Testaments - “The Inaugural Sermons”
Aquinas expounds, “Sacred Scripture leads to this life in two ways, by commanding and by helping. Commanding through the mandates which it proposes, which belong to the Old Testament. Ecclesiasticus 24:33: ‘Moses commanded a law in the precepts of justice.' Helping, through the gift of grace which the lawgiver dispenses, which pertains to the New Testament. Both of these are touched on in John 1:17." The contents outlined in the scripture are intended to offer direction to humanity on how to lead their lives. The Old Testament fulfills the function of offering instructions to all humanity. Comparatively, the New Testament aids in underscoring all the edicts that are provided in the Old Testament. The two testaments complement each other when relaying God’s message.
Mystery - “The Inaugural Sermons”
Aquinas elaborates, “They (prophets) can be distinguished in another way, insofar as Isaiah chiefly foretells the mystery of the Incarnation, which is why he is read during the time of Advent by the Church, and Jeremiah the mystery of the Passion, he is read in Passiontide, and Ezekiel the mystery of the Resurrection, hence this book finishes with the raising of the bones and the repair of the temple.” The prophecies provided by the Old Testament were mysterious. Therefore, the implication and meanings of the prophecies were not straightforward. The messages were coded; hence, it took wisdom to comprehend what the prophets were implying. The mysterious nature of the prophecies accentuates God’s omniscience.
“Soul and Body” - “The Love of Wisdom. Exposition of Metaphysics”
Aquinas expounds, “As the Philosopher (Aristotle) teaches in the Politics, when several things are ordered to one, it is necessary that one is regulative or ruling and the others regulated or directed. This is clear from the union of soul and body, for the soul naturally commands and the body obey.” The ‘soul and body’ are the major components of a human being. The soul is intangible whereas the body is tangible, and the soul regulates all the activities of the body. Accordingly, a body cannot be separated from its soul.
“Sacrament” - “What is a Sacrament?”
Aquinas explains, “Something can be called a sacrament either because it has in itself some hidden holiness, and according to this a sacrament is the same as a sacred secret, or because it has some order to its holiness, whether of cause or sign or whatever other relation. But we speak now especially of the sacraments insofar as they imply the relation of sign.” A sacrament has a religious and symbolic significance. Believers use sacraments to fulfill religious functions in line with their faiths. Sacraments have distinct guidelines that ought to be upheld to them to be pertinent.
Virtues - “The Virtues”
Aquinas elucidates, “It should be said that virtue signifies the perfection of a power, but a thing’s perfection is read chiefly in terms of its end. But to act is the end of a power. Hence a power can be said to be perfected insofar as it is determined to its act. Now some powers are such that they are of themselves determined to their acts, such as the natural active powers, and these powers are themselves called virtues.” Here, Aquinas means that for people to uphold virtues, they must be rational. Rationality permits human beings to weigh the implications of their actions. Virtues are components of individuals’ habits; they should be upheld continuously for them to become omnipresent customs in the lives of individuals.
