exclusive monogamy is beautiful, sweet, and rewarding?
• Do you fight back the fear of having babies in this crazy world?

Our best strategy is living Holy Matrimony and living it with joy and a smile on our face. It is difficult. It is a challenge. My wife Joy is pregnant with baby #8 and it’s much harder on her than baby #1. Much harder! (Ladies, can I get a witness.) But she is living a heroic life and I can’t help but admire her love for me, our new baby, and her profound dedication to our wedding vows.

If you are a student Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute, please watch our 2-part video series in which my wife Joy and I sit down in front of the video camera to talk about those issues as they relate to our own lives and how we grapple with these challenges in our marriage.

You can find this video series in the “Catholic Certificate in Theology” module on Sacramental Theology:

If you are not yet a Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute, we will be soon opening enrollment for a few new spots. NSTI is the largest Catholic online education institute in the world with 1,800 Catholic students from 30 nations. If you’d like to join our student body, and earn a Certificate in Catholic Theology with me, please sign up here. (There are currently 280 people on the waiting list for NSTI. Today’s enrollment is limited to the first 300). Please visit newsaintthomas.com to learn more about what we do and what we offer through the New Saint Thomas Institute. And don’t forget to join our waiting list if you are interested Save your spot!

Just like the early confessors and martyrs – we must live heroic lives. People are converted when they see the love of Jesus. That could be in seeing a Coptic Christian beheaded by ISIS. It could also be in the powerful witness of a young mother sweetly caring for her babies. Or by watching a handsome man care for his wife and honor her till death as the mother of his children.

You’d be surprised how much your actions touch the hearts of others. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is in your heart. Share His Heart with the hearts of others.

Cor ad cor loquitur,
Taylor Marshall

[reminder]

The post The Slow Death of Marriage…And Its Future Resurrection appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

A reader, Ignacio Puyol Besa, recently left this question on my Facebook wall:

Good day Dr. Taylor, Hope all is well with you! I have a question for you. This is an excerpt from a conversation I had with someone regarding your book The Crucified Rabbi.

Person: All I’m saying is that he (Taylor) said Jesus wasn’t a descendant of Aaron & if that were true, Jesus wouldn’t be qualified to be the Messiah. Btw, it’s through Mary’s genealogy that He’s related to Aaron. Comments? Have a great one.”

Here is my podcast version and here is typed answer to this question:

Click the play button to listen:

The idea that the Blessed Mother must be Levite or Aaronite is refuted in the epistle to the Hebrews. The Melchizedek priesthood of the first born is more dignified than the weak and probational priesthood of Levi. The Levitical priesthood is Plan B after idolatry.

Natural Law had a priesthood of the firstborn (father to son). The New Law/Testament has a priesthood of the first born (Father to Son). The Levitical Priesthood was an ad hoc probational priesthood because of the golden calf incident.

The eternal priesthood (and the priesthood of natural law) is primogeniture (firstborn) priesthood. And the Son is eternally firstborn of the Father. All of this is in Thomas Aquinas. Also Mary is known liturgically as the “Tower of David.” She is Davidian Judahite and not Aaronic Levite. The two genealogies that we have for Mary (Matthew and Luke) say nothing of a Aaronite or Levite relation. The idea is falsely inferred by those that think that Christ must somehow be Aaronite.

She may have trace Levite blood from tribal intermarriage way back when, but there is not much dignity in that. Jesus is the Lion of Judah, not the Lion of Levi. Christ was very critical of the Levitical assembly. It was the Levites of Sanhedrin that killed Christ. In summary, the Blessed Virgin Mary was a descendent of Judah through David.

It actually elevates the Blessed Virgin Mary higher when recognize her as the descendent of David. Daughters of Levites did not hold a civil or religious role in Israel. However, the Queen Mother of the Davidic King (Gebirah) had amazing amounts of prestige and power (this is the basis of her Coronation). We would do a disservice to Our Lady by calling her “Aaronite.”

Saint Justin Martyr (Adv. Tryph. 100) and St. Ignatius of Antioch (Ephesians 18) affirm that Mary was a Judahite and descendent of David. This is the tradition of the Church. St. John Damascene (De fid. Orth., IV, 14) also affirms it.

Please also see my articles related to this topic of Levitical priesthood: by Taylor Marshall

• Gentile Priests and Levites by Taylor Marshall
• Was John the Baptist a Levite? by Taylor Marshall
• Pope Saint Leo on the Levites and Priests of the New Covenant by Taylor Marshall
• Land, Promise, Levites and the New Covenant by Taylor Marshall
• The Davidic Identity of Daniel by Taylor Marshall

Ignacio, thanks for your awesome question about Our Lady and priesthood!

Godspeed,

Taylor

[reminder]Have you also heard this belief that Mary was Aaronite or Levitical?[/reminder]

PS: This book also has a breakdown of the Old Testament Levitical priesthood as it relates to the New Testament priesthood.

PPS: I’m currently recording the Book of Revelation – Catholic Commentary podcast series for yall. So far, 4 episodes are recorded!

PPPS: I’ll be teaching at the Vatican this June as part of the Rome Experience program for seminarians. Please pray a Hail Mary for these seminarians…and for me as I prep lectures for them. Check out the Rome Experience!

The post #072: What was the Priestly Status of Mary? Was she a Levite? [Mini Podcast] appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

In this video from the New Saint Thomas Institute I explain the biblical teaching on intoxication as it relates to our the faculties of our intellect and will. We look at Scripture, Philosophy, and the Catechism. This video is getting lots of buzz, so I hope you enjoy it.

[reminder]Please feel free to ask questions about Marijuana, etc. below.[/reminder]

If you are having trouble watching or seeing this video on Marijuana, Drugs, and Alcohol, please click here to watch it.

Do you have friends and family who need to see this video? Share it on Facebook by clicking here.

If you like this video, you can join over 1,600 students at the New Saint Thomas Institute and earn your Certificate in Theology with us. Click here to sign up before registration closes or spots run out.

The post Can Christians Smoke Marijuana, Get High, and Get Drunk? Answer from Scripture, Thomas Aquinas, Catechism appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Here’s a preview video unit lesson from the Certificate in Catholic Theology curriculum from the New Saint Thomas Institute on the death of Christ as explained by Saint Thomas Aquinas. I’ve included the video file and the audio mp3 file for your convenience.

 If you don’t see the video in your browser or email, please click here.

If you want to earn our Certificate in Catholic Theology through the New Saint Thomas Institute (NSTI), our enrollment is currently full and closed. However, we will open a limited number of spots for Easter. If you want the opportunity to join when we open these enrollment spots, please make sure that you are on our Priority Waiting List by clicking here.

We have over 1,500 students in NSTI from 30 nations! Learn more about how you can get deep into Catholic philosophy, theology, and apologetics through our online video unit courses a NewSaintThomas.com.

[reminder]

The post Thomas Aquinas on the Death of Christ: Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity [Video and Audio] appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Every year during Holy Week leading up to Easter, there is growing popularity in Christian or Messianic Seder Meals. In today’s post we are going to look at theological reasons (from Scripture and Saint Thomas Aquinas) as to why Seder Meals might be a bad idea for Christians.

The Hebrew word “seder” literally means “order” or “rite” or “liturgy.” It’s the “liturgy” for the Jewish Passover meal.

Evangelical Protestants have popularized Christian passover seders to get in touch with their Hebrew Christian origins. More recently, Catholics have also started celebrating the Passover as a para-liturgy outside the normally approved Catholic rites and liturgies.

Can There Even Be a Christian Passover Seder Meal?

We need to begin by recognizing that when God instituted the Passover through Moses, the Passover was always intended to be an animal sacrifice. The slaughter of a passover lamb and the eating of it was a sacrificial memorial of God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt. The influence if liberal Reformed Judaism in America has caused most Americans to forget that Old Testament Judaism (as instituted by Moses) is chiefly a religion of animal sacrifice and ritual purity.

Every Christian knows that animal sacrifice is strictly prohibited in the New Testament. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was identified by Saint John the Baptist as “the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world,” and Christ identified Himself as that sacrificial Lamb of God. Since the coming of Christ, it would be blasphemous and sacrilegious for a Christian to sacrifice a Passover Lamb since it indicates that Christ’s sacrifice either never happened or that it was insufficient.

So it is unthinkable for Christians to offer a true Passover meal.

Is it Sinful to participate in a “Christian” Passover Seder Meal?

The good news is that Christians of good will are not participating in Passover Seder meals because they deny the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for their sins. They all would likely say that they are celebrating Passover in the Jewish way “to learn more about my faith and to appreciate better what Jesus did for me on Good Friday.”

These Christians of good will do not believe that the “Christian” Passover Seder is a Old Testament ritual of sacrifice. They instead see it as a “educational moment.”

There is still something wrong with this. The Epistle to the Hebrews equates Christians returning to the ceremonial laws of Moses as tantamount to denying Jesus Christ. The Mosaic ceremonies have become anti-sacraments, and the epistle is written to dissuade baptized Hebrew Christians from dabbling in the old ceremonial rites (like Passover!).

Saint Thomas Aquinas explains that the baptized Christian observing any Old Testament ritual, sacrament, or liturgy is sinning and if done with knowledge and full consent, such an act would be a “mortal sin”:

just as it would be a mortal sin now for anyone, in making a profession of faith, to say that Christ is yet to be born, which the fathers of old said devoutly and truthfully; so too it would be a mortal sin now to observe those ceremonies which the fathers of old fulfilled with devotion and fidelity.” (Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I-II, q. 103, Art. 4)

Saint Thomas Aquinas (and the Ecumenical Council of Florence*) identify the observance of Old Testament rituals as mortally sinful. Why? According to Saint Thomas, it implies that the ceremonial and sacrificial work of Christ did not happen. Remember that in the biblical worldview, liturgy is doing something louder than words can say. Liturgy is the highest for of communication. So when you liturgically celebrate an Old Testament reality, you are literally shouting against the New Testament reality.

Protestants might read this and shrug their shoulders, but a Catholic with a profound sacramental worldview will at once perceive the liturgical significance.

New Covenant = New Liturgy

My suspicion is that Christians are attracted to the Passover Seder meal because they want an intimate liturgical experience that hearkens back to the days of Jesus Christ their Savior. The liturgy at the local parish doesn’t really communicate this to them…and so they resort to Jewish handbooks to recreate what they think Jesus did on the night before He was betrayed.

For the Catholic, there is a Passover seder meal available to them: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This Eucharist is the Passover. As Saint John the Baptist, Christ Himself, the Gospels, Saint Paul, and the Book of Revelation repeat over and over, Christ is the Lamb of God. And before He died He instituted a New Covenant with a New Liturgy.

The Jewish Passover Seder might feel special, but it’s just a meal with some herbs. It is a shadow of things to come. The Catholic Eucharist is the substance of the New Covenant. It is the true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the human Lamb of God. When God asked Moses to institute the Passover meal with little white lambs, He had in mind the eternal sacrifice of the Lamb of God who is the Son of God.

What about Seders for Educational Purposes?

Someone might say, “Okay, I understand. We should not participate in Old Testament rites religiously, but what if we do it educationally?”

I actually like this question because it shows that the person understands that there is a profound problem with celebrating non-Christian rites religiously.

I think Thomas Aquinas would say, “You can fully understand Passover by reading about it and by experiencing the Eucharist. You don’t need to play-act the older liturgy for the sake of catechesis.”

The Old Testament should be loved, studied, and respected. We can’t understand the New unless we understand the Old. But play acting the Old Testament rites is not appropriate. I also think it’s somewhat disrespectful toward Jewish believers of good will. Likewise, we don’t need to play-act polygamy (something sanctioned in the Old Testament) in order to have an educational knowledge of it. We don’t need to play-act Jewish dietary laws to understand them. We don’t need to sacrifice a bull like Moses said or live in tabernacles like Moses commanded. We are Christians and part of our explicit identity is that we do not do these things that were once noble and righteous for the Old Testament faithful. We live in a New Covenant.

Christ taught us that we are children of the Father and as such, the probational laws given through Moses do not bind us any longer.

If you truly want to experience the eternal Passover of God in Heaven, then go to the Eucharist. As Saint Paul said:

For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (2 Cor 5:7-8)

So if you are invited to participate in a Christian or Messianic seder, kindly decline. You’ll find what you’re looking for in the Mass.

[reminder]

PS: Lest anyone thing that I’m somehow anti-Jewish, please take a look at my book The Crucified Rabbi: Judaism and the Origins of Catholicism to see how much I love our Jewish roots as Catholics. It’s half price on paperback and Kindle until Easter Sunday! Read a preview of it here.

*Quote from the Ecumenical Council of Florence:

Note that this is not a “disciplinary canon” but a doctrinal canon because the canon reads that the Church “believes, professes, and teaches…”

712 It firmly believes, professes, and teaches that the matter pertaining to the law of the Old Testament, of the Mosiac law, which are divided into ceremonies, sacred rites, sacrifices, and sacraments, because they were established to signify something in the future, although they were suited to the divine worship at that time, after our Lord’s coming had been signified by them, ceased, and the sacraments of the New Testament began; and that whoever, even after the passion, placed hope in these matters of the law and submitted himself to them as necessary for salvation, as if faith in Christ could not save without them, sinned mortally.

Yet it does not deny that after the passion of Christ up to the promulgation of the Gospel they could have been observed until they were believed to be in no way necessary for salvation; but after the promulgation of the Gospel it asserts that they cannot be observed without the loss of eternal salvation. (Ecumenical Council of Florence, AD 1445)

The post Christian Seder Passover Meals: Should Christians Celebrate Them appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

If you’re having trouble watching the video in your browser, click here.

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To celebrate Saint Thomas Aquinas, please share this with your friends on Facebook by clicking here.

And here are four more videos on Saint Thomas Aquinas. Saint Thomas Aquinas pray for us!!!

7 Reasons to Love Saint Thomas Aquinas

Did Thomas Aquinas deny the Immaculate Conception? The answer may surprise you?

Thomas Aquinas on the four sections of Hell:

Thomas Aquinas on the Creation of Eve: Is Woman a Misbegotten Male?

Have a great feast day of Saint Thomas Aquinas!!! Don’t forget to download your free ebook Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages over at taylormarshall.com

[reminder]What would you like to learn more about on any topic related to Thomas Aquinas?[/reminder]

The post 7 Reasons to Love Saint Thomas Aquinas (plus 4 Catholic videos) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

It’s free and packed with information. I’m giving a LIVE personal presentation on how to share your Catholic faith with those who don’t agree and I’ll give you 7 reasons and tools to help you grow in Catholic theology. I’ll also be giving away free books to those that register. Every one who registers will also receive some downloadable resources.

In our last Catholic Webinar we had over 1,000 people. That’s once big Google Hangout webinar! Let’s make it 2,000 tonight.

Please join us. It’s super easy. All you have to do is click a link to join the live video chat room. You do have to register in order for it all to work. Here’s the link to register for tonight’s webinar:

Registration for “How to Defend the Catholic Faith and Tools to Study Catholic Theology: Live Webinar with Taylor Marshall”

The post You are Invited! Live Catholic Webinar with Taylor Marshall tonight appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

You can sign up for free by clicking here:

Catholic Webinar Conference Jan 8 2015

This Week’s Free Catholic Conference Webinar: 7 Reasons!

On Thursday night I’ll be hosting a free online live webinar in which we’ll go over 7 reasons to Study Catholic Theology in 2015. It’s like an online Skype call or Google Hangout with me and hundreds of Catholics who have registered.

I’ll give you 7 compelling reasons that will fire you about getting deep into your faith in 2015, and show you how you can access the best books and right resources to make it easy for the next 12 months.

Free Resources to Get Started in 2015

Plus, I’ll be giving away a bunch of Catholic theology resources that will help you get serious about studying orthodox Catholic theology in 2015:

1. Catholic Bible Cheat Sheet (all the related Bible verses easily arranged by Catholic doctrine topic)
2. The NSTI Lifetime Catholic Reading List: Recommended Books on Catholic Theology arranged by topic, e.g. Mariology, Philosophy, Church History, etc.)
3. A random lottery for paperback copies of (1 copy each):
   1. The Crucified Rabbi,
   2. The Catholic Perspective on Paul,
   3. The Eternal City,
   4. and the new paperback version of the Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages. 
   5. My  bestselling novel Sword and Serpent: A Retelling of Saint George and the Dragon
4. One free one year tuition voucher to earn a Certificate at the New Saint Thomas Institute (awarded to a live webinar attendee at random).

But most importantly we will discuss the spiritual and personal reasons for getting deep about Catholic theology.

You can register for this free online Catholic Conference Webinar by clicking here:

Catholic Webinar Conference Jan 8 2015

I’ll see you live on your laptop or tablet on Thursday night!

to Jesus through Mary,

Taylor Marshall

The post 7 Reasons to Study Theology in 2015 (plus free books and resources) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

This is the claim of the homosexual historian John Boswell in his book Same Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe (Chicago).

Same Sex Marriage Liturgy = Adelphopoesis?

Boswell’s argument hinges on the existence of a liturgical ritual called adelphopoiesis. Adelphos means “brother.” Poesis means “making.” So the term in Greek literally means “brother-making.”

Now Boswell translated adelphopoesis as “same-sex union,” and made the case that these were homosexual unions sanctioned by the Church. You don’t have to be a great Greek scholar to get the agenda. Adelphopoesis most certainly does not translate as “same-sex union.”

Along the same lines, Allan Tulchin in his article “Same-Sex Couples Creating Households in Old Regime France: The Uses of the Affrèrement,” (Journal of Modern History: September 2007) made his case that Latin liturgy of affrèrement (Latin title is Ordo ad fratres faciendum, literally “Order for the making of brothers”) was a medieval “same-sex union” recognized by Europe and the Church.  Affrèrement allowed two men to share living quarters, pool their finances, and have recognition from the state and church as an economic unit.

To muddy the waters, same-sex marriage advocates have coupled Saint Sergius and Saint Bacchus as the patron saints of this alleged arrangement. These two men were known in Byzantine history to be holy men with a great brotherly affection for one another. They are mentioned in the Greek liturgy of adelphopoesis, and Boswell argues that they were likely an early same-sex pair joined together in homoeroticism.

Regrettably, modern scholars feel that sexuality must be the incentive for any relationship in history. David and Jonathan or Sergius and Bacchus are “proof” that religious male friends were secret lovers between the pages of history.

Adelphopoesis or Affrèrement was Not Homoerotic

Boswell’s analysis fails when we recall that both Catholic Europe and Orthodox Byzantium punished homosexuality with death (Byzantine codes of law call for convicted homosexual men to be burned). Boswell is right, though. There is ample evidence of homosexuality in the medieval era. Unfortunately for him, the Christian and liturgical norms never reveal the slightest tolerance for homosexual acts.

In the middle of the 1000’s you have Saint Peter Damian’s book Liber Gomorrhianus circulating with a crying condemnation of both homosexuality and masturbation among the clergy.

Saint Hildegard of Bingen in the 1100s wrote against lesbian acts in her work Scivias.

The same condemnation against homosexuality is reiterated in penitential manuals and again by Saint Thomas Aquinas in the 1200s. In the 1300s, the heretical reform sect of the Lollards in England cited priestly celibacy as a cause of homosexuality in society.

Saint Peter Damian and Saint Hildegard’s explicit teachings over explicit acts certainly reveal that homosexuality was practiced among the laity, the clergy, and the religious – even the women religious. So Boswell is correct in identifying homosexual activity in his period. He is simply wrong in pointing to adelphopoesis as a sanctioned form of homosexuality.

It would be odd for both a civil society and a universal religion to criminalize homosexual acts on one hand, but also provide a “wink-wink” liturgy in order to establish a sexual relationship between two men on the other hand.

Understanding Adelphopoesis as a Kind of Monasticism

The formation of a social unit in which food, finances, and shelter are shared is not unique to matrimony. The Christian tradition also established monastic brotherhoods where men would gather to share all possessions, income, and shelter equally. These social units were protected liturgically, ecclesiastically, and civilly.

Adelphopoesis is the same kind of arrangement – but more suited for two men who wished to live in the world. The liturgies for Adelphopoesis or Affrèrement from the ninth to the fifteenth  centuries establish pneumatikous adelphous or “spiritual brothers.” Chastity is assumed. If the Emperor Theodosius ruled that homosexual acts received the punishment of being burned to death, I don’t think that such a society would have assumed that “spiritual brothers” were anything more than consecrated men pooling their resources for the common good.

Could the arrangement of adelphopoesis be abused by homosexual men seeking to find a civil form of tolerance? Of course! Did it ever happen. Probably. Men have used monasteries to cloak improprieties and escape the glare of the society. Read Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales for more details.

The take away is that adelphopoesis never was intended to be a “same-sex marriage” for homosexuals, even if Boswell translated it that way…

[reminder]Had you heard of this debate over adelphopoesis? Are you now able to explain the truth about it?[/reminder]

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The post Same Sex Medieval Marriage – Dr Marshall Reveals the Fraud appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

My almost-11-years-old twin daughters Mary Claire and Rose were dying to see Disney’s Into the Woods. In case you don’t have twin daughters keeping you in the know, Into the Woods is a mashup fairytale of Jack in the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel.

What was Great about Into the Woods

The film was beautiful with an all-star cast: Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, and Tracey Ullman. It’s a film adaptation of the 1987 Broadway musical “Into the Woods.” I ain’t gonna lie. When Chris Pine did his musical number on the waterfall, I was laughing and loving it. It reminded me of something from my favorite musical: Pirates of Penzance. 

I was so into the film that at one point I even thought to myself, “This is great. I should buy stock in Disney. This is so well done!” The music was fun and fantastic. The story moved quickly and held my attention. I wasn’t getting up to go the bathroom.

From a story-telling point of view, the musical weaves together various classic fairytales into one giant meta-narrative so that each character was interconnected. And at last, all the happier ever after’s happened. The Prince married Cinderella. Little Red Riding Hood lived. The baker’s wife had a baby. The witch was appeased. Rapunzel got her man, too. Jack kleptoed the giant’s gold and chopped the beanstalk to kill him.

But then the pernicious twist…

What was Wrong about Into the Woods

For 60 years Disney has made beautiful “happily ever after” cartoons. I don’t know if it’s feminism or just Western jadedness, but “happily ever after” is just soooo not cool anymore. Moreover, it’s now fashionable to reveal the prince as evil and the princess as romantically frozen or emotionally tangled. There can be no love at first sight. Oh, and if there is, it will be crushed. The wounded girl will go on to become a maleficent benevolent heroine.

I get it. Happy endings can be more like the aftermath of Helm’s Deep. Life is messy. Not everything is “A Dream is a Wish that Your Heart Makes.”

So Into the Woods creatively deconstructs the “happily” narrative of each story. At one point Cinderella’s prince-husband (?) begins to seduce the baker’s wife who just had a baby. One of my daughters leans over and says, “Daddy, what is happening?” I lean in and say, “The Prince is trying to commit adultery with her.” Yikes. This was not the delicately whispered conversation that I had hoped to have during a holiday trek to the the cinema. All I can say, “It’s a good thing we’ve gone over the 10 Commandments as a family.” I have explained the elusive “Thou shalt not commit adultery” as “When you try to marry someone who is not your husband/wife.” Now we have a kids movie to help us understand it more deeply. Thanks Disney!

Into the Woods as a Secular Sermonizing

So, yeah, there was the awkward Baker’s wife and Prince kiss scene and then the wife’s perplexity over it. But that’s not really what made me dislike the film.

I’m a philosopher. I’m a prof. That’s my trade. So it was the not-so-subtle sermon at the end of the film that got my goat.

There is a final scene in which all the characters play the blame game. They each take turn blaming the others for the unhappy ending in which they find themselves. The witch finally reveals that finding blame is unhelpful. Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody screwed up. Everybody is to blame. So just move on with your life. Pick up the pieces and try to make something of it.

Into the Woods as Philosophical Nominalism

Ultimately, Into the Woods is an apologetic for the philosophical school of nominalism – an error going back before the days of Socrates and Plato. Nominalism holds that there is not real essence or form out there in the world. There is no real substance or nature out there. Instead, we humans create and apply the names (nomina in Latin, hence nominalism) to things and actions out there.

With nominalism, there is ultimately no meaning. There is no purpose. There is only the meaning and purpose that we create in our own hearts. There is no such thing as natural law. We can decide what we want things to be. If we want to change the nomen or definition of “marriage” than we can do so. If we want to change the nomen or definition of good and evil, we can do that, too.

Here’s the final (nominalist) sermon from Into the Woods. I wanted to cover the ears of my dear children when I heard these words sung to a beautiful melody:

“Wrong things, right things …

Who can say what’s true? …

Do things, fight things …

You decide, but …

You are not alone …

Witches can be right.

Giants can be good.

You decide what’s right. You decide what’s good.”

This is the final answer to the pain of the characters. “You decide what’s good.” But that’s the problem. All the bad guys are already playing that game. They have decided what is “right for me” and they are hurting you.

Out of the Woods: Let’s Turn from Nominalism Back to Realism

The opposite of nominalism is realism. Realism holds that there are absolute, non-changing forms, substances, and ideas in the universe. There are natural, pre-established laws that are real and not man-made. Humans don’t get make up their own definitions. There is no “You decide what’s right. You decide what’s good.” Instead, human persons must discover the true definitions within the fabric of a real world. We don’t create meaning and purpose. We discover what was already real before we showed up.

If you’ve jumped ahead of me and have concluded that Nominalism leads to secularism and atheism and that Realism leads to religion and theism, you are very intelligent. You can see past the meta-narrative of Into the Woods.

So let’s get “out of the woods.” The nominalist worldview of the woods that proclaims, “You decide what’s right. You decide what’s good,” is ultimately bleak. It leaves you with the feeling that I had walking out of that movie theatre with my kids.

[reminder]Have you seen the film yet? What were your thoughts?[/reminder]

Please share this post with friends or family on Facebook by clicking here.

The post Into the Woods Movie – A Dad’s Critical Review appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

In this video I retell how I as a Protestant once (aggressively and rudely) challenged the Catholic philosopher Dr. Peter Kreeft in person and how Dr. Kreeft’s calm and researched replies demonstrated the BEST in Catholic apologetics and technique. Wouldn’t you know it – I’m Catholic now! I’ll also explain the 5 common mistakes that you might make and how to avoid them:

If you don’t see the video in your email or browser,
please click here to watch it.

If you don’t see the video in your email or browser,
please click here to watch it.

[reminder]

PS: You can get hours of videos like this and earn a Certificate in Catholic Theology or a Certificate in Catholic Apologetics by joining the New Saint Thomas Institute – an online member community with Catholic classes and thousands of Christians from over 25 nations! Don’t miss the enrollment window! Join now at: New Saint Thomas Institute.

The post 5 Common Mistakes Catholics Make When Defending the Catholic Church appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

In the theological video below I’ll share how Thomas Aquinas changed his position over time on the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception and share some of the nuances. Thomas may have reverted back to a belief in the Immaculate Conception after he wrote about the Immaculate Conception in the Summa theologia. See the video below for details.

If you are already a student Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute, you have this video already along with the entire “Mariology Module” as well as your entire “Intro to Thomas Aquinas Module.”

If you are not yet a Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute and you want to study with us, our General Advent Enrollment just opened up. Here’s a free sample our theology classes: Did Thomas Aquinas Deny the Immaculate Conception?

Are you having trouble seeing this video in your browser or email? Please click here to watch it.

Not yet a Member of NSTI?

If you’re not yet a Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute, we currently offer 3 Certificates and will offer a fourth Certificate in 2016:

1. Certificate in Catholic Philosophy and Thomistic Studies (Click for Philosophy syllabus)
2. Certificate in Catholic Theology (Click for Theology syllabus)
3. Certificate in Catholic Apologetics (Click for Apologetics syllabus)
4. Certificate in Catholic Church History (coming in Jan 2016)

We are the biggest global Catholic Institute and we have the lowest tuition rates on the planet (98% lower than nearly every Catholic college). We just finished enrolling our waiting list of 200 people and have opened enrollment to the general public.

If you are not yet a Member of NSTI, please explore our valuable benefits and begin studying with us by learning more about us. Click here to learn more about Catholic classes at the New Saint Thomas Institute.

[reminder]

The post Video: Did St Thomas Aquinas Deny the Immaculate Conception? Plus A Big NSTI Announcement for 2015 appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Our Protestant friends know about Saint Michael and Saint Gabriel. Both archangels appear by name in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The third member of the angelic triumvirate (or perhaps trium-archangelate) is Saint Raphael who appears only the Deuterocanonical book of Tobit.

Former Catholic priest Father Martin Luther blotted out the book of Tobit from the canonical table of contents and so Protestants don’t have this book or the six Deuterocanonical Bible books removed by Luther.

[callout]If you want to hear my hard words about Martin Luther (in contrast to Padre Pio), click here.[/callout]

Saint Raphael in the Old Testament

In the divinely inspired book of Tobit, the archangel Raphael first disguised in human form as the travel companion of Tobit’s son, Tobias. While in human disguise, Saint Raphael calls himself calling himself “Azarias.” Saint Raphael protects Tobias and even binds the demon Asmodeus in the desert of Egypt. At the end of the story, “Azarias” reveals himself as “Raphael one of the seven, who stand before the Lord” (Tobit 12:15). It’s a great story. By the way, the name Raphael in Hebrew means “God heals,” and so Saint Raphael is associated with physical and spiritual healing.

Saint Raphael in the New Testament

Even advanced students of Sacred Scripture may be surprised to learn that Raphael makes a cameo appearance in the New Testament, as well. Tradition identifies the “healing angel” in John 5 to be Saint Raphael. This is manifest when we see that the Gospel lesson for Saint Raphael’s feast day (in the old calendar Oct 24) is this story from John 5:

an angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under” (Jn 5:1-4)

Is this a slam dunk infallible case? No, but it’s the strong tradition of the Catholic Church that the anonymous angel that stirred the waters for healing was none other than the biblical archangel Raphael from Tobit. After all, Raphael doesn’t like to reveal his name or identity…

Godspeed,
Taylor

Please pass this on to someone who might find it interesting.

PS: Thomas Aquinas only mention Raphael three times in his entire corpus of works. Here are the citations:

• Super Sent., lib. 2 d. 10 q. 1 a. 4
• Summa Theologiae I, q. 112 a. 3
• Super Psalmo 21, n. 27.

[reminder]

The post Does Saint Raphael Appear in the New Testament? Yes, He Has a Cameo Appearance appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Here’s the theological evidence to settle the issue that there are nine celestial orders of angels (from lowest to highest):

Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Dominations, Throne, Cherubim, Seraphim

In my free book Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages, I explain the cosmic responsibilities of each order.

St. Gregory the Great teaches, based on Saint Paul’s writings, that there are nine orders of angels:

We know on the authority of Scripture that there are nine orders of angels, viz., Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Dominations, Throne, Cherubim and Seraphim. That there are Angels and Archangels nearly every page of the Bible tell us, and the books of the Prophets talk of Cherubim and Seraphim. St. Paul, too, writing to the Ephesians enumerates four orders when he says: ‘above all Principality, and Power, and Virtue, and Domination’; and again, writing to the Colossians he says: ‘whether Thrones, or Dominations, or Principalities, or Powers’. If we now join these two lists together we have five Orders, and adding Angels and Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim, we find nine Orders of Angels.” (Hom. 34, In Evang.)

St. Thomas Aquinas teaches the same ninefold pattern at Summa theologica I, q. 108.

St. Paul teaches speaks of angels and archangels and refers to the orders of “principality, and power, and virtue, and dominion” in Ephesians 1:21. He also mentions “thrones, dominations, principalities or powers” at Colossians 1:16.

The term archangel occurs only in St. Jude and 1 Thessalonians 4:15; but St. Paul has furnished us with two other lists of names of the heavenly cohorts. He tells us (Ephesians 1:21) that Christ is raised up “above all principality, and power, and virtue, and dominion”; and, writing to the Colossians (1:16), he says: “In Him were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominations, or principalities or powers.”

Paul gives us the middle five orders and we add to it, “angels, archangels, cherubim, and seraphim” from his writings and the rest of Scripture. So that bring us to nine orders or choirs of angels.

[reminder]Are you aware of this tradition? Do you think it is controversial?[/reminder]

The post The Nine Choir Hierarchy of the Angels in Scripture and Tradition appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Here’s a free video from the New Saint Thomas Institute on the subject of Satan and Michael. You’ll learn about the creation of the angels, the fall of Satan according to Saint Augustine, and the reason Saint Michael is called “Mi Cha El.”

[youtube id=”IlRR-j7XaYM”]

Don’t see the video? Click here to watch it.

Are you not yet a Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute? If not, this is the week to join. We are opening a few limited spots for Fall Enrollment and offering a limited time discount on NSTI tuition. Join well over 1,000 Members of the New Saint Thomas Institute from all over the world as we study Catholic theology together.

There are limited spots and our tuition sale is limited. We also have a bunch of great bonuses for this fall. Want to join? Learn by clicking here.

Share this post on Facebook.

The post Lucifer vs. St Michael: Why St Michael Won! appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Star Wars VII is going to be directed by JJ Abrams (new Star Treks, Super 8) and will include the original cast with the likes of Harrison Ford, Mark Hammil, Carrie Fisher, and even new faces like Andy Serkis (the actor who played Gollum in Lord of the Rings).

Christians (both Protestant and Catholic) have over the decades expressed concern that the worldview of Star Wars does not conform to the Christian worldview. I want to look at this concern, and then try to rescue Star Wars for all you Christian Star Wars fans (yes Greg Willits, I’m looking at you).

The mistake that people make when getting all down on Star Wars is that they make this equation:

1. Christians have God
2. Star Wars has the Force
3. But the Force does not map on the biblical doctrine of God.
4. Therefore, Star Wars teaches a false worldview, a false theology, and must rejected as evil!

Let’s take a look at this in more detail.

May the Force be with you: What the heck is this Force?

Let’s start with what the Force is not?

1. The Force is not a personal God to whom one prays.
2. The Force is not omnibenevolent or ‘all good.’ There is a ‘dark side’ to the Force.
3. The Force is not just for good guys. Bad guys use it, and apparently use it more powerfully than the good guys.

It seems that the force is really an impersonally energy source. You can seem immediately that this does not jive with a Judeo-Christian understanding of the universe…or does it?

Christian Star Wars fans: Do not fear!

Let’s look again at the anti-Star Wars argument:

1. Christians have God
2. Star Wars has the Force
3. But the Force does not map on the biblical doctrine of God.
4. Therefore, Star Wars teaches a false worldview and false theology, and must rejected as evil!

Let’s flip this around. Let’s say that the Force stands for something other than God. Perhaps the Force is neither a spiritual entity nor a divine essence. What we need is to find in the Force an analogy to our current Christian worldview.

Pause: I realize that we don’t even really need to do this. It’s a fictional movie saga that’s fun and mythical. But to appease those that want to have a philosophical justification, here goes.

There is one thing in our universe that maps perfectly with the Force. I’m going to go down the Thomas Aquinas trail, so please follow me.

According to Thomas Aquinas (and the Catholic tradition), humans and preternatural spiritual beings (angels and demons) have a power that stretches beyond the faculties of all other natural things and species. This special faculty shared by angels, demons, good men, and evil men is called intelligentia. This word comes from two Latin words:

inter + legere

inter means “between” (like interstate) and legere means to “choose, pick out, or read.”

Intelligence, then, is the ability to choose between or to discern.

This is a power (or might I even say force) given to us by Almighty God. Your dog, cat, fish, and cactus plant do not have it. We do have it. You guardian angel also has it.

Since we have intelligence or rationality, we can manipulate our environment, manipulate nature, manipulate objects around us, and manipulate other people. Our influence over creation through the reign of rationality can be really good, but it can also have a dark side…

The Passions and the Force of the Intelligence

According to Thomas Aquinas, there are eleven passions. Emotions like fear, joy, and anger. Because of original sin, these passions interfere with our rational intelligence. We eat too much ice cream, scream at other drivers, and cry over silly things. The passions twist and thwart the force of our intelligence so that we do dark things.

The Dark Side of the Force

We have perceived that the myth of the Force in Star Wars is not God or the Holy Spirit, but instead it is the shared experience of human and angelic rationality. This is why evil characters try to get good characters over to the dark side of this force by moving them to passionate anger, rage, covetousness, or lust. We see that the Sith Lords even overtake the entire Empire by manipulating others through this force of rationality. It happened to the Empire in Star Wars. It has happened to every human society. The only way to have the “Empire Strike Back” is to rule the passions rationally through right reason and prudential thinking. So being trained in the force is really just using the intellect to habituate virtue in ourselves and in society.

The dark side of the force is like the dark side of human rationality. Rationality is a good, but it can be twisted and abused for evil – always through the corruption of the passions/emotions.

Reassessing the Force as a Christian Analogy in Star Wars

Someone might say, “Yeah, but Yoda can move rocks with the Force and Luke can stand on his head with the Force. What does that have to do with rational intelligence?”

I answer, “Right you are. Yessss.”

But there is more to it. We humans have used our minds to accomplish all sorts of impossible things like fly in airplanes, walk on the moon, split atoms, and explore the ocean floor.

Battles, scientific miracles, healing – all these are accomplished through the force of right reason.

The lesson is that it is intelligence rightly used that accomplishes great things. In Star Wars, we see that the Force is the power rightly used to bring a civilized society into a civilized society. Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and Aquinas would applaud George Lucas’ depiction of “the Force” as the only power to order society – because all these philosophers realized that it was true rationality that provided humans with law, order, and civilization. Even natural law requires rationality to see it.

Star Wars actually gives a pretty accurate political picture of how human intelligence can be thwarted to accomplish society evil. Evil politicians are always flexing the force of their intelligence. When men appeal to the “dark side” you have bad things happen like this:

So next time somebody at donut hour after church says, “Yeah, I used to love Star Wars, but I don’t let me kids watch it. It’s so unbiblical,” brush off your philosophy skills and go to work. Remember: Force does not equal God. Force equals human rationality.

And remember, next time you turn into a rage monkey and start living according to your passions, you’re becoming more and more like Darth Vader. Don’t do that! You may not have a death bed conversion where someone takes off your helmet and give you a last chance.

Want to learn more about Catholic philosphy, theology, and Thomas Aquinas, join the New Saint Thomas Institute and take classes online: New Saint Thomas Institute Waiting List.

Please share this post with your friends on Facebook by clicking here.

[reminder]Okay, let’s talk about it. Do you think rationality or intelligence is the right lens through which to analyze Star Wars?[/reminder]

The post Is Star Wars Christian or Anti-Christian? Should the Force be with you? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Click to Listen: #046: The Secret Life of Thomas Aquinas

 If the audio player does not show up in your email or browser, please click here to listen.

• Proverb of the week: Prov 27:5
• Featured Segment: The Secret Life of Thomas Aquinas
• Announcements:
  • Pilgrimage with Taylor to the Holy Land! Feb 1-11, 2015 renewal baptismal vows at Jordan River renewal marriage vows at Cana Bethleham, Nazareth, Galilee, Jersusalem, Mount of Olives, Golgatha, Holy Sepulchre Reserve your spot now by going to: pilgrimages.com/taylormarshall
  • New Saint Thomas Institute, Waiting List is currently available for those that want to reserve a spot: newsaintthomas.com
• Tip of the week: Get an Audio Bible
• Latin word of the week: Bos, Bovis

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[reminder]Tell your thoughts about this podcast by leaving a comment below.[/reminder]

The post #046: The Secret Life of Thomas Aquinas [Podcast] appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

If you’re a rock-ribbed feminist, you may want to stop reading here. Just sayin’. Thomas Aquinas locks horns with Aristotle on this issue of “woman as misbegotten male.” I think you’ll find this video especially interesting and helpful as you engage with others who argue that “The story of Adam and Eve is misogynistic!” You’ll also learn about Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy. As always, I look forward to the comments!!!

By the way this video is the last of a series of NSTI videos that we’ve been releasing for the past two weeks from the New Saint Thomas Institute.

[callout]Alert: TODAY (July 8) is the LAST DAY to sign up for the New Saint Thomas Institute.[/callout]

On Tuesday July 8 at 11:59pm the tuition will go from $37 to $47! This sale is only available for a few more hours. We will also close registration.

If you join before 11:59pm July 8 you will get all the amazing bonuses worth (over $119), a tuition rate cut, and the Certificate in Theology. And you get a 21 day full money back guarantee! This sale will never be available again. If you’ve thought about joining the New Saint Thomas Institute, this is the day. Do it before 11:59pm July 8. Click here to sign up and get the tuition sale before 11:50pm Tuesday July 8.

Here’s the video on: “Eve – Is Woman a Misbegotten Male? (Thomas Aquinas)”

[youtube id=”Y8t_VvrPfpE”]

You can get videos like this every week through the New Saint Thomas Institute

Here’s the mp3/audio version if you want to listen to it or download it:

What does “Eve” mean?

Eve comes from the Hebrew: חַוָּה‎, pronounced Havah or Hawah.

Eve in the Hebrew language is Ḥawwāh, meaning: “living one” or “source of life”, and is related to ḥāyâ, “to live”. The name derives from the Semitic root ḥyw.

Why the Rib? (STh I, q. 92, a. 3.)

Thomas Aquinas gives this account:

I answer that, It was right for the woman to be made from a rib of man.

First, to signify the social union of man and woman, for the woman should neither “use authority over man,” and so she was not made from his head; nor was it right for her to be subject to man’s contempt as his slave, and so she was not made from his feet.

Secondly, for the sacramental signification; for from the side of Christ sleeping on the Cross the Sacraments flowed–namely, blood and water–on which the Church was established.

Aristotle on “Female as Misbegotten Male”

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher before the time of Christ. He had been a student of Plato. Aristotle was brilliant and the rediscovery of Aristotle in the Middle Ages led to a renaissance in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim intellectual circles – especially in the fields of science.

While the Church Fathers taught “immediate” conception, Aristotle taught a “delayed” conception.

Consequently, Aristotle taught that “the female is a misbegotten male.” Aristotle, De Gener. ii, 3.

Thomas Aquinas depends on Aristotle quite a bit, but not slavishly. Thomas frequently points out where and why Aristotle is wrong on hundreds of points. So it is interesting to see Thomas wrestle with Aristotle on the “status” of women in the scope of creation. Here’s the answer from Thomas Aquinas (it’s in more detail in the video lesson):

“Reply to Objection 1. As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten, for the active force in the male seed tends to the production of a perfect likeness in the masculine sex; while the production of woman comes from defect in the active force or from some material indisposition, or even from some external influence; such as that of a south wind, which is moist, as the Philosopher observes (De Gener. Animal. iv, 2). On the other hand, as regards human nature in general, woman is not misbegotten, but is included in nature’s intention as directed to the work of generation. Now the general intention of nature depends on God, Who is the universal Author of nature. Therefore, in producing nature, God formed not only the male but also the female.” STh I, q. 92, 1, ad 2.

Here’s how Thomas understands it: From the Aristotelian point of view of philosophical act and potency, an embryonic female is just a little less actualized (XX chromosome) than a male (XY). But Thomas says, “on the other hand,” from the biblical Judeo-Christian point of view woman is NOT a misbegotten male. She is integral to the fabric of creation.

[reminder]So let’s get the comments rolling! What do you think? Does Thomas handle this appropriately? Does he not go far enough?[/reminder]

The post Video: Eve – Is Woman a Misbegotten Male? (Thomas Aquinas vs. Aristotle) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Here’s Part 2 in the series: The Theology of the Mass by Saint Thomas Aquinas (PART 2)

Don’t see the video in your browser? Click here to watch Part 2.

Here’s Part 1 of the series: Saint Thomas Aquinas on the Liturgy of the Latin Mass (PART 1):

The post New Videos: The 12 Mysteries of the Mass (according to Thomas Aquinas) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Don’t see the video in your browser? Click here to watch Part 1.

Look for Part 2 of this Video Lesson on July 1, Tuesday!

Through the New Saint Thomas Institute, you can earn a Certificate in Theology by watching videos like this one above. If we have open spots available by the end of Monday, we will open up enrollment to the general public for the New Saint Thomas Institute on July 1 2014 at 9am USA Central time. If you didn’t make the waiting list, this will be your opportunity to join. Go to the New Saint Thomas Institute at 9am on Tuesday July 1 2014 to sign up: newsaintthomas.com.

The post Video: Thomas Aquinas on the Liturgy of the Latin Mass (Part 1) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

You’re definitely not alone.

I’ve polled the 14,900+ people who subscribe to my weekly theology emails. As soon as someone subscribes to the weekly email newsletter, I send them an email and ask, “Okay, what’s your #1 spiritual struggle as a Catholic? Please tell me so that I can start writing or recording resources to help you.”

Over the years, the number 1 response goes something like this:

I can’t explain my faith to my family and friends. I feel inadequate. I don’t know where to go for the answers. I don’t know what to say. I love them so much, but I’m just not trained.”

Can you relate?

After hearing this hundreds of times, I realized that there is a huge need for theological training and I wanted to do something about it. I have a PhD in the philosophy and theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas. I’ve written four popular books on Scripture, Catholicism, and philosophy. I offer a free weekly podcast for listeners about Catholic living. I’m on EWTN and Catholic radio. But these avenues were not enough.

We need something deeper and innovative. Millions of people are leaving the Church.

We need a game changer…

On October 7, 2013 (Feast of the Holy Rosary), I founded the New Saint Thomas Institute – an online school for studying Catholic theology under the guidance of Saint Thomas Aquinas. My goal was threefold:

1. This innovative solution had to be affordable. NSTI could not be expensive like college and theological Master’s programs that cost something like $2,000 per course! We solved that. Our tuition is 98% cheaper than college and Master’s programs.
2. This innovative solution had to be designed for busy people. How could busy fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, college students, clergy, and grandparents access content in a fast, easy, and fun way? We solved that. We deliver our content online through HD video and mp3s. There are no scheduled times. You show up when you want and everything is there for you at your fingertips.
   
3. This innovative solution had to be high quality. These aren’t YouTube videos strung together or cheap recordings of me in my basement. These are Hi-Def video lessons filmed and produced in our studio by a professional team of videographers and editors. We use the highest quality cameras, lenses, mics, and equipment. Our site is responsive and can be used on a desktop, tablet, iPad, or smart phone. I create my best content for NSTI, and I teach you about St Thomas Aquinas, St Augustine, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Atheism, Apologetics, Church History, Councils, controversies, etc. It’s like being in a classroom with a professor…but in your living room or office.

Since our founding, we’ve added two new goals:

1. This solution must foster a global community. We did not foresee that the NSTI would have international appeal with Members in 24 different nations already. We have been investing a lot of resources in making NSTI like a “Catholic Facebook” on the inside so that Members can “friend” each other and form “groups.”
2. This solution must offer a Certificate option. In the first several months, several hundred Members asked if they could earn a “Certificate in Theology” option and we launched that option on the anniversary of St Thomas Aquinas’ death (March 7, 2014). We are adding new lessons to it every week. We are also discussing future (more-advanced) Certificates, such as a “Certificate in Biblical Theology” or a “Certificate in Marian Theology.”

I never expected that the New Saint Thomas Institute would become so influential and valuable to its Members. There is clearly a gigantic demand and we can hardly keep up with it!

As you may remember, the initial 500 spots sold out in the first few hours of opening day on October 7, 2013 (Feast of the Holy Rosary). In the first three months we grew to over 1,000 Members in 24 different nations.

I had made a vow to Our Lady of Guadalupe that if she grew NSTI into “1,000 Members” I’d fly to Mexico City and personally thank her. Our Lady made it all happen and I fulfilled that vow. I traveled to Mexico City with Scott Hahn and visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in February of 2014. Here’s a photo – you can see Our Lady of Guadalupe in the background:

With the demand, we had to close the doors and limit the numbers in the New Saint Thomas Institute. I want thousands to learn more and more about their Catholic Faith, but I don’t want us to grow too fast. In the early days, we did experience technical stress on the site because of all the students flooding the system. It takes a lot of bandwidth to stream 1080 HD videos to 1,100 people all over planet Earth!

So there is a currently a waiting list to join the New Saint Thomas Institute.

As of June 23, 2014, there are 266 people on the NSTI Waiting List. This just blows me away. We are not going to allow an unlimited number of Members to join, so if you want to enroll, you must get on the Priority Enrollment Waiting List!

So if you want to try and enroll in the New Saint Thomas Institute, here’s what you need to know:

1. I want this to be fair, but I also realize that due to constraints some may not get in. I feel really bad about that, so if you don’t get in, I apologize. I’m writing you this message so that everyone is aware.
2. We will likely open a limited enrollment on or around Tuesday July 1, 2014 (Feast of the Precious Blood of Jesus).
3. We are going to notify everyone on our 266+ person Priority Enrollment Waiting List with a private invitation before we open general enrollment to the public – probably sometime via email on Monday June 30, 2014. This email will contain a special private link to enroll only to those on the Priority Enrollment Waiting List. Don’t miss it!
4. Current tuition stands at the still ridiculously low point of Basic Member @ 25/month and Premium Member @ 47/month. For those on the Waiting List, Premium Member is On Sale at 37/month. That’s a locked tuition. It won’t ever go up on you.
5. However, the price of tuition will no longer be available at 37/month (locked forever) after midnight Tuesday July 8, 2014. After Tuesday July 8, the price of tuition will be set at 47/month.

My guess is that all the Premium Member (37/month) spots will sell out in the first day or several days. We will then officially close down enrollment for NSTI, raise the future Premium tuition to 47/month, and perhaps open a limited number of spots at some point in the future.

I pray for all the NSTI Members every day and I have this great sense that Christ is using all the NSTI Members to make an eternal impact for Our Lord Jesus Christ in our generation. New Saint Thomas Institute has so much potential. It’s so exciting!!!

So if you want to join the New Saint Thomas Institute and start growing in your Catholic Faith, as well as receive the early invite and secure the Sale price of 37/month, then you need to get on the Priority Enrollment Waiting List as soon as possible. First come, first enroll. You’ll receive a confirmation email email from our team when you get on the Waiting List.

You can join the NSTI “Priority Enrollment Waiting List” and receive a private invite to NSTI by clicking here.

I look forward to seeing the new class NSTI Members on the inside of NSTI Monday and Tuesday (June 30 and July 1)!!!

Godspeed,
Taylor

The post Do you ever feel inadequate when explaining or defending your Catholic Faith with family? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

As a confirmed Catholic, you must know and understand the canonized terminology for God – otherwise you might start speaking like a heretic and not even know it!

If you’re not already a Member, here’s a sample video of what we are studying inside NSTI:

Here is the mp3/audio version for your convenience:

For those of you who are not Members of the New Saint Thomas Institute, here is how it works.

New theology content like the video and mp3 above come out every week in the form of videos, notes, bonuses, and mp3 audios/podcasts.

Members of the New Saint Thomas Institute receive new lessons, new podcasts, notes, bonuses, and theological forums. You also have the opportunity to earn a Certificate in Theology through the New Saint Thomas Institute.

[callout]The New Saint Thomas Institute is currently “Waitlisted.” There are currently 208 people on the waiting list to join NSTI. If you would like to be notified and receive a personal invite to Priority Enrollment before NSTI is open to the public, please sign up below. Those who get on the waiting list will receive: 1) a 22% discount on tuition and 2) a private invitation to join before enrollment is made available to the public.[/callout]

Please share your email and first name above and we’ll make sure that you are on the waiting list and receive an opportunity to join before we open it to the public again.

PS: We cannot guarantee that everyone on the waiting list will have an available spot. It’s first come, first enroll. To learn more about NSTI and how our “waiting list” works, please click here.

The post Video Lesson: 9 Big Theology Words you should know by now appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

I wrote my PhD dissertation on Natural Law (Titled: “Thomas Aquinas on Natural Law and the Twofold End of Humanity), and I hope to publish it in the next few years.

Until then, here’s the short version in just 5 easy points:

1. God designed natural law so that humans participate in God’s eternal law. As rational creatures we can determine and seek that which is good and avoid that which is evil.
2. According to Thomas Aquinas, the first precept of natural law is “good is to be done and pursued, and evil is to be avoided.” Every subsequent moral precept is based on this “first precept of natural law.” (By the way, you should memorize the underlined quote and never forget it. It is very useful and it will strengthen your understanding of natural law).
3. The #1 mistake people make about natural law is that they assume that natural law is secular and non-religious. Not true according to Saint Thomas Aquinas. Saint Thomas teaches that the virtue of religion, sacrifice, holidays, and even a natural priesthood pertains to the natural law. Moreover, avoiding idols and worshipping the Creator are derived precepts of the natural law.
4. Natural law is common to all the nations. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist, animist…natural law applies to you. This means that the testimony of natural law leads one to have a true religion. Thomas Aquinas would say that natural law in the heart of man would argue against idolatry, polytheism, atheism, etc. Hence, the idolatry of, say, Hinduism is banned under natural law.
5. Natural law is insufficient for human beatitude and salvation. Thomas Aquinas is really clear about this. He teaches that natural law is not enough. A human person can never erase natural law from his heart, but he can mitigate its force in his life. And even if a human person followed natural law perfectly, he would not attain to Heaven, because sanctifying grace is needed to enter the Beatific Vision (vision of God). So then, God gave “Divine Law” in the form of the Old Testament but perfectly in the New Testament. The New Law of the New Testament is really the Holy Spirit who communicates mercy, grace, and love to our souls and body. Hence, the human person after Adam and Eve needs Divine Law to perfect what natural law cannot do. (The heresy of Pelagianism holds that humans can be saved by perfectly following natural law – a big no-no for Catholics!)

As you can see, natural law is a bit more complicated than you might have guessed. The important take away is that every single human person has natural law and that means that all human persons can appeal to each other in the name of natural law.

What’s great about this is that we appeal to natural law by appealing to nature and even natural science. We can debate marriage by examining the natural end of male and female anatomy and the propagation of the human species. We can study DNA and human conception to make arguments about the dignity of human life and the morality of abortion and contraception. We can also argue about euthanasia by examining end-of-life vital signs observed through medical research.

All this can be done without recourse to the Bible or Tradition (Divine Law). Nevertheless, Thomas Aquinas would say that the only way to change the minds of a group of humans under original sin is to the bring them the healing grace of the New Law (New Testament in Christ). Under original sin, humans as a society or nation will never naturally reason themselves to a perfect knowledge of natural law. This is a topic that we will be studying in the New Saint Thomas Institute, so if you’re a Member, stay tuned.
[callout]

If you desire to discover more about the theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas, you need the
New Saint Thomas Institute
– an online school for studying orthodox Catholic theology and Thomas Aquinas.

You can also earn a Certificate in Theology with low tuition.
Discover more about NSTI benefits and options by clicking here.

NOTICE: There is now a Wait List to join the New Saint Thomas Institute.
If you would like to join and be notified for priority enrollment, please click here.[/callout]

The post Thomas Aquinas on Natural Law in 5 Points appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Christ appeared five times on the first Easter Sunday. However, Christ our Lord continued to meet his disciples and teach them during the forty days between Easter and the Ascension Thursday.

Saint Augustine in his book De Consensu Evangelistarum (Harmony of the Gospels from about AD 400) catalogues ten appearances of Christ.

1. first to the women at the sepulchre;
2. secondly to the same on the way from the sepulchre;
3. thirdly to Peter;
4. fourthly to the two disciples going to the town of Emmaus
5. fifthly to several of them in Jerusalem when Thomas was not present
6. He came again a sixth time when Thomas saw Him (Divine Mercy Sunday)
7. a seventh time was by the sea of Tiberias at the capture of the fishes;
8. the eighth was on the mountain of Galilee, according to Matthew;
9. the ninth occasion is expressed by Mark, ‘at length when they were at table,’ because no more were they going to eat with Him upon earth;
10. the tenth was on the very day, when no longer upon the earth, but uplifted into the cloud, He was ascending into heaven (Ascension Thursday)

However, Saint Thomas Aquinas notes, “But, as John admits, not all things were written down. And He visited them frequently before He went up to heaven,” in order to comfort them. Hence it is written (1 Corinthians 15:6-7) that “He was seen by more than five hundred brethren at once . . . after that He was seen by James”; of which apparitions no mention is made in the Gospels.

[reminder]Do you believe that the Holy Apostles were fully trained in these 40 days or did they continue to receive inspiration from the Holy Spirit in matters of doctrine as the decades progressed?[/reminder]

The post Christ’s 10 Appearances after the Resurrection (Saint Augustine Explains) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

To kick of the solemn celebration, here are “5 Things You Didn’t Know About Easter” that you can share with your friends at your next cocktail party:

1. 5 Turns in the Latin Mass. According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, the priest in the old Latin Mass turns around and faces the people in the pews 5 times. Why 5 times? Because Christ appears resurrected exactly 5 times in the Gospels. You can learn more about Thomas Aquinas’s liturgical theology here.
2. Pagan Easter? Huh? Despite what the “experts” in Time, Newsweek, and the History Channel say, Easter was not a pagan holiday baptized by the Catholic Church. Here’s the whole post that I wrote on this subject using the Venerable Bede as a resource: Was Easter a Pagan Holiday? (Venerable Bede comes to the rescue!)
3. 5 Scars. Catholic theology makes a big deal over why our Lord Jesus Christ kept his scars after the resurrection. Hint: one of the reasons has to do with those in Hell. Read the full story from Thomas Aquinas and Venerable Bede by clicking here.
4. 2 Limbos. Traditionally there are 2 Limbos. Thomas Aquinas taught that Christ descended to the Limbus Patrum or “Limbo of the Fathers” to redeem the Old Testament saints who waited for him. The other Limbo according to Thomas Aquinas is the Limbus Infantum or “Limbo of the Infants.” You can read a prior post on Christ’s descent into Hell and how it relates to Limbo by clicking here.
5. Christ can change his resurrected figure. It seems that Jesus (and Mary – she is also resurrected) can change their appearance for the sake of those with whom they communicate. It is written (Mark 16:12): “After that He appeared in another shape to two of them walking, as they were going into the country.”As Augustine says (De Consens. Evang. iii): “Our Lord could change His flesh so that His shape really was other than they were accustomed to behold; for, before His Passion He was transfigured on the mountain, so that His face shone like the sun.” This explains why Jesus appears differently to some people. It also explains why Mary can look like Our Lady of Guadaulpe and Our Lady of Fatima. 

Please share this with others on Facebook, Twitter or email by using the social buttons imbedded in the site. If you received this by email, you can share by clicking here.

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[reminder]Okay, you are pretty smart. The readers of this blog are intellectuals. Which of these 5 did you already know?[/reminder]

Would you like to go deeper in your faith? Enroll as a student Member at the New Saint Thomas Institute and begin earning an online Certificate in Theology. Click here to learn more.

The post 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Easter appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Is this distinction completely arbitrary or is there a theological, or even biblical, argument for this rule?

Ray, a reader of this blog, gets to the heart of the question:

We are encouraged [in Belize] to eat fish or seafood on Fridays. The odd thing is that seafood is more expensive than say chicken, so I wonder whether it is really sensible to have fish or seafood which would really be even more luxurious fare than the normal chicken or beef. Shouldn’t the spirit of abstinence necessitate that any sort of luxury food be given up? Also, why would warm-blooded creatures be restricted in the first place?

Could you perhaps give an explanation of the restrictions on the blog? I know you are well versed in this area and expect, should you be able to give one, a response that will be comprehensive.

With grateful appreciation,

Ray

This is a great question, Ray. Especially considering the cost of seafood as compared to lunch meats.

Saint Thomas Aquinas gives two theological reasons for the prohibition against meat in Lent.

1) First, Christ offered his flesh for our us on the wood of the cross. Since Christ gave us his flesh, we also give up flesh meat.

2) Saint Thomas’ second reason for “no meat” requires a bit more explanation. Here is Thomas in his own words:

Fasting was instituted by the Church in order to bridle the concupiscences of the flesh, which regard pleasures of touch in connection with food and sex. Wherefore the Church forbade those who fast to partake of those foods which both afford most pleasure to the palate, and besides are a very great incentive to lust. 

Such are the flesh of animals that take their rest on the earth, and of those that breathe the air and their products, such as milk from those that walk on the earth, and eggs from birds. For, since such like animals are more like man in body, they afford greater pleasure as food, and greater nourishment to the human body, so that from their consumption there results a greater surplus available for seminal matter, which when abundant becomes a great incentive to lust. Hence the Church has bidden those who fast to abstain especially from these foods.

So hot blooded animal foods generally provide more pleasure than cold blooded animal foods. Saint Thomas associates pleasure from food to pleasure from sex.

Our food intake, teaches Thomas, effects our libido.

I bet you’re weren’t expecting that answer! And there is science to back it up. Higher testosterone leads to a higher libido. It’s scientific fact.

Guys, do you want to increase your testosterone, eat more red meat and fatty meats. Same goes for women. Harvard Medical School found that women can increase their fertility responsiveness by increasing protein intake and switching to full-fat milk.

Want to decrease your testosterone? Eat more salad, soy, sugar, simple carbs, veggies, and lean fish. Cut out red meat and dairy.

Remember that Thomas Aquinas sat under the teaching of Albert the Great – Europe’s premier biologist. It may sound medieval, but they were on to something back then. They knew that human fertility (and sexual concupiscence) was related to the consumption of animal products.

Is it any accident that the terms like:

1. red-blooded
2. hot-blooded
3. stud
4. bull
5. red meat
6. muscular
7. meaty
8. braun (originally meaning “meat” or “roast”)

are related to fertility and virility.

But what about lobster or oysters?

Writing in the 13th century, Thomas recognized this problem: “Further, some fish are as delectable to eat as the flesh of certain animals. Now “concupiscence is desire of the delectable,” as stated above (I-II, 30, 1).”

Saint Thomas writes that the Church rules regarding this in general and that eating flesh meat is generally more desirable than eating fish. If you doubt this, count the number of burger restaurants, steak houses, and fried chicken restaurants and compare that number to the number of Long John Silver franchises.

Of course, lobster is much better than Long John Silvers, isn’t it? It’s probably a good rule of thumb to avoid lobster or crab in the spirit of penance. However, for me, I’d much rather have a steak or burger than lobster.

Fancy Wine?

It’s very similar to wine. The Church doesn’t forbid drinking $100 bottles of wine during Lent, but it’s contrary to the spirit of Lent. The Church’s general rules of Lent are the bare minimum. The heartfelt sacrifice of love by which we offer little hidden penances (like eating the salad and not the lobster on Friday) to Christ bring joy to His heart and grace to our souls. Most people don’t regularly eat lobster anyway. Most people do, however, eat meat regularly, and the Church thinks that we should make more sacrifice in this regard on Fridays.

And who knows, maybe your decreased consumption of hamburgers and steak will keep you on the straight and narrow!

[reminder]Question: For you personally, is Lenten fasting and abstinence more about the lack of pleasure or the discipline? Can these even be distinguished? For me, it’s about the discipline: making my will conform to a standard and telling my appetites “no!” What about you?[/reminder]

Would you like to get Dr. Marshall’s latest book Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages for FREE? Please click here to receive it.

Please also explore Taylor’s books about Catholicism at amazon.com.

The post Why is Seafood Allowed on Fridays in Lent? St Thomas Aquinas Provides the Theological Answer appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

1. Eternal law
2. Natural law
3. Human law (laws derived from natural law)
4. Divine Law (Old and New Testament)
5. Law of sin (concupiscence derived from original sin)

A friend writes a question about how Thomas Aquinas subdivides “Human Law” into the law of nations and civil law:

St. Thomas Aquinas divides human law into the law of nations and civil law and says that they both derive, in different ways, from the natural law. I was wondering if Aquinas discusses the law of nations in any depth anywhere that you know of. Also, I just looked at his discussion in the Treatise on Law and I do not see how it meets the requirements to be called ‘law’ as Aquinas defines the term. The issue is of relevance to me because I think that what we lawyers call the common law is more like Aquinas’ law of nations than his civil law. The issue had troubled me because it is not clear to me how the common law meets his definition of law.I hope you are doing well.Take care,

Josh

My answer:

Dear Josh,

Yes, human law is subdivided into the ius gentium et ius civile (Summa theologiae I-II, q. 95, a. 4). Notice here that Saint Thomas is moving from lex to jus – subtle distinction.

To answer your question:

(less likely) perhaps jus cannot be stretched to fit lex (I doubt this because in other places Thomas uses jus and lex interchangeably)

or

(more likely) I think both ius gentium et ius civile do fit the fourfold definition of lex: rational, common good, promulgated, by proper authority.

My real suspicion (just reading that article) is that Thomas finds Isidore of Seville’s ius gentium et ius civile tedious and Thomas is just tidying up that objection before moving on.

Thomas never mentions ius gentium outside the Summa Th. However, he mentions ius civile several times outside the Summa Th – in particular when discussing usury and positive law in De malo, q. 13 a. 4 arg. 6.

Godspeed,

Taylor

PS: For more on natural law and human law, see my short book: Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages.

The post Thomas Aquinas on the Law of Nations and the Civil Law appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

If you’d like a free copy of my book Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages, please sign up to the left and you’ll get two books:

Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages AND God’s Birthday.

Click on the book below and sign up with your email. I’ll send you the link for both books:

The post FREE Book for Catholic Answers Listeners: Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

What are our Members saying about the New Saint Thomas Institute?

Here is what the Members of the New Saint Thomas Institute are saying about what they are learning inside the New Saint Thomas Institute:

I signed up for the New Saint Thomas Institute; best decision I could have made to help my faith. Well done.” – J Griffith

I can already tell that this Institute is going to be a great aid to me in my weekly encounters!” – Nathan

The NSTI is an answer to decades of prayer. Thank you.” – Kathryn

The NSTI (New Saint Thoms Institute) is fantastic! If I can understand St. Thomas Aquinas and the Summa Theologica (well..I’m learning)…then Taylor Marshall is one fantastic professor. Seriously, you need to check it out! – Terry

Wow, this website is awesome. Something I always was looking for and now so easy to find and great explanations for the answers from St. Thomas. This is why I signed up! Thanks Dr. Marshall. – Christine

Thank you Dr. Marshall! I have a Masters Degree from an incredibly great university, but it was always assumed that we just knew how to read the Summa…I sort of figured it out and stumbled through it…but you have illuminated it for us! Keep up the awesome work of God! – Derek

Yes, I was intimidated and overwhelmed before, but this gives me a great way to tackle the Summa and not feel like I’m drowning. – Leslee

I’ve purchased several books, in addition to the Summa, as springboards to studying it, but I was unable to get off the starting block because I felt inadequate to the task. Then, by the grace of God, I came across the New St. Thomas Institute and had a chance to enroll as a charter member. After listening to Taylor’s video introductions and knowing that I’ll have access to the Forum and online help, the sky’s the limit! – Patricia

This class is an answer to prayer. I am in graduate school at a Catholic University and expected this type of lesson and conversation, but, sigh, not. I love the format, as well as the topic. Thanks again. – Colleen

I’m learning who I am already. Wow..these lessons are blessings from God. Things are getting much clearer.  Thanks again…:) – Pat

You know, I went to a good high school. Got three degrees, summa cum laude. Yet never once did I encounter the Trivium and Quadrivium in anything other than passing references. My extensive education is in many ways far inferior to basic medieval instruction. On the one hand I find this deeply discouraging, but on the other, that’s exactly what we’re here at the New Saint Thomas Institute in order to rectify! – Ryan

I am a student Brother in the Dominican order. I have signed up for the institute and am already taking advantage of the videos provided. Let me stress how impressed I am with the institute and the many resources I have seen so far. Thank you for popularizing St. Thomas and being an advocate for sound theology on line. This is exactly what the Church needs at this moment in history. – Br. Bradley Thomas Elliott, O.P.

I’m super excited about this! What a great endeavor! – Debora

Sign up now and become a Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute (and get your 10 FREE bonuses) by clicking here.

The post Member Testimonials for New Saint Thomas Institute appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Everything is going to be about our Blessed Mother for 31 days without interruption. I’m consecrating my life and this apostolate to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by placing it all under her mantle.

To kick off our “Month of Mary,” here’s a free sample video from the New Saint Thomas Institute (NSTI) about our Blessed Lady. I hope you enjoy it and learn a ton:

“VIDEO: Did Thomas Aquinas Deny the Immaculate Conception?”

In today’s NSTI online course we accomplish the following:

1. Establish the biblical basis of the Immaculate Conception from the Greek of Luke 1:28
2. Discover the Immaculate Conception in the Church Fathers
3. Focus on the Medieval debate over the Immaculate Conception
4. Describe the 3 progressive stages of Thomas Aquinas’ thought regarding the Immaculate Conception

Usually, these courses are only for Members of the New Saint Thomas Institute. However, the Immaculate Conception is a critical topic, I wanted everyone to see this one.

I’m also offering a special offer for new Members, which you can read about below the video. Enjoy the class:

Did Thomas Aquinas Deny the Immaculate Conception?

Extra Bonus Video: PALEGAS – Seven Deadly Sins and Their Daughters by Thomas Aquinas

Special Membership Offer for Joining NSTI

A made a vow to Our Lady of Guadalupe that if she would pray for and bless the New Saint Thomas Institute, I would go on a pilgrimage to thank her in Mexico City at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Well, she has certainly gone above and beyond what I had hoped. The New Saint Thomas Institute is doing better than ever and I am planning to make a pilgrimage to Mexico City.

In honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we’re making a special Membership offer to anyone who joins between now and 3pm US Central time on December 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Your 10 extra benefits if you sign up before 3pm on Dec 12:

1. I’m giving you the “How to Learn and Pronounce Latin” Course ($197) for FREE.
2. My mp3 presentation on the Theology of Saint Joseph: Josephology
3. My mp3 presentation on “How we Lost Catholic Masculinity and How We Can Regain It”
4. My mp3 presentation on “How to Pray the Rosary Daily”
5. Ebook version (pdf) of my book The Crucified Rabbi: Judaism and the Origins of Catholicism ($8.95)
6. Locked in tuition at the same level as our Charter Members: 25 per month
7. Access to our Member Theological Forum
8. Thomas Aquinas Reading list (Bibliography)
9. Outlines to the Summa theologiae
10. Full access to all previous high-definition video courses. This means literally hours of interesting and college courses in theology. Here’s what you get:

Current Online Video catalogue of the New Saint Thomas Institute

Here are the videos (all filmed in HD quality) that you’ll have access to, plus all future video courses:

1. 7 Reasons to Love Saint Thomas Aquinas
2. How to Read the Summa theologiae of Thomas Aquinas
3. How to Explain Indulgences – Interview with Dr. Mary Moorman
4. How to Read the Summa in 1 Year – Interview with David Palmer
5. The Structure of Your Soul according to Thomas Aquinas
6. PALEGAS: The Seven Deadly Sins & Their “Daughters” according to Thomas Aquinas
7. Avoiding Logical Fallacies Part 1
8. Avoiding Logical Fallacies Part 2
9. Faith Hope and Charity – Thomistic Guide to 3 Theological Virtues
10. Layman’s Advice to Reading the Summa
11. Which Summa Version Should You Buy?
12. Can a Pagan be Virtuous? Intro to 4 Cardinal Virtues
13. Did Thomas Aquinas Deny the Immaculate Conception? (video featured above)
14. Is Mary the Mediatrix of All Graces?
15. Mary as Mediatrix of the 7 Sacraments
16. Top 5 Marian Devotions
17. Did Mary Experience a Painful Delivery (Scripture, Fathers, Thomas Aquinas)

You can get all of this for only $25 – the price of one hardback book at Barnes and Noble. Click here to sign up.

Frequently Asked Questions about NSTI

What if I sign up and don’t like it? Do I get to keep the bonuses?

Yes, when you download the bonuses, they are yours.

Signing up just to get the bonuses is technically taking advantage of the system, but we are so confident that you will LOVE the NSTI that we are not worried about it. Please see our member endorsements and testimonials below to see how much our Members love NSTI.

What if I want to quit?

You can quit any time. There is no catch. No tricks. It’s month to month. Unlike colleges, we don’t have a semester long contract. It’s about learning more Scripture, the Church Fathers, medieval philosophy, and contemporary application.

What if I’m not a scholar?

We currently have hundreds of Members at all levels. We have Members with PhDs and we have Members who didn’t finish college. We also have priests, deacons, religious, and lay people.

What unites us is our passion for learning Catholic theology.

I don’t get it. How is all this offered at such a low tuition: 25 per month?

You’re average college course is between $2,000-$2,200 per class! 

I’ve been a college prof, dean, and chancellor. It’s my dream to make orthodox, magisterial Catholic teaching available at 1/50th (2%) of the cost of tuition at Catholic institutions of higher education. By using the internet, community forums, and pooling together, we are able to accomplish this apostolate of affordable theology courses.

What are our Members saying about the New Saint Thomas Institute?

Don’t just take my word for it. Here is what the Members of the New Saint Thomas Institute are saying:

I signed up for the New Saint Thomas Institute; best decision I could have made to help my faith. Well done.” – J Griffith

I can already tell that this Institute is going to be a great aid to me in my weekly encounters!” – Nathan

The NSTI is an answer to decades of prayer. Thank you.” – Kathryn

The NSTI (New Saint Thoms Institute) is fantastic! If I can understand St. Thomas Aquinas and the Summa Theologica (well..I’m learning)…then Taylor Marshall is one fantastic professor. Seriously, you need to check it out! – Terry

Wow, this website is awesome. Something I always was looking for and now so easy to find and great explanations for the answers from St. Thomas. This is why I signed up! Thanks Dr. Marshall. – Christine

Thank you Dr. Marshall! I have a Masters Degree from an incredibly great university, but it was always assumed that we just knew how to read the Summa…I sort of figured it out and stumbled through it…but you have illuminated it for us! Keep up the awesome work of God! – Derek

Yes, I was intimidated and overwhelmed before, but this gives me a great way to tackle the Summa and not feel like I’m drowning. – Leslee

I’ve purchased several books, in addition to the Summa, as springboards to studying it, but I was unable to get off the starting block because I felt inadequate to the task. Then, by the grace of God, I came across the New St. Thomas Institute and had a chance to enroll as a charter member. After listening to Taylor’s video introductions and knowing that I’ll have access to the Forum and online help, the sky’s the limit! – Patricia

This class is an answer to prayer. I am in graduate school at a Catholic University and expected this type of lesson and conversation, but, sigh, not. I love the format, as well as the topic. Thanks again. – Colleen

I’m learning who I am already. Wow..these lessons are blessings from God. Things are getting much clearer.  Thanks again…:) – Pat

You know, I went to a good high school. Got three degrees, summa cum laude. Yet never once did I encounter the Trivium and Quadrivium in anything other than passing references. My extensive education is in many ways far inferior to basic medieval instruction. On the one hand I find this deeply discouraging, but on the other, that’s exactly what we’re here at the New Saint Thomas Institute in order to rectify! – Ryan

I am a student Brother in the Dominican order. I have signed up for the institute and am already taking advantage of the videos provided. Let me stress how impressed I am with the institute and the many resources I have seen so far. Thank you for popularizing St. Thomas and being an advocate for sound theology on line. This is exactly what the Church needs at this moment in history. – Br. Bradley Thomas Elliott, O.P.

I’m super excited about this! What a great endeavor! – Debora

Make a New Year’s Resolution to start learning your Faith. Let the NSTI help you accomplish this goal!

Sign up now and become a Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute (and get your 10 FREE bonuses) by clicking here.

Offer ends at 3pm on December 12 – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The post Video: Did Thomas Aquinas Deny the Immaculate Conception? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Following passages from the Old and New Testament, Saint Thomas teaches that the angels were tested. Some angels adhered to God and were rewarded with the beatific vision of God’s essence (good angels) and some rebelled and lost grace (bad angels or demons). According to Christian tradition, Satan was once a seraph and the highest angel of all.

A defect appeared in the bad angels. Thomas cites Job 4:18: “In His angels, He found wickedness.” When they were first created, the angels did not have the beatific vision of God’s essence. They were literally blind to vision of God. They were first tested (some say by a vision of Christ incarnate in Mary, see Revelation chapter 12) and certain angels could not accept serving God if it entailed serving a lower species—namely the human species. One third of the angels fell and became demons.

Maria de Agreda relates that when Lucifer learned that the Logos would become man through a human mother; Lucifer, the highest of all creatures, demanded the honor of becoming the Theotokos. He wanted the hypostatic union to occur through him. This is another reason why there is perfect enmity between Satan and Mary (see Gen 3:15). It is also why Mary now has the highest place in Heaven.

Thomas quotes Saint Augustine who says that the devil “is not a fornicator nor a drunkard nor anything of the like sort, yet he is proud and envious.” (City of God, 14, 3)

Lucifer and one third of the angels fell on account of pride and envy. Thomas explains that the devil wanted to be God and he cites Isaiah 14:13-14: “I will ascend into Heaven…I will be like the Most High.” Saint Augustine also confirms that Satan “wished to be called God.” (see his Concerning the Old Testament, 113) Michael, a lower angel, led the charge against Lucifer and his fallen angels by calling out: “Mi Cha El?” which is Hebrew for “Who is like God?”

Saint Augustine relates the fall of the evil angels to the book of Genesis: “And God saw the light that it was good, and he divided the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:4, D-R). Thomas picks up this allegory from Augustine, and identifies the separation here as the division of the good angels from the bad angels who became “dark.”

The post How did Lucifer Become Satan? (Thomas Aquinas answers) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

So what could excite me more than medieval robots?

Oddly enough, the liturgical calendar this week lines up two of our “robot” saints.

The Saint Didacus Robot (AD 1580s)

As I discussed in the last podcast, King Philip II of Spain had a robot created of Saint Didacus (Nov 13) in order to commemorate the cure of his son Don Carlos through the intercessions of Saint Didacus. In short Don Carlos fell down some stairs and his head swelled up like a pumpkin. He went blind and lost consciousness. The corpse of Saint Didacus was brought in and the young man was healed. I tell the whole store with some more detail in this podcast.

Philip II’s robot is a walking version of Saint Didacus. The non-existent legs are hidden under the habit and the feet are automated. The mouth moves. He also strikes his chest “mea culpa” style.

It’s eerie but fascinating. The Didacus robot is now kept at the Smithsonian. Here’s a video of the friar-droid in action:

[youtube id=”Ycyj76VPOtc”]
If you’re having trouble viewing the robot video, click here to see it.

Saint Albert the Great’s Legendary Talking Head

So you thought David Byrne of the 1980s was the first Talking Head? Well, not if you believe this strange medieval legend about Saint Albert the Great (feast day today November 15).

According to the fable, Albert the Great created a robotic automaton in the form of a brass head that would answer questions – something like the iPhone’s Siri but in the form of a brass bust). The idea is this: “There’s no way one human could know so much stuff…Therefore, Albert had a magical bronze head that taught him everything.” Crazy right?

Here’s an academic recreation of Albert the Great’s legendary talking brass head (just kidding):

The reputation of Albert’s power as a quasi-magician comes from his association with the Philosopher’s Stone (wrongly named Sorcerer’s Stone in the Harry Potter Saga).*

The post Have you heard of Catholic Robots? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

• [Video] How to Read the Summa theologiae in 1 Year!
  (Interview with David Palmer)
• [Video] How to Avoid Making Logical Fallacies (Part 1)

We also released the mp3 audio only versions for these 2 new videos above and for:

• [Video] the Seven Deadly Sins Video Course
• [Video] Can Pagans be Virtuous (4 Cardinal Virtues) Video Course

Our ‘Learning Latin’ Course

We are also working on a NSTI multi-part series “How to Pronounce and Learn Ecclesiastical Latin” for the end of November.

This Latin series will be offered as a separate course to the public, but NSTI members will get it for free. A perk for our loyal members.

Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages

Meanwhile, the Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages ebook is moving toward publication as a paperback and Kindle version.

Facebook Memes

Please “Like” us on Facebook and start getting our snazzy Catholic Facebook Memes to share. Our member Sam Guzman is making them and they look great. Here’s an example of our Facebook Memes:

To “Like” NSTI on Facebook, please click here.

Start watching your new classes today by signing in to the New Saint Thomas Institute by clicking here.

ad Jesum per Mariam,
Taylor

The post Read the Summa in One Year! appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Today we put up a course on the 7 Deadly Sins, how you can memorize them, the “daughters” of the 7 Deadly Sins (according to Thomas Aquinas), and a story about a stressful discussion on the 7 Deadly Sins that I once had with a Motorcycle Biker Gang.

So far we have New Saint Thomas Institute Members from the following 19 nations:

1. Australia
2. Brazil
3. Canada
4. China (Hong Kong)
5. Colombia
6. England
7. France
8. Germany
9. India
10. Ireland
11. Lebanon
12. Mexico
13. New Zealand
14. Philippines
15. Poland
16. Scotland
17. Spain
18. South Africa
19. USA

Never in my life would I have imagined that I could have a classroom that big.

Our October courses on Thomas Aquinas have been viewed by our Institute Members 8,329 times for 848 hours worth of watching!

I’m already so encouraged by the positive responses and reviews of our courses and website.

So what are people saying about the New Saint Thomas Institute?

Here are some unsolicited endorsements from Members of our New Saint Thomas Institute:

This class is an answer to prayer. I am in graduate school at a Catholic University and expected this type of lesson and conversation, but, sigh, not. I love the format, as well as the topic. Thanks again.”

– Colleen from California

Here’s another from Derek:

Thank you Dr. Marshall! I have a Masters Degree from an incredibly great university, but it was always assumed that we just knew how to read the Summa…I sort of figured it out and stumbled through it…but you have illuminated it for us! Keep up the awesome work of God!”

– Derek

Leslee says:

Great video!! Yes, I was intimidated and overwhelmed before, but this gives me a great way to tackle the Summa and not feel like I’m drowning.”

-Leslee

Kathryn says:

The New Saint Thomas Institute is an answer to decades of prayer. Thank you.”

-Kathryn

New Saint Thomas Institute Member benefits:

• We have 9 new videos courses already lined up for November’s New Saint Thomas Institute.
• December’s video courses will feature our Blessed Virgin Mary and Mariology
• 1 or 2 courses come out every Tuesday – what we call “Thomas Tuesdays”
• Watch the courses in your own home on a computer, iPad, or mobile device.
• You watch the courses on your time. No deadlines. No papers. No tests. No schedules. Learn how and when you want to learn.
• Master Courses
• Life Lessons
• Screencasts
• Expert Interviews
• I give you the notes, so you don’t have to take notes
• Bonus Courses on Logic (coming in November)
• Bonus Courses on how to pronounce and begin learning Latin (coming in November)
• Tuition is ridiculously inexpensive: currently $25 per month (compare this to conservative Catholic college tuition at about $2,100 per class)
• Quit any time. No semester long contracts. It’s month to month.

If you enroll in NSTI before November 1 (Friday/All Saints Day), you can take all 9 video courses for November, plus the 5 video courses from October. You will also be able to keep your $25 intro tuition locked in forever before it goes up to around $40.

So if you’re still on the fence, THIS WEEK (before Friday) is the time to join the New Saint Thomas Institute before the tuition goes up and you miss out.

Learn how to become a Member by clicking here.

November Upcoming Events
November’s Topic: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Sin, and Logic

Nov 5: Thomas Tuesday

1. VIDEO COURSE: The Seven Deadly Sins and Their “Daughters” with Thomas Aquinas
2. VIDEO COURSE: Logical Fallacies Part 1 (Verbal Fallacies)
3. Seven Deadly Sins in Literature and Art

Nov 12: Thomas Tuesday

1. VIDEO COURSE: Interview: How to Read the Summa in just 1 Year! with Dave Palmer
2. VIDEO COURSE: Logical Fallacies Part 2 (Fallacies of Diversion)
3. Summa theologiae 1 Year Reading Plan

Nov 19: Thomas Tuesday

1. VIDEO COURSE: Can Pagans Be Virtuous: Thomas Aquinas on the 4 Cardinal Virtues
2. VIDEO COURSE: Interview: How to Apply the Summa to Everyday Life with Dave Palmer

Nov 21: NSTI Catena Study Groups meet!

Nov 26: Thomas Tuesday

1. VIDEO COURSE: Faith, Hope, and Charity: the Three Theological Virtues according to Thomas Aquinas
2. BONUS VIDEO COURSE: LATIN 101: How to Pronounce Ecclesiastical Latin

Are you interested in taking courses in the privacy of your home and at your own pace? Please take a minute to watch our Entry Video:

Learn how to become a Member by clicking here.

The post New Theology Video Courses for November appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you– not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Pet 3:21).

But what about in the Old Testament? Tim writes:

What does the Church teach about last Sunday’s leper being saved without being baptized? I have searched much and am left wanting?”

Sacraments in the Old Testament for Salvation

Prior to the death of Christ, salvation worked through the economy of grace in the Old Covenant. The leper’s circumcision availed for baptism in the case of the leper.

Also, he may have been baptized by the Apostles. I imagine that a healed leper would seek out the Apostles and want to learn more about Jesus Christ, but we do not know for sure.

Whether he was eventually baptized or not, we should take a moment and learn about the “sacraments of the Old Law.”

Saint Augustine teaches that the sacraments of the Old Testament were more numerous (and less effective) than the sacraments of the New Testament (Reply to Faustus XIX.13).

Saint Thomas Aquinas says that the ceremonial precepts of the Old Testament were divided into “sacrifices, sacred things, sacraments, and observances? (See STh I-II q. 101, a. 4) These sacraments of the Old Law did not confer grace ex opere operato (“done by being done”) but ex fide significata (“done by the faith being signified”). This means that the sacraments of the Old Law invoked personal faith in the coming Messiah.

For example, when parents circumcised their son, they were implicitly placing faith in the Messiah who was the redemptive Seed of Genesis 3:15.

Observation of Old Law Sacraments in the New Testament

Thomas Aquinas, therefore, teaches that observation of any of the Old Testament sacraments (for example, ceremonial circumcision or Passover Seder meals) consist of grave matter and constitute mortal sin when done with full knowledge and consent. Following Saint Paul, both Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas (and Duns Scotus) believe that Christian observation of Old Testament sacraments (circumcision, kosher laws, Seder meals, etc.) is a sign of sin against the New Testament with its efficient sacraments (baptism, Eucharist, etc.). This is not a popular teaching today, but I think we need to rethink Seder meals since they are contrary to the explicit teaching of many Doctors of the Catholic Church.

If you’re interested in going deeper in your faith and want to take theology courses online with me, please check out our website for the New Saint Thomas Institute. 

[reminder]Do you have questions or comments about the Old Testament and sacraments?[/reminder]

The post Sacraments in the Old Testament appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

I really want to learn more and take theology courses. What do you recommend?”

That’s a great question. There are good graduate programs out there. The ones that come to mind are available through Augustine Institute, Steubenville, and Ave Maria.

• Some people are ready to pay the average $2,100 per course and move to another city to enroll. Others are not.
• There are also several thousand non-American readers who want advanced education in Philosophy and Theology. They also cannot move or pay high tuition.

Here’s the Solution to the Problem

• I now have a team and we’re working on a project.
• We’ll offer high-def video and audio courses streamed to your computer, tablet, or mobile device for 2% of what it costs to take a college or graduate course. You work at your own pace. There are no term papers or exams. Just fun and interesting courses.

What Will It Be Called?

On September 3 I announced that I needed a name for this entity. 204 readers participated. The most popular name was “The Marshall Plan.” I like it. It’s anti-communistic. It evokes “re-building.”

The problem is that there is no way to get the url. So I could call the format the “Marshall Plan” but that cannot be the official public registered name of the institute.

There were some great name suggestions. Lots of St Thomas Aquinas ideas. I liked these most. Unfortunately the following are already taken:

1. Thomistic Institute
2. Thomas Aquinas College
3. University of Saint Thomas (Aquinas)
4. Center of Thomistic Studies
5. Aquinas Institute

There were some other notable suggestions related to “salt” (as in the new tagline) or to abstract concepts (eg Pelican Institute – reference to St Thomas’ hymns Adoro Te Devote). In the end, I decided not to go abstract.

I really liked “Scholastic Institute” but that is already reserved by Scholastic book publishers. Darn!

After thinking it over and over, I decided to go with a name from a reader named Dan Driver. He originally suggested:

The Marshall Aquinas Institute

I’m not worthy to be paired with Aquinas. We took a look at plain old “The Marshall Institute” but that name was already registered by the George Marshall Institute (of the Marshall Plan). Double darn!

Then we looked at Taylor Marshall Institute. It’s short. It’s easy to remember. The url is available. The problem is it evokes the likes of “Gerry Falwell Ministries.” We liked it at first, then we scratched it. It could be seen as presumptuous, uppity, or self-promoting.

Then my wife Joy came up with “New Saint Thomas Institute.” I liked that. We asked a bunch of friends and tossed it around Facebook. We got a great response from everybody. It keeps Saint Thomas in the title but “new” distinguishes the name. It’s a winner!

New Saint Thomas Institute
tagline: non alligabis os bovi
(“thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of an ox”) from 1 Cor 9:9
Saint Thomas is known as the “Dumb Ox”

How to Register

So stay tuned. I’m going to limit the registration to the first 500 people. Currently we have 100,000 unique visitors per month, and 9,226 daily email subscribers. We have 2,092 who have explicitly signed up to receive video courses.

I have no doubt that the 500 spots will fill up fast.

Here is how registration will work. I’ll make registration available to groups in this order:

1. Email subscribers who have indicated “interested in video courses” in their profile, will get first dibs at registration (currently 2,092 people)*. The first 500 to register get in.If registration isn’t full, then we will open it up to…
2. The rest of the email subscribers (currently 9,293 people).
3. The rest of all public readers (currently about 100,000 people)

Personally, I suspect that the 2,092 subscribers who asked for video courses will fill it up.

Mark your calendars for October 7, Our Lady of the Rosary for registration. I look forward to greeting you on the inside!

*If you’re an email subscriber, you can update your email preferences at the bottom of any email that I’ve sent to you.

Godspeed,
Taylor

PS: Dan Driver, you still won the naming contest. Consider yourself registered! You’re the first one into the Institute! 499 to go.

The post 500 limited spots for our new Theology Institute appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

In the recent profile updates for the subscribers (there are now 9,000 daily email subscribers here), over 1,700 subscribers noted that they “would like online courses.” I assumed more people would rather have books or podcasts. Not so. Most people want video courses…

So I’m working on producing some online courses.

I’ll be offering a new online course every single month (12 courses per year).

Here is what you can expect:

1. HD video courses in which I take complex Catholic college course subjects and make them fun and easy (Thomas Aquinas one month, Augustine the next month, Marian topics the next month, Plato and Aristotle another month, how to answer Atheists the next month, etc.)
2. Interviews with top intellectuals on these topics
3. All courses available in HD video and mp3 (so you can listen in car or on the treadmill). You study at your own pace. If it takes you three months, not one month to complete a course, no worries.
4. Printable notes and outlines for your use (so that you can preapre your own Bible studies or classes)
5. Recommended book lists and notes for each topic
6. Personal and private interaction with me within the new member site
7. Live Q&A webinars with me to discuss theological and philosophical topics
8. Personal videos on how to live a profound Christian life with joy and meaning
9. Access to my upcoming books before they are published and reach the public

Who qualifies?

All of you qualify, but I’ll have to limit the spots.

1. First, I’ll open enrollment to the subscribers who requested the online video courses. (Subscribers, you can update here and designate you want online courses (it’s the last option in the checklist.)
2. Next, I’ll open enrollment to this blog’s email subscribers. (You can become a subscriber here.)
3. Then, I’ll offer enrollment to the general public if we still have spaces available.

I hope that sounds fair and reasonable.

Promise

By introducing online courses, my blog and podcasts and other freebies will continue to be available. Nothing is changing at all. I feel this is an apostolate and I’ll always keep it up. I’ll still blog Monday through Friday as I always do.

However, I will be adding this new way to go deeper and have a closer mentor relationship. The online courses will serve this new function.

Help Me Name This Thing!

So this new entity for online courses still needs a name. So let’s have a contest.

Please leave a comment and leave a suggested name. For example, “Immaculate Institute” or “Dumb Ox Institute” or “Thomas Aquinas Academy” or “Saint Peter Institute.”

You can leave as many suggestions as you like. If we end up choosing your name, you’ll get a full year of courses free. A full tuition scholarship.

[reminder]So please share your name ideas![/reminder]

PS: If you want to become a subscriber (it’s free) and get early bird chances for course enrollment click here.

The post What Should I Name This Thing? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Did the Divine Law exist before Moses?  This a great question from a reader named John David.

Just to clarify, Saint Thomas Aquinas describes five species of law:

1. Eternal law
2. Natural law
3. Human law (for example, stop your car at a red light)
4. Divine law (subdivided as Old Law and New Law or Old Testament and New Testament)
5. Law of sin (concupiscence, the tendency in us toward sin)

Usually, we speak of the Old Law coming through Moses. Thus, John David’s question is a good one.

Was there Divine Law before Moses?

Yes, Divine Law existed before Moses. Namely, the Adamic covenant, the Noahic covenant, and the Abrahamic covenant.

[You may want to read this article: Do you know the covenants of the Bible? (and How Christ fulfills the Covenants to freshen up on this topic.]

Divine law is any time God breaks into history and gives commands or instructions. He did this with Adam and Eve, Noah, and Abraham. So divine law was around before Moses.

For example, the divine decree to circumcise males on the eighth day was part of divine law (Abrahamic).

St Thomas Aquinas, however, notes that the divine law prior to Christ (Old Law) was more like “heightened natural law” clarified for sinners.

Only the New Law is inward and transformative because the New Law includes the Holy Spirit in our souls.

St Paul also teaches that the Divine Law of the Old Law was shadowy and mediated by angels – thus inferior. In Christ is the fulness.

[reminder]A blog post for another time is why would God reveal inferior law at all. Why not give the gold from the beginning? Why not have Christ come right away?[/reminder]

The post Did the Divine Law exist before Moses? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

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The post The Golden Key to Thomas Aquinas: Analogy appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

1. Read this new book in a couple of days
2. Have a personal phone call with me to talk about your honest thoughts about the book
3. Look for typos, errors, etc. and mark them up
4. Be able to use email/technology to be in touch with me as we prepare to go live

The post Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages: I Need an Inner Circle of Collaborators! appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Did the Infant Christ know all things? This is a puzzling question.

Christ is fully God who knows all things. Yet Christ is fully human and humans must learn things. So when it comes to knowledge, did Christ learn or did he already know all things from infancy? Thanks be to God, Saint Thomas Aquinas provides us with a great answer to this difficult question.

Saint Thomas writes:

Therefore it is manifest that in the first instant of His conception Christ received not only as much grace as comprehensors have, but also greater than that which they all have. And because that grace was not without its act, it follows that He was a comprehensor in act, seeing God in His Essence more clearly than other creatures.” (Summa theologiae III, q. 34, a. 4)

In other words, from His human conception, Christ had the perfect beatific vision of God’s Essence. He was never broken off from God because He is God. This is why Mary is called the “Mother of God.” The Child in her womb is God Himself. Since Christ was a perfect comprehensor of His Divine Essence, He knew all things. Of course, he assimilated knowledge in a human way as He grew. Yet Christ always had access to the ineffable mysteries of God and all creation through the vision of His Divine Essence.

Christ’s priestly ministry was active as soon as He was conceived. Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches that Christ began to merit for our salvation as soon as He entered the womb of Mary. This entails that the  infant Christ knew He was the Savior of humanity even when He was an embryo.

This is a wonderful mystery.

So then, Christ had access to all knowledge. He possessed all knowledge from conception as a human embryo. However, as information knowledge began to pass through His five senses, this acquired knowledge accumulated in the natural way. In this way, He learned as a human what He already knew as God.

For example, Christ already knew the entire vocabulary and grammatical structure of Aramaic in the womb by virtue of the beatific vision. However, he also acquired the knowledge of Aramaic in the human way from Joseph and Mary.

Contrast this to His knowledge of medieval German. Christ already knew the entire vocabulary and grammatical structure of medieval German. However, He never did acquire the knowledge of medieval German in the human way through the five senses. Nevertheless, He had perfectly mastery of medieval German and Aramaic (and even Chinese) by virtue of His beatific vision of the Divine Essence.

So the summary answer is that Christ knew all things, but in addition to this He came to know some things in the human mode of experience – like Aramaic and carpentry.

Question: Some have taught that Christ eventually “discovered” that He was the Messiah and Son of God. That He had a personal epiphany. This is actually a form of Arianism – a denial of His divine nature. Christ was communicating with the Holy Trinity even in the womb and He knew Who He was/is.  He always knew that He was the Second Person of the Trinity. Have you ever been taught that Christ was ignorant of His mission or identity. Please leave a comment and share your experience.

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The post Did Baby Jesus Know All Things? (Answer from Thomas Aquinas) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

In the resurrection of glory, the saints will be perfect and the scars will go away. However, you may be surprised to learn that the the martyrs will likely retain their scars and marks of glory in Heaven.

Saint Augustine wrote, “Perhaps in that kingdom we shall see on the bodies of the Martyrs the traces of the wounds which they bore for Christ’s name: because it will not be a deformity, but a dignity in them; and a certain kind of beauty will shine in them, in the body, though not of the body” (De Civ. Dei xxii).

Not only the martyrs, but Christ’s scars are certainly retained. This is a doctrine of our faith. Why, then, are they retained?

Saint Bede shows particular concern for the wounds of Christ. It seems the English were always devoted  the wounds of Christ since they often made vows by swearing on “s’wounds.”

Saint Bede (commenting on Luke 24) taught that Christ kept His scars for five reasons. Here the five reasons:

1. First and chiefly for Christ’s own glory. Christ “wears [His scars] as an everlasting trophy of His victory.”
2. Second, these scars confirm the hearts of the disciples in the faith in His Resurrection. The scars increase our faith.
3. Third, Christ retained his scars so “that when He pleads for us with the Father, He may always show the manner of death He endured for us.” They have propitiatory signification in Heaven!
4. Fourth, Christ kept His scars so “that He may convince those redeemed in His blood, how mercifully they have been helped, as He exposes before them the traces of the same death.” This reveals that He is the Divine Mercy of God!
5. Fifth, Christ will appeal to His wounds so that during the Judgment Day “He may upbraid them with their just condemnation.” The holy wounds will silently sentence the damned to Hell.

This is a great little meditation for mental prayer. I highly recommend that you print out these “five reasons for the scars” and pray over them. For your further edification, Saint Thomas Aquinas covers these five reasons at Summa theologiae III, q. 54, a. 4.

Let’s open up the comments: In the conversion of Saint Thomas the Apostle, in Franciscan mysticism, and in the visions of Saint Faustina, the scars of Christ play a very important role. Do you have a devotion to the wounds of Christ? Are there any special litanies or devotions that you could share with us?

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The post 5 Reasons Christ Kept His Scars after the Resurrection (from St Bede) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Guess what? You’re experiencing what philosophers and theologians call your “passions.”

Nobody has likely ever explained to you why you have this problem in a philosophical way.  Would you like to know why? Let’s take a look under the hood…

Everyday, we humans experience our passions getting the better of us. The passions are what we might call your emotions. They come and go, sometimes quite quickly. One of the goals of becoming a saint in Christ is learning to have mastery over your passions.

Before looking at your passions, let’s take a global look at your soul…

Every human being has a hierarchy in his or her soul. At the top is your rational intellect. Below that is your will. Below that are your eleven passions:

1. intellect
2. will
3. 11 passions

Now, passions are not evil. They are good! All the saints were passionate people. Saint Thomas Aquinas spends a lot of time treating the passions and he explicitly states that they are good.

Evil results, however, when our passions overtake our intellect. When the passions get the better of the intellect, this usually results in sin. When the passions are fully mastered by the intellect, you have a beautiful and passionate saint. The goal is not to get rid of the passions (Stoicism) but to tame the passions (Christianity).

For example, your child spills coffee on your freshly printed report for work. You flip out and become angry. Maybe you raise your voice or say something you should not have said. In reality, your over-passioned reaction was not reasonable. You could have just printed out another report and been a little late for work. I hope you get the idea.

Thomas teaches that you have eleven passions in your soul: “Consequently there are altogether eleven passions differing specifically; six in the concupiscible faculty, and five in the irascible; and under these all the passions of the soul are contained.”

Six are concupiscible passions (a five dollar word for ‘related to desire’) and five are irascible passions (a five dollar word for ‘related to anger’).

For example, when you want to eat a whole pint of Butter Pecan ice cream – that’s a concupiscible passion. When you want scream and flip off the guy who just cut you off – that’s an irascible passion getting the better of you.

Here are the eleven passions:

6 Concupiscible Passions

love and hatred
desire and aversion
joy and sadness

5 Irascible Passions

hope and despair
fear and daring
anger which has not contrary passion

Now Jesus Christ has all these passions (He is fully man), but He is in perfect control of each one. He perfectly loves sinners. He perfectly hates sins. He was perfectly angry at the money changers with the precise amount of anger needed and only for the precise amount of time that the situation required.

Sometimes Christians can assume that being holy is to lack passion. They think that Spock from Star Trek is the ideal. Not so. This belief is repackaged Stoicism. Thomas Aquinas rejected this Stoic idea of the passions as incompatible with Scripture.

God wants you to be a fully passionate person. Yet he wants those passions submitted to right reason. If you are becoming a saint, people should see that you’re rightly passionate about God and your neighbors. Your passions will be like a symphony under a masterful conductor.

This post is an excerpt from my new FREE ebook: Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages. If you would like a free copy of the book when it comes out, please click here to receive new daily posts instantly through e-mail.

If you’re looking for something in the meantime, please get my latest book The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholicism at amazon.com (paperback and Kindle) by clicking here. I’d encourage you to read all the great amazon reviews while you’re over there.

The post The Theology of Eating Too Much Ice Cream – A Thomistic Analysis of Your 11 Passions appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

• Saint Irenaeus didn’t write “man fully alive” but just “living man.” It’s preserved in Latin as  “Gloria Dei est vivens homo.” If you know Latin you can see what he means.
• The cult of “self-fulfillment” has co-opted the quote.
• True fulfillment is only in Christ, not in “self.”

Please check out Dr. Marshall’s new book: The Eternal City available in paperback and Kindle.

The post The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive – Did St Irenaeus Really Say This? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

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• Breadth – This pertains to Christ’s hands and thus “good works”
• Length – This pertains to the upright nature of a tree and thus “longanimity”.
• Height – This pertains to the top and Christ’s head and “the good hope” of the faithful.
• Base – The base is the root and it is hidden, thus it signifies “grace”.

The post 7 Reasons Why Christ Died on a Wooden Cross (from Saint Thomas Aquinas) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

We are encouraged [in Belize] to eat fish or seafood on Fridays. The odd thing is that seafood is more expensive than say chicken, so I wonder whether it is really sensible to have fish or seafood which would really be even more luxurious fare than the normal chicken or beef. Shouldn’t the spirit of abstinence necessitate that any sort of luxury food be given up? Also, why would warm-blooded creatures be restricted in the first place? 

Could you perhaps give an explanation of the restrictions on the blog? I know you are well versed in this area and expect, should you be able to give one, a response that will be comprehensive. 

With grateful appreciation,

Ray

First, Christ offered his flesh for our us on the wood of the cross. Since Christ gave us his flesh, we also give up flesh meat.

Fasting was instituted by the Church in order to bridle the concupiscences of the flesh, which regard pleasures of touch in connection with food and sex. Wherefore the Church forbade those who fast to partake of those foods which both afford most pleasure to the palate, and besides are a very great incentive to lust. 

Such are the flesh of animals that take their rest on the earth, and of those that breathe the air and their products, such as milk from those that walk on the earth, and eggs from birds. For, since such like animals are more like man in body, they afford greater pleasure as food, and greater nourishment to the human body, so that from their consumption there results a greater surplus available for seminal matter, which when abundant becomes a great incentive to lust. Hence the Church has bidden those who fast to abstain especially from these foods. 

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The post Why is Seafood Allowed on Fridays in Lent? St Thomas Aquinas Provides the Theological Answer appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

1. When the Eucharist is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled with countless angels who adore the divine victim immolated on the altar. ~ St. John Chrysostom 
2. The angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating Mass. ~ St. Augustine 
3. If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy. ~ Saint Jean Vianney 
4. The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable as the death of Jesus on the cross. ~ Saint Thomas Aquinas 
5. Once, St. Teresa was overwhelmed with God’s Goodness and asked Our Lord “How can I thank you?” Our Lord replied, “ATTEND ONE MASS.” 
6. “My Son so loves those who assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that, if it were necessary He would die for them as many times as they’ve heard Masses.” Our Lady to Blessed Alan. 
7. When we receive Holy Communion, we experience something extraordinary – a joy, a fragrance, a well-being that thrills the whole body and causes it to exalt. ~ Saint Jean Vianney 
8. There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us. ~ Saint Jean Vianney 
9. When we have been to Holy Communion, the balm of love envelops the soul as the flower envelops the bee. ~ Saint Jean Vianney 
10. It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass. ~ St. Pio of Pietrelcina 

That last quote from Saint Pio is profound. The entire cosmos is sustained by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass…

The post 10 Quotes That Will Change the Way You Attend Holy Mass appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

Dear Dr. Marshall, 

I just bought your book on St. Paul at Amazon because I wanted to read about Paul’s Mariology. I was NOT disappointed. Your many brilliant insights brought tears to my eyes. 

Have you ever considered the fact that Mary and Jesus were IDENTICAL TWINS??? Jesus was made from the DNA of Mary just as Eve was made from the DNA of Adam. 

Sincerely, 

Joseph Allen Kozuh, Ph.D. Austin, Texas

Since, therefore, the Blessed Virgin was not Christ’s Father, but His Mother, it follows that it was not given to her to exercise an active power in His conception: whether to cooperate actively so as to be His Father, or not to cooperate at all, as some say. whence it would follow that this active power was bestowed on her to no purpose. We must therefore say that in Christ’s conception itself she did not cooperate actively, but merely supplied the matter thereof. Nevertheless, before the conception she cooperated actively in the preparation of the matter so that it should be apt for the conception. (Summa theologiae III, q. 32, a. 4)

The post Is Jesus Christ the "Genetic Twin" of the Blessed Virgin Mary? Let’s ask St Thomas Aquinas… appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

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“Noticing that frequently by various Apostolic Constitutions the audacity and daring of most profligate men, who know no restraint, of sinning with license against the commandment “do not kill” was repressed; We who are placed by the Lord in the supreme throne of justice, being counseled by a most just reason, are in part renewing old laws and in part extending them in order to restrain with just punishment the monstrous and atrocious brutality of those who have no fear to kill most cruelly fetuses still hiding in the maternal wombs. Who will not detest such an abhorrent and evil act, by which are lost not only the bodies but also the souls?” {Pope Sixtus V, Apostolic Constitution Effraenatam (Against Abortionists), 29 October 1588}

Question 100 – Where do infants go who die without Baptism?

Answer – Infants who die without Baptism go to Limbo where they do not enjoy the sight of God, but also do no suffer. This is because having original sin, and it alone, they do not merit heaven, but neither do they merit purgatory or hell.

“The souls of those who depart this life in actual mortal sin, or in original sin alone, go down straightaway in infernum to be punished, but with unequal pains.” 

-Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, Laetentur Caeli, July 6, 1439

The post The Holy Innocents and the Aborted Babies: Is it a False Analogy? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

At Summa theologiae III, q. 64., a. 4 (see article at NewAdvent.org), Saint Thomas Aquinas asks whether Christ had the beatific vision from the moment of His Conception of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Blessed Virgin.

Before looking at the answer, it is useful to know that scholastic theologians distinguish between wayfairers (viators) and those who have already arrived in the homeland of heaven. Wayfairers are us on earth or in purgatory who are traveling to path of grace and trying to arrive at the beatific vision of God in heaven. The goal of the Christian life of grace is to finally arrive at the beatific vision of God’s essence.

So when the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, did He retain the vision of the Divine essence? Did Christ have the beatific vision of this divine nature or did He somehow blind Himself of it? Is it something He lost at conception but regained later at His resurrection? These are questions that are currently very controversial in contemporary theological disputes.

Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches that Christ had the beatific vision perfectly from the moment of conception of the Holy Spirit:

The fact that Christ experienced the beatific vision from conception also reveals that Christ did not have faith or hope. He had the theological virtue of charity, but He did not have faith or hope. As Saint Paul taught, “Faith is the evidence of things that appear not,” but Christ has the full vision of God. Hence He does not have faith. Of course, Christ was faithful to His Mission and to the Father. He also had trust in the Father. Yet, the theological virtue of faith, strictly speaking, did not reside in His soul.

The same applies to the virtue of hope. Saint Paul taught: “What a man seeth, why doth he hope for?” Father Garrigou-Lagrange observes that, “St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure are of the opinion that the habit of faith cannot co-exist with the beatific vision. Thus St. Thomas says: “The object of faith is a divine thing not seen. But the habit of virtue… takes its species from the object. Hence, if we deny that the divine thing was not seen, we exclude the very essence of faith.”

This does not make Christ less human or imply a fault in Him. Rather, it makes Him so a great a Redeemer and Savior. He was fully divine and His soul was deified by the vision of His divine nature. By virtue of His created soul’s share in the beatific vision, He is able to share this mystery with our souls.

Christe eleison.

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[reminder]

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Reply OBJ 5: An unbeliever does not sin in having intercourse with his wife, if he pays her the marriage debt, for the good of the offspring, or for the troth whereby he is bound to her: since this is an act of justice and of temperance which observes the due circumstance in pleasure of touch; even as neither does he sin in performing acts of other civic virtues. Again, the reason why the whole life of unbelievers is said to be a sin is not that they sin in every act, but because they cannot be delivered from the bondage of sin by that which they do. 

Summa theologiae Sup. q. 59 a. 1, ad. 5

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To replace the superior ideal which he has abandoned, man may, for example, place his religion in science or in the cult of social justice or in some human ideal, which finally he considers in a religious manner and even in a mystical manner. Thus he turns away from supreme reality, and there arises a vast number of problems that will be solved only if he returns to the fundamental problem of the intimate relations of the soul with God.’ 

– Fr Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange

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Are Christ’s veins, nerves, teeth, and fingers in the Most Holy Eucharist?

Yes, indeed. The whole Christ is contained in the Blessed Sacrament, body, blood, soul, and divinity. In the Summa theologiae III q. 76, a. 1, Saint Thomas Aquinas addresses this question. He first examines an objection which would wrongly conclude that Christ excluded his bones, nerves, etc. from the Eucharist when He proclaimed: “My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.”

Saint Thomas cleverly answered this objection:

By the power of the sacrament there is contained under it, as to the species of the bread, not only the flesh, but the entire body of Christ, that is, the bones the nerves, and the like. And this is apparent from the form of this sacrament, wherein it is not said: “This is My flesh,” but “This is My body.” Accordingly, when our Lord said (John 6:56): “My flesh is meat indeed,” there the word flesh is put for the entire body, because according to human custom it seems to be more adapted for eating, as men commonly are fed on the flesh of animals, but not on the bones or the like. (Summa theologiae III q. 76, a. 1, ad 2.)

That sums it up. The whole Christ is hidden from our senses in the consecrated species. He’s really there. What a profound mystery.

We should visit Him more often in the tabernacles of His Holy Church.

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As “to be born” is, for the Son, to be from the Father, so, for the Holy Ghost, “to be the Gift of God” is to proceed from Father and Son. 

– Saint Augustine, De Trinitate 4, 20.

The Holy Ghost receives His proper name from the fact that He proceeds from Father and Son. Therefore ‘Gift’ is the proper name of the Holy Ghost. I answer that, Gift, taken personally in God, is the proper name of the Holy Ghost. 

In proof of this we must know that a gift is properly an unreturnable giving, as Aristotle says (Topic. iv, 4)–i.e. a thing which is not given with the intention of a return–and it thus contains the idea of a gratuitous donation. Now, the reason of donation being gratuitous is love; since therefore do we give something to anyone gratuitously forasmuch as we wish him well. So what we first give him is the love whereby we wish him well. Hence it is manifest that love has the nature of a first gift, through which all free gifts are given. So since the Holy Ghost proceeds as love, as stated above (27, 4; 37, 1), He proceeds as the first gift. Hence Augustine says (De Trin. xv, 24): “By the gift, which is the Holy Ghost, many particular gifts are portioned out to the members of Christ.”

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“And it came to pass, when the children of Israel were in the wilderness, and had found a man gathering sticks on the sabbath day, That they brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole multitude. And they put him into prison, not knowing what they should do with him. And the Lord said to Moses: Let that man die, let all the multitude stone him without the camp. And when they had brought him out, they stoned him, and he died as the Lord had commanded.” (Numbers 15:32–36, D-R)

[One] is bound to provide necessaries both for himself and for his neighbor, chiefly in respect of things pertaining to the well-being of the body, according to Proverbs 24:11, “Deliver them that are led to death”: secondarily as regards avoiding damage to one’s property, according to Deuteronomy 22:1, “Thou shalt not pass by if thou seest thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, but thou shalt bring them back to thy brother.” Hence a corporal work pertaining to the preservation of one’s own bodily well-being does not profane the Sabbath: for it is not against the observance of the Sabbath to eat and do such things as preserve the health of the body. For this reason the Machabees did not profane the Sabbath when they fought in self-defense on the Sabbath day (1 Maccabees 2), nor Elias when he fled from the face of Jezabel on the Sabbath. For this same reason our Lord (Matthew 12:3) excused His disciples for plucking the ears of corn on account of the need which they suffered. On like manner a bodily work that is directed to the bodily well-being of another is not contrary to the observance of the Sabbath: wherefore it is written (John 7:23): “Are you angry at Me because I have healed the whole man on the Sabbath day?” And again, a bodily work that is done to avoid an imminent damage to some external thing does not profane the Sabbath, wherefore our Lord says (Matthew 12:11): “What man shall there be among you, that hath one sheep, and if the same fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not take hold on it and lift it up?” Summa theologiae II-II, q. 124, a. 4, ad 3.

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Then Herod perceiving that he was deluded by the wise men, was exceeding angry: and sending killed all the menchildren that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. (Matthew 2:16, D-R)

Some have said that in the case of the Innocents the use of their free will was miraculously accelerated, so that they suffered martyrdom even voluntarily. Since, however, Scripture contains no proof of this, it is better to say that these babes in being slain obtained by God’s grace the glory of martyrdom which others acquire by their own will. For the shedding of one’s blood for Christ’s sake takes the place of Baptism. Wherefore just as in the case of baptized children the merit of Christ is conducive to the acquisition of glory through the baptismal grace, so in those who were slain for Christ’s sake the merit of Christ’s martyrdom is conducive to the acquisition of the martyr’s palm. 

Hence Augustine says in a sermon on the Epiphany (De Diversis lxvi), as though he were addressing them: “A man that does not believe that children are benefited by the baptism of Christ will doubt of your being crowned in suffering for Christ. You were not old enough to believe in Christ’s future sufferings, but you had a body wherein you could endure suffering of Christ Who was to suffer.”  

– Summa theologiae II-II q. 124, a. 1, ad. 1.

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Can you become so evil that you strike the “delete” button and erase the natural law from your heart? In order to answer this question, we must first define “natural law.”

Natural law relates to the inclination in human nature that inclines us to the good. Saint Thomas defines the first precept of natural law as” “good is to be done and pursued, and evil is to be avoided.”

It would seem that natural law could in fact be erased from the human heart since we can lose the Holy Spirit and sanctifying grace – both of which are greater than natural law. However, this is not the case because the Holy Spirit and sanctifying grace are granted to human nature – they are not natural to man. Natural law, on the other hand, is just that: natural. So long as a person has “human nature” his nature is oriented naturally to the good. We all still have human nature and so we all still have natural law – no matter how evil you are.

Now then, the tragedy of original sin has introduced into us concupiscence. Concupiscence is the “law of sin” that Saint Paul speak of in Romans 6-7. Our passions (e.g. desire, hate, etc.) are no longer rightfully submitted to our intellect and will. And so we often follow our passions in an unreasonable way. For example, our disordered passions lead us to eat too much pizza, drink too much alcohol, hate our neighbor, lust, etc.

By the way, Saint Thomas Aquinas identifies 11 passions in human nature. The passions are not evil. They just need to be guided by reason:

1. love (amor)
2. hatred (odium)
3. desire (desiderium)
4. aversion (aversio or fuga)
5. joy (delectatio, gaudium, or laetitia)
6. sorrow (tristitia)
7. hope (spes)
8. courage (audacia)
9. despair (desperatio)
10. fear (timor)
11. anger (ira) 

In Adam and Eve before the fall, and in Jesus and Mary, the human passions were perfectly submitted to the intellect and will. It looked like this: Intellect > Will > Passions. After the fall of our first parents, our passions have been trying to run the show. Saint Paul refers to the passions collectively as “the flesh.”

No then, Saint Thomas holds that our inordinate passions do not destroy our human nature. We are not strictly “totally depraved.” We are disordered. Since human nature is preserved, so also, natural law will always be preserved. This, by the way, is the explicit teaching Saint Augustine:

“Thy law is written in the hearts of men, which iniquity itself effaces not.” -Augustine Confessions 2.

Oh if Protestants would return to this Augustinian teaching. It’s at the center of the Catholic doctrine of salvation. There is something still good in man, but this is not a moral goodness (we are conceived with original sin). Rather, it is a natural inclination to the good. The problem is that our passions lead us to think that beer, sex, fame, money, or whatever is “the good” and there is where we get into trouble.

The gift of sanctifying grace given at justification allows for the human person to be transformed and renewed. In short, it allows the intellect to pick up the reigns and start whipping those passions into the shape.

Thomas grants that the secondary precepts of natural law can be erased from the human heart (i.e. sodomy is sinful), but the general or abstract principle (pursue and do the good) cannot be erased. See Summa theologiae I-II q. 94, a. 2 resp.

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How long was Christ buried in the tomb? Let’s ask Saint Augustine:

“There were thirty six hours from the evening of His burial to the dawn of the resurrection, that is, a whole night with a whole day, and a whole night.”

– Saint Augustine De Trinitate, 4

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Now as to the use of this holy sacrament, our Fathers have rightly and wisely distinguished three ways of receiving it. For they have taught that some receive it 1) sacramentally only, to wit sinners: 2) others spiritually only, those to wit who eating in desire that heavenly bread which is set before them, are, by a lively faith which worketh by charity, made sensible of the fruit and usefulness thereof: whereas 3) the third (class) receive it both sacramentally and spiritually, and these are they who so prove and prepare themselves beforehand, as to approach to this divine table clothed with the wedding garment.

Now as to the reception of the sacrament, it was always the custom in the Church of God, that laymen should receive the communion from priests; but that priests when celebrating should communicate themselves; which custom, as coming down from an apostolical tradition, ought with justice and reason to be retained. And finally this holy Synod with true fatherly affection admonishes, exhorts, begs, and beseeches, through the bowels of the mercy of our God, that all and each of those who bear the Christian name would now at length agree and be of one mind in this sign of unity, in this bond of charity, in this symbol of concord; and that mindful of the so great majesty, and the so exceeding love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His own beloved soul as the price of our salvation, and gave us His own flesh to eat, they would believe and venerate these sacred mysteries of His body and blood with such constancy and firmness of faith, with such devotion of soul, with such piety and worship as to be able frequently to receive that supersubstantial bread, and that it may be to them truly the life of the soul, and the perpetual health of their mind; that being invigorated by the strength thereof, they may, after the journeying of this miserable pilgrimage, be able to arrive at their heavenly country, there to eat, without any veil, that same bread of angels which they now eat under the sacred veils.

 Truly beautiful. When I read such things, I realize how truly unworthy I am to be made a partaker of this great mystery. If the world only knew that God who is Love is present on our altars, would not every last person prepare himself and come kneeling before the throne of grace?

Sacred Heart of Jesus, wounded by our sins, have mercy on us.

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1. Gehenna. This is hell in the strict sense, or the place of punishment for the damned, both demons or humans.
2. Limbo of the Children. (Latin: limbus parvulorum) Where those who die in original sin alone, and without personal mortal sin, enjoy natural beatitude without the sensation of pain.
3. Limbo of the Fathers. (Latin: limbus patrum) Where the souls of the Old Testament saints who died before Christ awaited their admission to heaven. Also called “Abraham’s bosom.” Also a natural beatitude without the sensation of pain. Limbo of the Fathers is now vacant.
4. Purgatory. Where the righteous who die in venial sin or who still owe a debt of temporal punishment for sin, are cleansed by suffering before their admission to Heaven.

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Six reasons to keep Meatless Fridays:

1. The tradition of eating fish and not beast flesh (now beef, pork, poultry) goes back to Noah’s Ark where for the 40 day flood, they ate only fish and not beasts.
2. The mystical institution of Friday penance is Luke 5:35 “The days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them: then shall they fast in those days.” Christ was “taken away” from us on Friday and so we fast on “those days,” i.e. on Fridays. Every Sunday is a “little Easter,” which means that every Friday is a “little Good Friday.” If you’re going to party on Sunday, you need to do penance on Friday.
3. The Friday abstinence from meat goes back to the Apostles. The first-century document Didache records that the earliest Christians observed fasts on Wednesdays and Fridays: “But let not your fasts be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and fifth day of the week. Rather, fast on the fourth day {Wednesday} and the Parasceve {Friday}.”
4. Saint Thomas Aquinas says that abstaining from beast flesh and animal products inhibits your libido and reduces lust. See Summa theologiae II-II q. 147, a. 8 for more details!
5. A pejoritive slur for Catholics is “fisheater” or alternatively “mackerel snapper.” Wear these slurs as badges of honor. Eat fish on Fridays.
6. Christ expects us to fast. In Matthew 6:17-8, Jesus says “But when you fast.” He does not say, “But if you fast.” So then, why not try to work in a penance related to food every week? If you don’t make it a habit, you’ll never do it. Friday penance is the time-honored practice. It’s hard and it will be inconvenient when you have to go with the cheese nachos instead of the hot-dog at the baseball game…but it’s worth it.

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“Five times does the priest turn round towards the people, to denote that our Lord manifested Himself five times on the day of His Resurrection, as stated above in the treatise on Christ’s Resurrection. But the priest greets the people seven times, namely, five times, by turning round to the people, and twice without turning round, namely, when he says, “The Lord be with you” before the “Preface,” and again when he says, “May the peace of the Lord be ever with you”: and this is to denote the sevenfold grace of the Holy Ghost. But a bishop, when he celebrates on festival days, in his first greeting says, “Peace be to you,” which was our Lord’s greeting after Resurrection, Whose person the bishop chiefly represents.” (Summa theologiae III, q. 83, a. 5, ad. 6)

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Some of my research for my doctoral dissertation has led me to learn more about a wonderful scholar of the Catholic Church: John of St. Thomas.

John of St. Thomas was born 9 June 1589 in Lisbon, Portugal and died at Fraga, Spain on 17 June 1644. He joined the Dominicans in 1613 and dedicated his life to studying the teachings of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

He was so faithful to Saint Thomas Aquinas that in his last illness he could declare that, in all the thirty years he had devoted to study, he had not taught or written anything contrary to St. Thomas Aquinas.

He was known for his humility and holiness. His works comprise his Cursus philosophicus Thomisticus and the Cursus Theologici (18 volumes!).

Unfortunately, I cannot unearth a picture of him. If you have one, please send it my way.

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 The Doctors of the Church are Christ’s special gifts to the Catholic Church. These men and women are regarded as the most holy and illumined teachers of the Catholic Faith. Notably, none were martyrs. I once heard a friar jokingly say, “If you want to avoid martyrdom, become a Doctor of the Church.” I guess that you could also say, “If you want to become a martyr, don’t become a Doctor of the Church!”

Anyway here is how the Doctors of the Church break down by category. There are likely other ways to slice and dice the list, but I went with Eastern and Western Fathers, and then the later Doctors categorized by religious orders. If I made any mistakes, please let me know.

All I have to say is that I’m glad there’s a tie between the Eastern Fathers and Western Fathers or we’d never hear the end of it from our Eastern brethren.

I once mentioned the Franciscan vs. Dominican rivalry to my friend Dr. Jared Staudt at the Augustine Institute. I said, “I hate to say it, but the Franciscans have 4 doctors, whereas the Dominicans have 3 doctors.” Without missing a beat, Jared replied, “It’s about quality, not quantity! The Dominicans have Saint Thomas – the Universal Doctor of the Church.” 

Touché. Put that in your thurible and smoke it.

(By the way, Jared has subsequently side-stepped Franciscan/Dominican rivalry and has become a Benedictine Oblate via Clear Creek – a commitment that I greatly admire.)

In response, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal friend of mine, Father Pio Maria Hoffman, once said to some Domicians: “Look we love Saint Thomas Aquinas, too. However, we just don’t believe that he should be revered with the cult of hyperdulia…”

I’m a Thomist at heart. Nevertheless, I love all this playful “scoreboarding.” If you want to have some fun, get some good-natured Franciscans Friars of the Renewal and some witty Dominicans together in the same room.

Also, of notable mention, there are three women Doctors of the Church.

Here are the Doctors by name and category:
St. Albert 11/15 (Dominican)
St. Alphonsus Liguori 8/1 (Redemptorist)
St. Ambrose 12/7 (Western Father)
St. Anselm 4/21 (Benedictine)
St. Anthony of Padua 6/13 (Franciscan)
St. Athanasius 5/2 (Eastern Father)
St. Augustine 8/28 (Western Father)
St. Basil 1/2 (Eastern Father)
St. Bede, the Venerable 5/25 (Benedictine)
St. Bernard of Clairvaux 8/20 (Cistercian)
St. Bonaventure 7/15 (Franciscan)
St. Catherine of Siena 4/29 (Dominican Tertiary)
St. Cyril of Alexandria 6/27 (Eastern Father)
St. Cyril of Jerusalem 3/18 (Eastern Father)
St. Ephraem of Syria 6/9 (Eastern Father)
St. Francis de Sales 1/24 (Franciscan Tertiary)
St. Gregory Nazianzus 1/2 (Eastern Father)
St. Gregory the Great 9/3 (Western Father)
St. Hilary of Poitiers 1/13 (Western Father)
St. Isidore 4/4 (Western Father)
St. Jerome 9/30 (Western Father)
St. John Chrysostom 9/13 (Eastern Father)
St. John Damascene 12/4 (Eastern Father)
St. John of the Cross 12/14 (Carmelite)
St. Lawrence of Brindisi 7/21 (Franciscan)
St. Leo the Great 11/10 (Western Father)
St. Peter Canisius 12/21 (Jesuit)
St. Peter Chrysologus 7/30 (Western Father)
St. Peter Damian 2/21 (Benedictine)
St. Robert Bellarmine 9/17 (Jesuit)
St. Teresa of Avila 10/15 (Carmelite)
St. Therese of Lisieux 10/1 (Carmelite)
St. Thomas Aquinas 1/28 (Dominican)

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In the last few years, there have been several spoof versions of scholastic arguments in the manner of Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae. Here’s another spoof that I came up with – What Saint Thomas would have said regarding “Whether we should spank children.” Happy feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas. For those not in the know, this is Thomist nerd humor:

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While in Washington, D.C. our high school students visited the Dominican House of Studies on the campus of the Catholic University of America. The Dominican priest Father James Brent told us about the Confraternity of Angelic Warfare (Militia Angelica), which is based on the miraculous cord of Saint Thomas Aquinas.Those who belong to the Confraternity wear a blessed cord of Saint Thomas Aquinas (or medal) and pray daily for the gift of holy purity and chastity.

After Thomas Aquinas chased the harlot from his room in his family’s prison with a burning log, he inscribed a cross on the wall and fell into a mystical ecstasy. Two angels came and girded him with a miraculous cord and said, “Behold, we grid thee by the command of God with the girdle of chastity, which henceforth will never be imperiled. What human strength can not obtain, is now bestowed upon thee as a celestial gift.

From that time forward, Thomas received the gift of perfect chastity so that he never again experienced sexual temptations. This account is included in the official records of his canonization. It is depicted in the image above.

Saint Thomas wore that girdle till the end of his life, at which time he discovered to his friend, Reginald of Piperno, the grace he had received. The heavenly girdle was presented to the ancient monastery of Vercelli in Piedmont, St. Thomas’ mother-house, by John of Vercelli, who entered upon the Office of General of the Order in 1274, the year of the saints’ death. The holy girdle is now at Chieri, near Turin.

It is formed of many fine threads, but of what material the sharpest eye in unable to decide. One end has a double loop through which the cord is drawn in girding. The part that goes around the waist is flat, somewhat wider than a flattened straw, the other part consists of two fine, four corned cords, which are tied into fifteen knots all alike and of peculiar make. The whole length of the girdle is not quite one and a half meters (a meter= 39.37 inches). The color, originally white is, through age and the repeated touching of other girdles, somewhat brown or rather pearl-color.

Pilgrims began to touch homemade cinctures to this original miraculous girdle and wear them for the sake of holy purity. Soon, this practice became well-known and widespread.

The Dominican Father Francis Deurwerders suggested uniting all that wore these girdles of St. Thomas into a Confraternity under the title “Militia Angelica” or “Angelic Warfare.” From the 1600s, this confraternity has continued the tradition.

Our young people went through the liturgy of being enrolled and registered in the Confraternity of Angelic Warfare and were give the girdle (bearing 15 knots for the 15 decades of the Holy Rosary) and the prayers to be recited every day for the gift of purity. I joined and I’m wearing the holy cored as I write this post.

Here are the 2 daily prayers to also be said with 15 Hail Mary’s:

The Prayer to St. Thomas for Purity
Chosen lily of innocence, pure St. Thomas,
who kept chaste the robe of baptism
and became an angel in the flesh after being girded by two angels,
I implore you to commend me to Jesus, the Spotless Lamb,
and to Mary, the Queen of Virgins.
Gentle protector of my purity, ask them that I,
who wear the holy sign of your victory over the flesh,
may also share your purity,
and after imitating you on earth
may at last come to be crowned with you among the angels. Amen.

The Prayer of St. Thomas for Purity
(St. Thomas wrote this one)
Dear Jesus,
I know that every perfect gift,
and especially that of chastity,
depends on the power of Your providence.
Without You a mere creature can do nothing.
Therefore, I beg You to defend by Your grace
the chastity and purity of my body and soul.
And if I have ever sensed or imagined anything
that could stain my chastity and purity,
blot it out, Supreme Lord of my powers,
that I may advance with a pure heart in Your love and service,
offering myself on the most pure altar of Your divinity
all the days of my life. Amen.

For more information on the Confraternity of Angelic Warfare, please visit their website.

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Today is the feast day of Saint Agnes, the thirteen year old virgin martyr. This morning I told her story to my students, and then I asked them (they are all Catholics), “Have you ever heard a sermon or heard a priest talk about virginity?”

They each answered, “No, I’ve never heard anything about virginity in Church.”

If we simply thumb through the sermons of the Church Fathers, or read the lives of the saints we immediately discern that virginity was once something very important to the Catholics. The great saints and Fathers were preoccupied with promoting virginity in both young men and women. They preached about it and the encouraged it. Other than our traveling Catholic “chastity speakers,” I don’t know that this message is currently being proclaimed by the Church with the same intensity as in previous ages.

Saint Augustine, as did many of the Fathers, wrote a treatise On Virginity, in which he states that consecrated virgins receive “a unique and transcendent glory” (De Virginitate, 25).

Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that a special halo, the aureole, shall be given to consecrated virgins of both sexes in heaven. He writes:

I answer that, Where there is a notable kind of victory, a special crown is due. Wherefore since by virginity a person wins a signal victory over the flesh, against which a continuous battle is waged: “The flesh lusteth against the spirit,” etc. (Galatians 5:17), a special crown called the aureole is due to virginity. (Summa theologiae, III-Supp. q. 96, a. 5)

Why then do we not presently hear the historic Catholic praise for virginity? The Mohammedans hold forth the false promise for their men gaining seventy-two virgins in heaven, but the Catholics no longer seem to hold forth the true promise that virgins gain a special place in Heaven.

Turning to the book of the Apocalypse, we find an army of virgins who are especially dedicated to Christ. These virginal saints have a special degree of sanctity:

And they sung as it were a new canticle, before the throne and before the four living creatures and the ancients: and no man could say the canticle, but those hundred forty-four thousand who were purchased from the earth. These are they who were not defiled with women: for they are virgins. These follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were purchased from among men, the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth there was found no lie: for they are without spot before the throne of God. (Apocalypse 14:3-5)

Here we see that virginity is outward sign of interior purity and a denotes an undivided devotion to Christ.

I think there are two reasons for our contemporary forgetfulness of sacred virginity. The first is that it is politically incorrect. That is, if you speak highly virginity you’re going to hurt the feelings of those who are not virgins. While those have have abandoned their virginity through sin can receive forgiveness and grace, their mistake is no reason to not praise the ideal set forth in Sacred Scripture.

The second reason is that parents no longer stress and expect their children to be virgins. Fathers especially need to speak about virginity and encourage their children to be virgins, either until their wedding day or for all eternity. Virginity is perhaps the greatest gift that one can give to God, and it is certainly the most valuable gift that one can give to one’s spouse on the day in which you receive the sacrament of Matrimony.

So tell you friends, tell your children, proclaim it from the housetops: Praise virginity. And may Saint Agnes pray for us.

You can read the full story of Saint Agnes by clicking here.

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We got fired up the other day in our discussion of Blessed John Duns Scotus and the Immaculate Conception.

It seems that I may have been to quick to speak by passing on the presumed truth that Thomas Aquinas denied the Immaculate Conception. Of course, Thomas Aquinas did so, but he may have changed his mind before death.

Here’s what I’ve found…

I was reading Father Reginald Marie Garrigou-Lagrange and he suggests that Thomas Aquinas went through three stages of development with regard to the Immaculate Conception:

1. Early Stage (before 1254 – Commentary on Sentences): Thomas affirmed the Immaculate Conception of Mary
2. Middle Stage (1254-1272 – Summa theologiae): Thomas denied the Immaculate Conception of Mary 
3. Final Stage (after 1272): Thomas returned to his faith in the Immaculate Conception of Mary

Here are the texts that Garrigou-Lagrange gives to support his thesis:

1. In the first period, which was from 1253 to 1254, he affirmed the privilege, for he wrote: “Such was the purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was exempt from both original and actual sin.” [Com. in I Sent, d. 44, q. 1, a. 3, ad 3]
2. In the second period, St. Thomas explicitely denies the Immaculate Conception: “The Blessed Virgin did indeed contract original sin.” [Summa theologiae IIIa, q. 27, a. 2, ad 2]
3. In the third period, “For she [the Blessed Virgin] was most pure because she incurred the stain neither of original sin nor of mortal sin nor of venial sin.”[Expositio super salutatione angelica]

Oh what a happy thought – that Thomas died with full faith in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

ad Jesum per Mariam,
Taylor Marshall

PS: For more on Thomas’ reaffirmation of the Immaculate Conception see Mandonnet [Bulletin thomiste, January to March, 1933, pp. 164-67] and Voste [Com. in Summam theol. S. Thomae. De mysteriis vitae Christi; 18f.].

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People may throw rotten tomatoes at me for this, but I’m going to say it any way: “Blessed John Duns Scotus should be declared a Saint and Doctor of the Church!” I’m a trained Thomist, so I don’t say this lightly: Scotus is a genius when it comes to Christology and Mariology.

All the great defenders of Catholic dogmas are both saints and doctors of the Church:

• St Athanasius manfully defended the deity of Christ
• St Basil, St Gregory Nazianzus, St John Chrysostom, and St Hilary defended the dogma of the Holy Trinity
• St Basil, in particular, defended the deity of the Holy Spirit
• St Jerome manfully defended the perpetual virginity of our Lady
• St Cyril manfully defended Mary as “Mother of God”
• St Leo manfully defended the humanity of Christ and the hypostatic union of the two natures of Christ
• St John Damascene manfully defended the images of Christ, Mary, and the Saints

“And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”

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Thanks be to God for all those pious Dominican understudies who made it legible for us!

In this month of the Holy Souls, let us pray for all the secretaries and assistants of that great Universal Doctor of the Church.

And of course, Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

[reminder]

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Although Thomas Aquinas was a student of Albert the Great, Albert outlived Thomas by 6 years. Thomas died in 1274. Albert died in 1280.

Remember that next time you play Medieval Trivial Pursuit.

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