Part II (Pars Prima Secundae) Part 156 (2/2)

The Reply to the Third Objection is clear from what has been said about the different kinds of community.

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THIRD ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 100, Art. 3]

Whether All the Moral Precepts of the Old Law Are Reducible to the Ten Precepts of the Decalogue?

Objection 1: It would seem that not all the moral precepts of the Old Law are reducible to the ten precepts of the decalogue. For the first and princ.i.p.al precepts of the Law are, ”Thou shalt love the Lord thy G.o.d,” and ”Thou shalt love thy neighbor,” as stated in Matt. 22:37, 39. But these two are not contained in the precepts of the decalogue.

Therefore not all the moral precepts are contained in the precepts of the decalogue.

Obj. 2: Further, the moral precepts are not reducible to the ceremonial precepts, but rather vice versa. But among the precepts of the decalogue, one is ceremonial, viz. ”Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day.” Therefore the moral precepts are not reducible to all the precepts of the decalogue.

Obj. 3: Further, the moral precepts are about all the acts of virtue.

But among the precepts of the decalogue are only such as regard acts of justice; as may be seen by going through them all. Therefore the precepts of the decalogue do not include all the moral precepts.

_On the contrary,_ The gloss on Matt. 5:11: ”Blessed are ye when they shall revile you,” etc. says that ”Moses, after propounding the ten precepts, set them out in detail.” Therefore all the precepts of the Law are so many parts of the precepts of the decalogue.

_I answer that,_ The precepts of the decalogue differ from the other precepts of the Law, in the fact that G.o.d Himself is said to have given the precepts of the decalogue; whereas He gave the other precepts to the people through Moses. Wherefore the decalogue includes those precepts the knowledge of which man has immediately from G.o.d. Such are those which with but slight reflection can be gathered at once from the first general principles: and those also which become known to man immediately through divinely infused faith.

Consequently two kinds of precepts are not reckoned among the precepts of the decalogue: viz. first general principles, for they need no further promulgation after being once imprinted on the natural reason to which they are self-evident; as, for instance, that one should do evil to no man, and other similar principles: and again those which the careful reflection of wise men shows to be in accord with reason; since the people receive these principles from G.o.d, through being taught by wise men. Nevertheless both kinds of precepts are contained in the precepts of the decalogue; yet in different ways. For the first general principles are contained in them, as principles in their proximate conclusions; while those which are known through wise men are contained, conversely, as conclusions in their principles.

Reply Obj. 1: Those two principles are the first general principles of the natural law, and are self-evident to human reason, either through nature or through faith. Wherefore all the precepts of the decalogue are referred to these, as conclusions to general principles.

Reply Obj. 2: The precept of the Sabbath observance is moral in one respect, in so far as it commands man to give some time to the things of G.o.d, according to Ps. 45:11: ”Be still and see that I am G.o.d.” In this respect it is placed among the precepts of the decalogue: but not as to the fixing of the time, in which respect it is a ceremonial precept.

Reply Obj. 3: The notion of duty is not so patent in the other virtues as it is in justice. Hence the precepts about the acts of the other virtues are not so well known to the people as are the precepts about acts of justice. Wherefore the acts of justice especially come under the precepts of the decalogue, which are the primary elements of the Law.

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FOURTH ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 100, Art. 4]

Whether the Precepts of the Decalogue Are Suitably Distinguished from One Another?

Objection 1: It would seem that the precepts of the decalogue are unsuitably distinguished from one another. For wors.h.i.+p is a virtue distinct from faith. Now the precepts are about acts of virtue. But that which is said at the beginning of the decalogue, ”Thou shalt not have strange G.o.ds before Me,” belongs to faith: and that which is added, ”Thou shalt not make ... any graven thing,” etc. belongs to wors.h.i.+p. Therefore these are not one precept, as Augustine a.s.serts (Qq. in Exod. qu. lxxi), but two.

Obj. 2: Further, the affirmative precepts in the Law are distinct from the negative precepts; e.g. ”Honor thy father and thy mother,”

and, ”Thou shalt not kill.” But this, ”I am the Lord thy G.o.d,” is affirmative: and that which follows, ”Thou shalt not have strange G.o.ds before Me,” is negative. Therefore these are two precepts, and do not, as Augustine says (Qq. in Exod. qu. lxxi), make one.

Obj. 3: Further, the Apostle says (Rom. 7:7): ”I had not known concupiscence, if the Law did not say: 'Thou shalt not covet.'” Hence it seems that this precept, ”Thou shalt not covet,” is one precept; and, therefore, should not be divided into two.

_On the contrary,_ stands the authority of Augustine who, in commenting on Exodus (Qq. in Exod. qu. lxxi) distinguishes three precepts as referring to G.o.d, and seven as referring to our neighbor.

_I answer that,_ The precepts of the decalogue are differently divided by different authorities. For Hesychius commenting on Lev.

26:26, ”Ten women shall bake your bread in one oven,” says that the precept of the Sabbath-day observance is not one of the ten precepts, because its observance, in the letter, is not binding for all time.

But he distinguishes four precepts pertaining to G.o.d, the first being, ”I am the Lord thy G.o.d”; the second, ”Thou shalt not have strange G.o.ds before Me,” (thus also Jerome distinguishes these two precepts, in his commentary on Osee 10:10, ”On thy” [Vulg.: ”their”]

”two iniquities”); the third precept according to him is, ”Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven thing”; and the fourth, ”Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy G.o.d in vain.” He states that there are six precepts pertaining to our neighbor; the first, ”Honor thy father and thy mother”; the second, ”Thou shalt not kill”; the third, ”Thou shalt not commit adultery”; the fourth, ”Thou shalt not steal”; the fifth, ”Thou shalt not bear false witness”; the sixth, ”Thou shalt not covet.”

But, in the first place, it seems unbecoming for the precept of the Sabbath-day observance to be put among the precepts of the decalogue, if it nowise belonged to the decalogue. Secondly, because, since it is written (Matt. 6:24), ”No man can serve two masters,” the two statements, ”I am the Lord thy G.o.d,” and, ”Thou shalt not have strange G.o.ds before Me” seem to be of the same nature and to form one precept. Hence Origen (Hom. viii in Exod.) who also distinguishes four precepts as referring to G.o.d, unites these two under one precept; and reckons in the second place, ”Thou shalt not make ...

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