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Summa Theologiae · II-II, q. 25

Question 25. Of the Object of Charity

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Second Part of the Second Part. 12 articles.

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Text: Summa Theologiae, Project Gutenberg #18755, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province. The Second Part of the Second Part of the Summa in the English Dominican translation (first printed 1911 to 1925; second and revised edition from 1920). A sample check on 2026-11-09 against pre-1931 printings at the Internet Archive (first printings of 1915 and 1916 and the second and revised edition of the 1920s) found that the article text matches, with no 1947 introduction, synopsis, or index. Question and article numbers were added by the transcriber. Rights: Public domain (US)

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We must now consider the object of charity; which consideration will be twofold: (1) The things we ought to love out of charity: (2) The order in which they ought to be loved. Under the first head there are twelve points of inquiry:

(1) Whether we should love God alone, out of charity, or should we love our neighbor also?

(2) Whether charity should be loved out of charity?

(3) Whether irrational creatures ought to be loved out of charity?

(4) Whether one may love oneself out of charity?

(5) Whether one's own body?

(6) Whether sinners should be loved out of charity?

(7) Whether sinners love themselves?

(8) Whether we should love our enemies out of charity?

(9) Whether we are bound to show them tokens of friendship?

(10) Whether we ought to love the angels out of charity?

(11) Whether we ought to love the demons?

(12) How to enumerate the things we are bound to love out of charity.

Articles

  1. Whether the Love of Charity Stops at God, or Extends to Our Neighbor?
  2. Whether We Should Love Charity Out of Charity?
  3. Whether Irrational Creatures Also Ought to Be Loved Out of Charity?
  4. Whether a Man Ought to Love Himself Out of Charity?
  5. Whether a Man Ought to Love His Body Out of Charity?
  6. Whether We Ought to Love Sinners Out of Charity?
  7. Whether Sinners Love Themselves?
  8. Whether Charity Requires That We Should Love Our Enemies?
  9. Whether It Is Necessary for Salvation That We Should Show Our Enemies the Signs and Effects of Love?
  10. Whether We Ought to Love the Angels Out of Charity?
  11. Whether We Are Bound to Love the Demons Out of Charity?
  12. Whether Four Things Are Rightly Reckoned As to Be Loved Out of Charity, Viz. God, Our Neighbor, Our Body and Ourselves?

Also online, linked only: the same translation at New Advent and the Latin text at Corpus Thomisticum. Neither is copied here.

Source: Thomas Aquinas. Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part. Project Gutenberg #18755. Project Gutenberg record. Public domain in the USA. Outside the U.S., check local copyright rules. Project Gutenberg notices retained. The full Project Gutenberg license is kept in the hosted text.