NOTICE: We will post a quote from a Christian in favor of capital punishment
every fortnight. For this week, it will be an article from a Roman Catholic
Theologian, Saint Thomas Aquinas. January 28 is his Feast Day.
ARTICLE TITLE: Summa Contra Gentiles, Book 3, Chapter 146
DATE: N.A
AUTHOR: Saint Thomas Aquinas
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Saint Thomas Aquinas O.P. (also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino; ca. 1225 – 7
March 1274) was an Italian priest of the Catholic Church in the Dominican
Order, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition
of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus and Doctor Communis. He is
frequently referred to as Thomas because "Aquinas" refers to his
residence rather than his surname. He was the foremost classical proponent of
natural theology, and the father of the Thomistic school of philosophy and
theology. His influence on Western thought is considerable, and much of modern
philosophy was conceived as a reaction against, or as an agreement with, his
ideas, particularly in the areas of ethics, natural law and political theory.
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_of_Thomas_Aquinas#Death_penalty
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Saint Thomas Aquinas
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Saint Thomas Aquinas
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The following is a summary of Summa Contra Gentiles, Book 3, Chapter 146,
which was written by Aquinas prior to writing the Summa Theologica. St.
Thomas was a vocal supporter of the death penalty. This was based on the theory
(found in natural moral law), that the state has not only the right, but the duty to
protect its citizens from enemies, both from within, and without.
For those who have been appropriately appointed,
there is no sin in administering punishment. For those who refuse to obey God's
laws, it is correct for society to rebuke them with civil and criminal sanctions.
No one sins working for justice, within the law. Actions that are necessary to
preserve the good of society are not inherently evil. The common good of the
whole society is greater and better than the good of any particular person. "The
life of certain pestiferous men is an impediment to the common good which is
the concord of human society. Therefore, certain men must be removed by death
from the society of men." This is likened to the physician who must
amputate a diseased limb, or a cancer, for the good of the whole person. He
based this on I Corinthians 5, 6:
"You know that a little leaven corrupts the whole lump of dough?" and
I Corinthians 5, 13: "Put away the evil one
from among yourselves"; Romans 13,4:
"[it is said of earthly power that] he bears not the sword in vain: for he
is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil"; I Peter 2, 13-14: "Be subjected therefore
to every human creature for God's sake: whether to be on the king as excelling,
or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the
praise of good." He believed these passages superseded the text of Exodus 20,13: "Thou shall not kill."
This is mentioned again in Matthew 5,21. Also, it is argued that Matthew 13, 30: "Suffer both the weeds and
the wheat to grow until the harvest." The harvest was interpreted as
meaning the end of the world. This is explained by Matthew 13,38-40.
Aquinas acknowledged these passages could also be
interpreted as meaning there should be no use of the death penalty if there was
a chance of injuring the innocent. The prohibition "Thou shall not
kill", was superseded by Exodus 22,18: "Wrongdoers you shall not
suffer to live." The argument that evildoers should be allowed to live in
the hope that they might be redeemed was rejected by Aquinas as frivolous. If
they would not repent in the face of death, it was unreasonable to assume they
would ever repent. "How many people are we to allow to be murdered
while waiting for the repentance of the wrongdoer?", he asked,
rhetorically. Using the death penalty for revenge, or retribution is a
violation of natural moral law.
Many believe the correct interpretation of the
commandment to be "Thou shalt not murder." This interpretation allows
for Aquinas' belief that the death penalty is an acceptable practice as
delivered by those in authority over such things, such as government, which is
divinely appointed as to God's will.
Under Pope John Paul II, the Catholic Church came,
according to one of two interpretations of Evangelium Vitae, to advocate incarceration in lieu of
the death penalty.
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