The Originality of the Concept of Subsistence in the work of Jacques Maritain

Jacques Maritain presents Thomism as the most valid form of existentialism inasmuch as it affirms the primacy of existence yet without denying the essence, as many existentialists have done. In that primordial metaphysical relation, subsistence is the mode or state of the essence that introduces it into the existential order so that, in this way, it can exist. This concept, which begins with formulations that are very close to those proposed by Cajetan, are developed with a particular vision of Thomistic existentialism and in it his personalism finds its metaphysical foundation. The objective of this work is present precisely this notion and its development in the thought of Maritain.

Obediential potency in Francisco Suárez’ De beatitudine

The aim of this article is to introduce Francisco Suárez’s definition of obediential potency in the context of one of his first essays: De beatitudine. When analysing this notion, we are able to understand the link between deity and human agency, and also give account of Suárez’s progressive distancing from Aristotle and Aquinas. His conception of obediential potency manifests the novelty of his philosophical system, where human autonomy and will are highlighted, and, at the same time, it represents the confluence point of his metaphysical, theological and ethical theses.

The collative aprehension of the natural estimative in Thomas Aquinas

Although it has occasionally been mentioned in some Thomistic studies in recent decades, the collative act of natural estimative has not been the subject of a detailed research. Due to the intrinsic complexity of the particular intentio, formal object of this faculty, its apprehension involves an articulation or collatio between two instances: the condition of the cognizer and the nature of the singular represented by the imagination. This confrontation becomes more complex to the extent that different intentiones come together in the same cognizer, mainly thanks to the operation of memory.

Finality, command and action

The present article constitutes an attempt to show how the concept of imperium (command) in Thomas Aquinas, read in light of authors such as Alejandro Vigo and Harry Frankfurt, contributes to the understanding of the action in the context of the human life.
It is when the free action is considered in light of the imperium that we recognize it as something more than itself: more than the effect of an impulse, more than a corporal movement, more than an isolated act from a sole operative principle.
Such something more means that an action can contain, in its apparent meaningless reality, the very purpose of a life.

Three medieval examples of “pure love”: The cathar heresy, Peter Abelard’s doctrine of the love of God and the “pure love” of Heloise

We focus on three medieval examples of pure love – the conception of love in the Cathar heresy, which is manifested in the legend of Tristan and Isolde, Peter Abelard’s doctrine of the love of God and the pure love of Heloise -, to show that there is a philosophical and theological conception of love. Allows us to draw a general conclusion: behind the myth of romantic love there is a secret that has to do with death. Since there is a close correlation between the way we understand human love and the way we understand man’s love for God, an error in the interpretation of the one inevitably leads to an erroneous interpretation of the other.

Jesus, he who is he. The Burning Bush after the empty Sepulchre

“God, he who is”, revealed himself by manifesting his Name and his Glory. Understanding the deep meaning of the words “YHWH” and “Jesus”, and the circumstances in which they were revealed, is fundamental for a better understanding of the divine nature. The Glory of God, visible in the manna. (Ex 16, 4), Sinai (Ex 24, 15), the Tabernacle (Ex 40, 34) and the Temple (2 Cro 5, 11), ceased to be so until become flesh in Christ, whose Easter illuminates the meaning of the Name of God.

Kripke´s necessity of biological origin and Aristotle´s hypothetical necessity of efficient cause. A comparison

This paper tries a reduction of one the so called properties of origin defended by Saul Kripke into Aristotelian terms. In special, we comment several passages from the Metaphysics, the Physics, and the main biological works as well, in order to show that Aristotle´s hypothetical necessity of efficient cause is formally equivalent to the necessity of biological origin.

IN MEMORIAM María Celestina Donadío Maggi de Gandolfi

On Monday, August 17, 2020, María Celestina Donadío Maggi de Gandolfi, known to her friends, colleagues and students, among whom I count myself, as Marycel, departed to the House of the Father. It is a great loss for his friends and family, but also for the academy and, especially, for the Spanish-speaking Thomism, who will miss his impetus and his strength when it comes to spreading the thought of Aquinate.

Hispanic Thomist Bibliography of the Year 2019

Continuing the repertoire started seven years ago, in this issue of Espíritu we collect the 2019 Hispanic Thomist bibliography. With the adjective “Hispanic” we specify that this catalog includes publications in any of the languages born in ancient Hispania: Spanish, Portuguese and Galician, Catalan and Basque

The Unity of the Church in the work of Carlos Alberto Sacheri. 25 years after the Ut unum Sint of Saint John Paul II

In the Encyclical Letter Ut unum synt, Saint John Paul II recalls that:
“Before his Passion, Jesus himself prayed that” they may all be one “(Jn 17:21). This unity, which the Lord gave to his Church and in which he wants to embrace all, is not accessory, but is in the the very center of his work. It is not equivalent to a secondary attribute of the community of his disciples. It belongs to the very being of the community. God wants the Church, because he wants unity and in unity the whole depth of his agape is expressed. “

SERGE THOMAS BONINO. Saint Thomas d’Aquin, lecteur du Cantique des Cantiques

Thomas Aquinas did not comment on the Song of Songs, but his works and his own spiritual experience show a deep assimilation of these enigmatic pages of the Bible. Serge-Thomas Bonino, one of the greatest exponents of contemporary Thomism, takes advantage of the presence of the Song in the writings of Aquinate to offer a penetrating study about the use that medieval theologian makes of some themes or images of the holy book.

XAVIER PREVOSTI. La libertad ¿indeterminación o donación?

In the interesting collection of Thomistic Studies of the recent Cor Iesu Editions a new work has been published on the perennial theme of freedom. Its author, Xavier Prevosti Vives, who presented the work as a doctoral thesis obtaining the highest qualification, delves into the study of the metaphysical foundation of “one of the most precious gifts that the heavens gave to men” as Don Quixote said . In this case, however, the travel guide will not be our literary giant but another philosophical-theological giant: Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Issue 160

Issue 160 Year 69 | 2020 Presentation Articles Divine providence, guardian angel and dignity of the human person Serge-Thomas Bonino The Originality of the Concept of Subsistence in the work of Jacques Maritain Juan Agustín Ambrosini Obediential potency in Francisco...