Saint Thomas – doctor gratiae? The Primacy of Divine Grace in Aquinas’ Thought in the Light of Sixteenth-century Confessional Polemics

Abstract

The author seeks to underline these elements of Saint Thomas Aquinas’ teaching on the necessity of divine grace which concern the fundamental theological issues of the Reformation. A brief analysis of Luther’s idea about Scholastic theology and his reasons for rejection of the Catholic doctrine on grace, in the light of Aquinas’ teaching, indicates that Luther probably did not know the original thought of Doctor Angelicus. The article consists of two parts. The first is devoted to Luther’s rejection of Scholastic theology and the problem of Luther’s knowledge of Aquinas’ works. The second part presents Aquinas’ theses on the necessity of divine grace which coincide with some Luther’s theological intuitions.