Part III (Secunda Secundae) Part 234 (1/2)

Reply Obj. 2: Man arrives at humility in two ways. First and chiefly by a gift of grace, and in this way the inner man precedes the outward man. The other way is by human effort, whereby he first of all restrains the outward man, and afterwards succeeds in plucking out the inward root. It is according to this order that the degrees of humility are here enumerated.

Reply Obj. 3: All the degrees mentioned by Anselm are reducible to knowledge, avowal, and desire of one's own abas.e.m.e.nt. For the first degree belongs to the knowledge of one's own deficiency; but since it would be wrong for one to love one's own failings, this is excluded by the second degree. The third and fourth degrees regard the avowal of one's own deficiency; namely that not merely one simply a.s.sert one's failing, but that one convince another of it. The other three degrees have to do with the appet.i.te, which seeks, not outward excellence, but outward abas.e.m.e.nt, or bears it with equanimity, whether it consist of words or deeds. For as Gregory says (Regist.

ii, 10, Ep. 36), ”there is nothing great in being humble towards those who treat us with regard, for even worldly people do this: but we should especially be humble towards those who make us suffer,” and this belongs to the fifth and sixth degrees: or the appet.i.te may even go so far as lovingly to embrace external abas.e.m.e.nt, and this pertains to the seventh degree; so that all these degrees are comprised under the sixth and seventh mentioned above.

Reply Obj. 4: These degrees refer, not to the thing itself, namely the nature of humility, but to the degrees among men, who are either of higher or lower or of equal degree.

Reply Obj. 5: This argument also considers the degrees of humility not according to the nature of the thing, in respect of which the aforesaid degrees are a.s.signed, but according to the various conditions of men.

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QUESTION 162

OF PRIDE (In Eight Articles)

We must next consider pride, and (1) pride in general; (2) the first man's sin, which we hold to have been pride. Under the first head there are eight points of inquiry:

(1) Whether pride is a sin?

(2) Whether it is a special vice?

(3) Wherein does it reside as in its subject?

(4) Of its species;

(5) Whether it is a mortal sin?

(6) Whether it is the most grievous of all sins?

(7) Of its relation to other sins;

(8) Whether it should be reckoned a capital vice?

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FIRST ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 162, Art. 1]

Whether Pride Is a Sin?

Objection 1: It would seem that pride is not a sin. For no sin is the object of G.o.d's promise. For G.o.d's promises refer to what He will do; and He is not the author of sin. Now pride is numbered among the Divine promises: for it is written (Isa. 60:15): ”I will make thee to be an everlasting pride [Douay: 'glory'], a joy unto generation and generation.” Therefore pride is not a sin.

Obj. 2: Further, it is not a sin to wish to be like unto G.o.d: for every creature has a natural desire for this; and especially does this become the rational creature which is made to G.o.d's image and likeness. Now it is said in Prosper's Lib. Sent. 294, that ”pride is love of one's own excellence, whereby one is likened to G.o.d who is supremely excellent.” Hence Augustine says (Confess. ii, 6): ”Pride imitates exaltedness; whereas Thou alone art G.o.d exalted over all.”

Therefore pride is not a sin.

Obj. 3: Further, a sin is opposed not only to a virtue but also to a contrary vice, as the Philosopher states (Ethic. ii, 8). But no vice is found to be opposed to pride. Therefore pride is not a sin.

_On the contrary,_ It is written (Tob. 4:14): ”Never suffer pride to reign in thy mind or in thy words.”

_I answer that,_ Pride (_superbia_) is so called because a man thereby aims higher (_supra_) than he is; wherefore Isidore says (Etym. x): ”A man is said to be proud, because he wishes to appear above (super) what he really is”; for he who wishes to overstep beyond what he is, is proud. Now right reason requires that every man's will should tend to that which is proportionate to him.

Therefore it is evident that pride denotes something opposed to right reason, and this shows it to have the character of sin, because according to Dionysius (Div. Nom. iv, 4), ”the soul's evil is to be opposed to reason.” Therefore it is evident that pride is a sin.

Reply Obj. 1: Pride (_superbia_) may be understood in two ways.

First, as overpa.s.sing (_supergreditur_) the rule of reason, and in this sense we say that it is a sin. Secondly, it may simply denominate ”super-abundance”; in which sense any super-abundant thing may be called pride: and it is thus that G.o.d promises pride as significant of super-abundant good. Hence a gloss of Jerome on the same pa.s.sage (Isa. 61:6) says that ”there is a good and an evil pride”; or ”a sinful pride which G.o.d resists, and a pride that denotes the glory which He bestows.”

It may also be replied that pride there signifies abundance of those things in which men may take pride.