The Summa Contra Gentiles was composed by Thomas Aquinas between 1259 and 1265, in four books broadly covering teachings on God, on Creation, on Providence, and on tenets specific to Christianity. This Summa is not to be confused with his final Summa, the Summa Theologiae. The latter is specifically "theological" and directed to a Christian audience (hence Summa "Theologica"), whereas the former, as the "Contra Gentiles" indicates, is directed toward "non-Christian" thinkers. Implicitly a defence of the Catholic Christian faith, the first three books constitute a sort of rational apology of Christian thought, where philosophical arguments are deployed to defend Christian beliefs and usually only evoke Scripture in a latter instance to show its concordance with these largely-rational conclusions; the fourth book, however, is theological in character given that its content deals primarily with topics derived from Christian revelation. Although Thomas Aquinas certainly aims to discredit pagan, Jewish, Muslim or Christian-"heretical" positions incompatible with the Catholic Christian religion in this work, at the same time he incorporates whatever is salvageable from their thought, thus often quoting in his favor the very authors he discredits on other positions: therefore the "Contra Gentiles" of this Summa is not to be understood as an outright rejection of non-Christian thought, but rather as a sort of "rational purification" unto its Catholic assimilation, in disposing open minds to revealed Christian truths. (Summary by M.S.C. Lambert, LC)
Chapters
1 I. IN WHAT CONSISTS THE OFFICE OF A WISE MAN (preceded by Translator's Preface) 8 min 2 II. THE AUTHOR'S INTENTION IN THIS WORK 4 min 3 III. IN WHAT WAY IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE KNOWN THE DIVINE TRUTH 7 min 4 IV. THAT THE TRUTH ABOUT DIVINE THINGS WHICH IS ATTAINABLE BY REASON IS FITTINGLY PROPOSED TO MAN AS AN OBJECT OF BELIEF 6 min 5 V. THAT THOSE THINGS WHICH CANNOT BE INVESTIGATED REASON ARE FITTINGLY PROPOSED TO MAN AS AN OBJECT OF FAITH 5 min 6 VI. THAT IT IS NOT A MARK OF LEVITY TO ASSENT TO THE THINGS THAT ARE OF FAITH, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE ABOVE REASON 6 min 7 VII. THAT THE TRUTH OF REASON IS NOT IN OPPOSITION TO THE TRUTH OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH 4 min 8 VIII. IN WHAT RELATION HUMAN REASON STANDS TO THE TRUTH OF FAITH 3 min 9 IX. OF THE ORDER AND MODE OF PROCEDURE IN THIS WORK 4 min 10 X. OF THE OPINION OF THOSE WHO AVER THAT IT CANNOT BE DEMONSTRATED THAT THERE IS A GOD, SINCE THIS IS SELF-EVIDENT 4 min 11 XI. REFUTATION OF THE FOREGOING OPINION AND SOLUTION OF THE AFORESAID ARGUMENTS 6 min 12 XII. OF THE OPINION OF THOSE WHO SAY THAT THE EXISTENCE OF GOD CANNOT BE PROVED, AND THAT IT IS HELD BY FAITH ALONE 5 min 13 XIII. ARGUMENTS IN PROOF OF GOD'S EXISTENCE 26 min 14 XIV. THAT IN ORDER TO ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IT IS NECESSARY TO PROCEED BY THE WAY OF REMOTION 4 min 15 XV. THAT GOD IS ETERNAL 5 min 16 XVI. THAT IN GOD THERE IS NO PASSIVE POTENTIALITY 4 min 17 XVII. THAT IN GOD THERE IS NO MATTER 4 min 18 XVIII. THAT IN GOD THERE IS NO COMPOSITION 5 min 19 XIX. THAT IN GOD THERE IS NOTHING VIOLENT OR BESIDE NATURE 3 min 20 XX. THAT GOD IS NOT A BODY 26 min 21 XXI. THAT GOD IS HIS OWN ESSENCE 4 min 22 XXII. THAT IN GOD EXISTENCE AND ESSENCE ARE THE SAME 9 min 23 XXIII. THAT THERE IS NO ACCIDENT IN GOD 6 min 24 XXIV. THAT THE DIVINE BEING CANNOT BE SPECIFIED BY THE ADDITION OF ANY SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCE 4 min 25 XXV. THAT GOD IS NOT IN ANY GENUS 6 min 26 XXVI. THAT GOD IS NOT THE FORMAL BEING OF ALL THINGS 11 min 27 XXVII. THAT GOD IS NOT THE FORM OF A BODY 5 min 28 XXVIII. OF THE DIVINE PERFECTION 8 min 29 XXIX. OF THE LIKENESS OF CREATURES 4 min 30 XXX. WHAT TERMS CAN BE PREDICATED OF GOD 5 min 31 XXXI. THAT THE DIVINE PERFECTION AND THE PLURALITY OF DIVINE NAMES ARE NOT INCONSISTENT WITH THE DIVINE SIMPLICITY 4 min 32 XXXII. THAT NOTHING IS PREDICATED UNIVOCALLY OF GOD AND OTHER THINGS 5 min 33 XXXIII. THAT NOT ALL TERMS APPLIED TO GOD AND CREATURES ARE PURELY EQUIVOCAL 4 min 34 XXXIV. THAT TERMS APPLIED TO GOD AND CREATURES ARE EMPLOYED ANALOGICALLY 4 min 35 XXXV. THAT THE SEVERAL NAMES PREDICATED OF GOD ARE NOT SYNONYMOUS 2 min 36 XXXVI. HOW OUR INTELLECT FORMS A PROPOSITION ABOUT GOD 2 min 37 XXXVII. THAT GOD IS GOOD 5 min 38 XXXVIII. THAT GOD IS GOODNESS ITSELF 3 min 39 XXXIX. THAT NO EVIL CAN BE IN GOD 5 min 40 XL. THAT GOD IS THE GOOD OF EVERY GOOD 3 min 41 XLI. THAT GOD IS THE SOVEREIGN GOOD 3 min 42 XLII. THAT GOD IS ONE 17 min 43 XLIII. THAT GOD IS INFINITE 13 min 44 XLIV. THAT GOD IS AN INTELLIGENT BEING 9 min 45 XLV. THAT GOD'S ACT OF INTELLIGENCE IS HIS ESSENCE 4 min 46 XLVI. THAT GOD UNDERSTANDS BY NOTHING ELSE THAN HIS ESSENCE 4 min 47 XLVII. THAT GOD UNDERSTANDS HIMSELF PERFECTLY 5 min 48 XLVIII. THAT GOD KNOWS ONLY HIMSELF FIRST AND PER SE 5 min 49 XLIX. THAT GOD KNOWS THINGS OTHER THAN HIMSELF 3 min 50 L. THAT GOD HAS PROPER KNOWLEDGE OF ALL THINGS 8 min 51 LI. REASONS FOR INQUIRING HOW THERE IS A MULTITUDE OF THINGS UNDERSTOOD IN THE DIVINE INTELLECT 4 min 52 LII. REASONS FOR INQUIRING HOW THERE IS A MULTITUDE OF THINGS UNDERSTOOD IN THE DIVINE INTELLECT 2 min 53 LIII. SOLUTION OF THE FOREGOING DOUBT 4 min 54 LIV. HOW THE DIVINE ESSENCE, THOUGH ONE AND SIMPLE, IS A PROPER LIKENESS OF ALL THINGS INTELLIGIBLE 6 min 55 LV. THAT GOD UNDERSTANDS ALL THINGS AT THE SAME INSTANT 6 min 56 LVI. THAT GOD'S KNOWLEDGE IS NOT A HABIT 4 min 57 LVII. THAT GOD'S KNOWLEDGE IS NOT DISCURSIVE 7 min 58 LVIII. THAT GOD DOES NOT UNDERSTAND BY COMPOSITION AND DIVISION 5 min 59 LIX. THAT GOD IS NOT IGNORANT OF THE TRUTH OF ENUNCIATIONS 6 min 60 LX. THAT GOD IS TRUTH 3 min 61 LXI. THAT GOD IS THE MOST PURE TRUTH 5 min 62 LXII. THAT THE DIVINE TRUTH IS THE FIRST AND SUPREME TRUTH 3 min 63 LXIII. THE ARGUMENTS OF THOSE WHO WOULD DENY TO GOD THE KNOWLEDGE OF SINGULARS 6 min 64 LXIV. ORDER OF THE THINGS TO BE SAID ABOUT THE DIVINE KNOWLEDGE 1 min 65 LXV. THAT GOD KNOWS SINGULARS 11 min 66 LXVI. THAT GOD KNOWS THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT 10 min 67 LXVII. THAT GOD KNOWS FUTURE CONTINGENT SINGULARS 10 min 68 LXVIII. THAT GOD KNOWS THE MOVEMENTS OF THE WILL 5 min 69 LXIX. THAT GOD KNOWS INFINITE THINGS 12 min 70 LXX. THAT GOD KNOWS TRIVIAL THINGS 8 min 71 LXXI. THAT GOD KNOWS EVIL THINGS 11 min 72 LXXII. THAT IN GOD THERE IS WILL 9 min 73 LXXIII. THAT GOD'S WILL IS HIS ESSENCE 3 min 74 LXXIV. THAT THE PRINCIPAL OBJECT OF GOD'S WILL IS THE DIVINE ESSENCE 4 min 75 LXXV. THAT GOD IN WILLING HIMSELF WILLS ALSO OTHER THINGS 4 min 76 LXXVI. THAT GOD, BY THE ONE ACT OF HIS WILL, WILLS HIMSELF AND OTHER THINGS 5 min 77 LXXVII. THAT THE MULTITUDE OF THINGS WILLED IS NOT INCONSISTENT WITH THE DIVINE SIMPLICITY 3 min 78 LXXVIII. THAT THE DIVINE WILL EXTENDS TO PARTICULAR GOODS 5 min 79 LXXIX. THAT GOD WILLS EVEN THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT YET 6 min 80 LXXX. THAT GOD NECESSARILY WILLS HIS BEING AND HIS GOODNESS 4 min 81 LXXXI. THAT GOD DOES NOT NECESSARILY WILL OTHER THINGS THAN HIMSELF 7 min 82 LXXXII. OBJECTIONS AGAINST THE STATEMENT THAT GOD WILLS NOT OF NECESSITY THINGS OTHER THAN HIMSELF, IN THAT IT INVOLVES IMPOSSIBILITIES 9 min 83 LXXXIII. THAT GOD WILLS SOMETHING OTHER THAN HIMSELF BY A NECESSITY OF SUPPOSITION 3 min 84 LXXXIV. THAT GOD'S WILL IS NOT OF THINGS IMPOSSIBLE IN THEMSELVES 4 min 85 LXXXV. THAT THE DIVINE WILL DOES NOT REMOVE CONTINGENCY FROM THINGS, NOR IMPOSE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY ON THEM 4 min 86 LXXXVI. THAT A REASON OF THE DIVINE WILL CAN BE ASSIGNED 3 min 87 LXXXVII. THAT NOTHING CAN BE THE CAUSE OF THE DIVINE WILL 2 min 88 LXXXVIII. THAT IN GOD THERE IS FREE-WILL 3 min 89 LXXXIX. THAT THE PASSIONS OF THE APPETITE ARE NOT IN GOD 8 min 90 XC. THAT IN GOD ARE DELIGHT AND JOY, NOR ARE THEY INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE DIVINE PERFECTION 5 min 91 XCI. THAT IN GOD THERE IS LOVE 13 min 92 XCII. HOW VIRTUES ARE TO BE ASCRIBED TO GOD 6 min 93 XCIII. THAT IN GOD THERE ARE THE MORAL VIRTUES WHICH ARE ABOUT ACTIONS 10 min 94 XCIV. THAT THE CONTEMPLATIVE VIRTUES ARE IN GOD 2 min 95 XCV. THAT GOD CANNOT WILL EVIL 3 min 96 XCVI. THAT GOD HATES NOTHING, NOR CAN THE HATRED OF ANYTHING BE ASCRIBED TO HIM 5 min 97 XCVII. THAT GOD IS A LIVING BEING 3 min 98 XCVIII. THAT GOD IS HIS OWN LIFE 3 min 99 XCIX. THAT GOD'S LIFE IS ETERNAL 3 min 100 C. THAT GOD IS HAPPY 6 min 101 CI. THAT GOD IS HIS OWN HAPPINESS 2 min 102 CII. THAT GOD'S HAPPINESS IS PERFECT AND SINGULAR, SURPASSING ALL OTHER HAPPINESS 8 min
