Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that it was unfitting to the words, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart," to add, "and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength" (Dt. 6:5). For heart does not mean here a part of the body, since to love God is not a bodily action: and therefore heart is to be taken here in a spiritual sense. Now the heart understood spiritually is either the soul itself or part of the soul. Therefore it is superfluous to mention both heart and soul.

Objection 2: Further, a man's strength whether spiritual or corporal depends on the heart. Therefore after the words, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart," it was unnecessary to add, "with all thy strength."

Objection 3: Further, in Mt. 22:37 we read: "With all thy mind," which words do not occur here. Therefore it seems that this precept is unfittingly worded in Dt. 6.

On the contrary stands the authority of Scripture.

I answer that, This precept is differently worded in various places: for, as we said in the first objection, in Dt. 6 three points are mentioned: "with thy whole heart," and "with thy whole soul," and "with thy whole strength." In Mt. 22 we find two of these mentioned, viz. "with thy whole heart" and "with thy whole soul," while "with thy whole strength" is omitted, but "with thy whole mind" is added. Yet in Mark 12 we find all four, viz. "with thy whole heart," and "with thy whole soul," and "with thy whole mind," and "with thy whole force" which is the same as "strength." Moreover, these four are indicated in Luke 10, where in place of "strength" or "force" we read "with all thy might."

Accordingly these four have to be explained, since the fact that one of them is omitted here or there is due to one implying another. We must therefore observe that love is an act of the will which is here denoted by the "heart," because just as the bodily heart is the principle of all the movements of the body, so too the will, especially as regards the intention of the last end which is the object of charity, is the principle of all the movements of the soul. Now there are three principles of action that are moved by the will, namely, the intellect which is signified by "the mind," the lower appetitive power, signified by "the soul"; and the exterior executive power signified by "strength," "force" or "might." Accordingly we are commanded to direct our whole intention to God, and this is signified by the words "with thy whole heart"; to submit our intellect to God, and this is expressed in the words "with thy whole mind"; to regulate our appetite according to God, in the words "with thy whole soul"; and to obey God in our external actions, and this is to love God with our whole "strength," "force" or "might."

Chrysostom , on the other hand, takes "heart" and "soul" in the contrary sense; and Augustine (De Doctr. Christ. i, 22) refers "heart" to the thought, "soul" to the manner of life, and "mind" to the intellect. Again some explain "with thy whole heart" as denoting the intellect, "with thy whole soul" as signifying the will, "with thy mind" as pointing to the memory. And again, according to Gregory of Nyssa (De Hom. Opif. viii), "heart" signifies the vegetative soul, "soul" the sensitive, and "mind" the intellective soul, because our nourishment, sensation, and understanding ought all to be referred by us to God.

This suffices for the Replies to the Objections.

Articulus 5

Argumentum 1

Ad quintum sic proceditur. Videtur quod inconvenienter, Deut. VI, super hoc quod dicitur, diliges dominum deum tuum ex toto corde tuo, addatur, et ex tota anima tua et ex tota fortitudine tua.

Non enim accipitur hic cor pro membro corporali, quia diligere deum non est corporis actus. Oportet igitur quod cor accipiatur spiritualiter. Cor autem spiritualiter acceptum vel est ipsa anima vel aliquid animae. Superfluum igitur fuit utrumque ponere.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, fortitudo hominis praecipue dependet ex corde, sive spiritualiter hoc accipiatur, sive corporaliter.

Ergo postquam dixerat, diliges dominum deum tuum ex toto corde tuo, superfluum fuit addere, ex tota fortitudine tua.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, Matth. XXII dicitur, in tota mente tua, quod hic non ponitur. Ergo videtur quod inconvenienter hoc praeceptum detur Deut. VI.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est auctoritas Scripturae.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod hoc praeceptum diversimode invenitur traditum in diversis locis.

Nam sicut dictum est, Deut. VI ponuntur tria, scilicet ex toto corde, et ex tota anima, et ex tota fortitudine.

Matth. XXII ponuntur duo horum, scilicet ex toto corde et in tota anima, et omittitur ex tota fortitudine, sed additur in tota mente.

Sed Marc. XII ponuntur quatuor, scilicet ex toto corde, et ex tota anima, et ex tota mente, et ex tota virtute, quae est idem fortitudini.

Et haec etiam quatuor tanguntur Luc. X, nam loco fortitudinis seu virtutis ponitur ex omnibus viribus tuis.

Et ideo horum quatuor est ratio assignanda, nam quod alicubi unum horum omittitur, hoc est quia unum intelligitur ex aliis.

Est igitur considerandum quod dilectio est actus voluntatis, quae hic significatur per cor, nam sicut cor corporale est principium omnium corporalium motuum, ita etiam voluntas, et maxime quantum ad intentionem finis ultimi, quod est obiectum caritatis, est principium omnium spiritualium motuum. Tria autem sunt principia factuum quae moventur a voluntate, scilicet intellectus, qui significatur per mentem; vis appetitiva inferior, quae significatur per animam; et vis executiva exterior, quae significatur per fortitudinem seu virtutem sive vires.

Praecipitur ergo nobis ut tota nostra intentio feratur in deum, quod est ex toto corde; et quod intellectus noster subdatur deo, quod est ex tota mente; et quod appetitus noster reguletur secundum deum, quod est ex tota anima; et quod exterior actus noster obediat deo, quod est ex tota fortitudine vel virtute vel viribus deum diligere.

Chrysostomus tamen, super Matth., accipit e contrario cor et animam quam dictum sit.

Augustinus vero, in I de doct. Christ., refert cor ad cogitationes, et animam ad vitam, mentem ad intellectum.

Quidam autem dicunt, ex toto corde, idest intellectu; anima, idest voluntate; mente, idest memoria.

Vel, secundum Gregorium Nyssenum, per cor significat animam vegetabilem, per animam sensitivam, per mentem intellectivam, quia hoc quod nutrimur, sentimus et intelligimus, debemus ad deum referre.

Et per hoc patet responsio ad obiecta.