Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem unfitting to distinguish six kinds of sin against the Holy Ghost, viz. despair, presumption, impenitence, obstinacy, resisting the known truth, envy of our brother's spiritual good, which are assigned by the Master (Sent. ii, D, 43). For to deny God's justice or mercy belongs to unbelief. Now, by despair, a man rejects God's mercy, and by presumption, His justice. Therefore each of these is a kind of unbelief rather than of the sin against the Holy Ghost.

Objection 2: Further, impenitence, seemingly, regards past sins, while obstinacy regards future sins. Now past and future time do not diversify the species of virtues or vices, since it is the same faith whereby we believe that Christ was born, and those of old believed that He would be born. Therefore obstinacy and impenitence should not be reckoned as two species of sin against the Holy Ghost.

Objection 3: Further, "grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (Jn. 1:17). Therefore it seem that resistance of the known truth, and envy of a brother's spiritual good, belong to blasphemy against the Son rather than against the Holy Ghost.

Objection 4: Further, Bernard says (De Dispens. et Praecept. xi) that "to refuse to obey is to resist the Holy Ghost." Moreover a gloss on Lev. 10:16, says that "a feigned repentance is a blasphemy against the Holy Ghost." Again, schism is, seemingly, directly opposed to the Holy Ghost by Whom the Church is united together. Therefore it seems that the species of sins against the Holy Ghost are insufficiently enumerated.

On the contrary, Augustine (De Fide ad Petrum iii) says that "those who despair of pardon for their sins, or who without merits presume on God's mercy, sin against the Holy Ghost," and (Enchiridion lxxxiii) that "he who dies in a state of obstinacy is guilty of the sin against the Holy Ghost," and (De Verb. Dom., Serm. lxxi) that "impenitence is a sin against the Holy Ghost," and (De Serm. Dom. in Monte xxii), that "to resist fraternal goodness with the brands of envy is to sin against the Holy Ghost," and in his book De unico Baptismo (De Bap. contra Donat. vi, 35) he says that "a man who spurns the truth, is either envious of his brethren to whom the truth is revealed, or ungrateful to God, by Whose inspiration the Church is taught," and therefore, seemingly, sins against the Holy Ghost.

I answer that, The above species are fittingly assigned to the sin against the Holy Ghost taken in the third sense, because they are distinguished in respect of the removal of contempt of those things whereby a man can be prevented from sinning through choice. These things are either on the part of God's judgment, or on the part of His gifts, or on the part of sin. For, by consideration of the Divine judgment, wherein justice is accompanied with mercy, man is hindered from sinning through choice, both by hope, arising from the consideration of the mercy that pardons sins and rewards good deeds, which hope is removed by "despair"; and by fear, arising from the consideration of the Divine justice that punishes sins, which fear is removed by "presumption," when, namely, a man presumes that he can obtain glory without merits, or pardon without repentance.

God's gifts whereby we are withdrawn from sin, are two: one is the acknowledgment of the truth, against which there is the "resistance of the known truth," when, namely, a man resists the truth which he has acknowledged, in order to sin more freely: while the other is the assistance of inward grace, against which there is "envy of a brother's spiritual good," when, namely, a man is envious not only of his brother's person, but also of the increase of Divine grace in the world.

On the part of sin, there are two things which may withdraw man therefrom: one is the inordinateness and shamefulness of the act, the consideration of which is wont to arouse man to repentance for the sin he has committed, and against this there is "impenitence," not as denoting permanence in sin until death, in which sense it was taken above (for thus it would not be a special sin, but a circumstance of sin), but as denoting the purpose of not repenting. The other thing is the smallness or brevity of the good which is sought in sin, according to Rm. 6:21: "What fruit had you therefore then in those things, of which you are now ashamed?" The consideration of this is wont to prevent man's will from being hardened in sin, and this is removed by "obstinacy," whereby man hardens his purpose by clinging to sin. Of these two it is written (Jer. 8:6): "There is none that doth penance for his sin, saying: What have I done?" as regards the first; and, "They are all turned to their own course, as a horse rushing to the battle," as regards the second.

Reply to Objection 1: The sins of despair and presumption consist, not in disbelieving in God's justice and mercy, but in contemning them.

Reply to Objection 2: Obstinacy and impenitence differ not only in respect of past and future time, but also in respect of certain formal aspects by reason of the diverse consideration of those things which may be considered in sin, as explained above.

Reply to Objection 3: Grace and truth were the work of Christ through the gifts of the Holy Ghost which He gave to men.

Reply to Objection 4: To refuse to obey belongs to obstinacy, while a feigned repentance belongs to impenitence, and schism to the envy of a brother's spiritual good, whereby the members of the Church are united together.

Articulus 2

Argumentum 1

Ad secundum sic proceditur. Videtur quod inconvenienter assignentur sex species peccati in spiritum sanctum, scilicet desperatio, praesumptio, impoenitentia, obstinatio, impugnatio veritatis agnitae et invidentia fraternae gratiae; quas species ponit magister, XLIII dist. II Lib. Sent..

Negare enim divinam iustitiam vel misericordiam ad infidelitatem pertinet. Sed per desperationem aliquis reiicit divinam misericordiam, per praesumptionem autem divinam iustitiam.

Ergo unumquodque eorum potius est species infidelitatis quam peccati in spiritum sanctum.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, impoenitentia videtur respicere peccatum praeteritum, obstinatio autem peccatum futurum. Sed praeteritum vel futurum non diversificant speciem virtutis vel vitii, secundum enim eandem fidem qua credimus christum natum, antiqui crediderunt eum nasciturum. Ergo obstinatio et impoenitentia non debent poni duae species peccati in spiritum sanctum.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, veritas et gratia per iesum christum facta est, ut habetur Ioan. I.

Ergo videtur quod impugnatio veritatis agnitae et invidentia fraternae gratiae magis pertineant ad blasphemiam in filium hominis quam ad blasphemiam in spiritum sanctum.

Argumentum 4

Praeterea, bernardus dicit, in libro de dispensat. Et praecept., quod nolle obedire est resistere spiritui sancto.

Glossa etiam dicit, Levit. X, quod simulata poenitentia est blasphemia spiritus sancti.

Schisma etiam videtur directe opponi spiritui sancto, per quem ecclesia unitur. Et ita videtur quod non sufficienter tradantur species peccati in spiritum sanctum.

Sed Contra

Sed contra, Augustinus dicit, in libro de fide ad Petrum, quod illi qui desperant de indulgentia peccatorum, vel qui sine meritis de misericordia dei praesumunt, peccant in spiritum sanctum.

Et in enchiridio dicit quod qui in obstinatione mentis diem claudit extremum, reus est peccato in spiritum sanctum.

Et in libro de verb. Dom. Dicit quod impoenitentia est peccatum in spiritum sanctum.

Et in libro de serm. Dom. In monte dicit quod invidiae facibus fraternitatem impugnare est peccare in spiritum sanctum.

Et in libro de unico bapt. Dicit quod qui veritatem contemnit, aut circa fratres malignus est, quibus veritas revelatur; aut circa deum ingratus, cuius inspiratione ecclesia instruitur; et sic videtur quod peccet in spiritum sanctum.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod, secundum quod peccatum in spiritum sanctum tertio modo accipitur, convenienter praedictae species ei assignantur. Quae distinguuntur secundum remotionem vel contemptum eorum per quae potest homo ab electione peccati impediri.

Quae quidem sunt vel ex parte divini iudicii; vel ex parte donorum ipsius; vel etiam ex parte ipsius peccati. Avertitur enim homo ab electione peccati ex consideratione divini iudicii, quod habet iustitiam cum misericordia, et per spem, quae consurgit ex consideratione misericordiae remittentis peccata et praemiantis bona, et haec tollitur per desperationem, et iterum per timorem, qui insurgit ex consideratione divinae iustitiae punientis peccata; et hic tollitur per praesumptionem, dum scilicet aliquis se praesumit gloriam adipisci sine meritis, vel veniam sine poenitentia.

Dona autem dei quibus retrahimur a peccato sunt duo. Quorum unum est agnitio veritatis, contra quod ponitur impugnatio veritatis agnitae, dum scilicet aliquis veritatem fidei agnitam impugnat ut licentius peccet. Aliud est auxilium interioris gratiae, contra quod ponitur invidentia fraternae gratiae, dum scilicet aliquis non solum invidet personae fratris, sed etiam invidet gratiae dei crescenti in mundo.

Ex parte vero peccati duo sunt quae hominem a peccato retrahere possunt. Quorum unum est inordinatio et turpitudo actus, cuius consideratio inducere solet in homine poenitentiam de peccato commisso. Et contra hoc ponitur impoenitentia, non quidem eo modo quo dicit permanentiam in peccato usque ad mortem, sicut supra impoenitentia accipiebatur (sic enim non esset speciale peccatum, sed quaedam peccati circumstantia); sed accipitur hic impoenitentia secundum quod importat propositum non poenitendi.

Aliud autem est parvitas et brevitas boni quod quis in peccato quaerit, secundum illud Rom. VI, quem fructum habuistis in quibus nunc erubescitis? cuius consideratio inducere solet hominem ad hoc quod eius voluntas in peccato non firmetur. Et hoc tollitur per obstinationem, quando scilicet homo firmat suum propositum in hoc quod peccato inhaereat.

Et de his duobus dicitur Ierem. VIII, nullus est qui agat poenitentiam super peccato suo, dicens, quid feci? quantum ad primum; omnes conversi sunt ad cursum quasi equus impetu vadens ad praelium, quantum ad secundum.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod peccatum desperationis vel praesumptionis non consistit in hoc quod dei iustitia vel misericordia non credatur, sed in hoc quod contemnatur.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod obstinatio et impoenitentia non solum differunt secundum praeteritum et futurum, sed secundum quasdam formales rationes ex diversa consideratione eorum quae in peccato considerari possunt, ut dictum est.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod gratiam et veritatem christus fecit per dona spiritus sancti, quae hominibus dedit.

Ad 4

Ad quartum dicendum quod nolle obedire pertinet ad obstinationem; simulatio poenitentiae ad impoenitentiam; schisma ad invidentiam fraternae gratiae, per quam membra ecclesiae uniuntur.