Faith according to St.

Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologiae)

In his Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas lengthily discusses the

details of faith, from a general understanding of faith, to its object and act, to

the person who possess the faith, to cause and effect of faith etc. This section

about the traditional approach to faith focuses on the virtue itself of faith

which was presented by the Angelic Doctor in eight articles/questions.

1. What is faith?

The Angelic Doctor answers, since habits are known by their acts, and

acts by their objects, faith being a habit, should be defined by its proper act

in relation to its proper object. The act of faith is to believe which is an act

of the intellect determinate to one object of the will’s command. Hence, an

act of faith is related both to the object of the will, that is, to the good end,

and to the object of the intellect, that is, the true. The object of faith as

intellect is the First Truth, which is unseen, while its object as will is the

Divine Good, that is, God, who is unseen as well. Faith is the substance of

things to be hoped for. It is the habit of the mind, whereby eternal life is

begun in us, making the intellect assent to what is non-apparent.

2. Whether faith resides in the intellect?

The Angelic Doctor answers, that faith resides in the intellect since to

believe is immediately an act of the intellect because its object is true. The

act of faith proceeds and is perfected by the will and the intellect.

Consequently, faith resides in the intellect.

3. Whether charity is the form of faith?

The Angelic Doctor answers, the form of any voluntary act is the end

to which it is directed because it takes its species therefrom and the mode of

an action should correspond proportionately to the end. Now, the act of faith

is directed to the object of the will, that is the good, as to its end: and this

good which is the end of faith, the Divine Good, the proper object of charity.

Therefore, charity is called the form of faith.

4. Whether lifeless faith can become living, or living faith, lifeless?

The Angelic Doctor answers, using the passage from James, “Faith

without works is dead, by which it lives once more.” Living and lifeless

faith are one and the same habit. The distinction of living from lifeless faith

is in respect of something pertaining to the will, that is, charity, and not in
respect of something pertaining to the intellect. Therefore, living and lifeless

faith are not distinct habits.

5. Whether faith is a virtue?

The Angelic Doctor answers, justice is all virtue according to

Aristotle and man is justified by faith according to Paul. Therefore, faith is a

virtue. Habitual good human acts are human virtues. This habit of good

human acts is called living faith. To make this living faith perfect the

intellect should infallibly tend to its object which is the true and the will

should be infallibly directed towards the last good which is the Divine Good,

God. Therefore, living faith is a virtue while lifeless faith is not a virtue

since it is only perfect in the intellect but not in the will.

6. Whether faith is one virtue?

The Angelic Doctor answers, the object of faith is one, that is, the

First Truth, but on the level of the subject it varies per individual. It is one

specifically, but differs numerically.

7. Whether faith is the first of the virtues?

The Angelic Doctor answers, the Apostle says that “faith is the

substance of things to be hoped for. The substance of a thing is that which

comes first. Therefore, faith is first among the virtues. Faith by its very

nature precedes all the virtues.

8. Whether faith is more certain than science and other intellectual virtues?

The Angelic Doctor answers, in Thess 2:15, the Apostle says that,

“When you had received of us the word of the hearing, that is, by faith…you

received it not as the word of men, but, as is indeed, the word of God.”

Nothing is more certain than the word of God. Therefore, science is not

more certain than faith; nor is anything else. The faith is founded on the

Divine truth while others are founded on human reason.