GUIDE TO THE PHILOSOPHY 1938 - 1947.pdf - Rare Books at ...

THE SPLIT 199
looking to a single spiritual head. That man was a spiritual
being was generally agreed, and the belief in his future
life was universally accepted. For this future life, earthly
existence was a preparation, and it was with reference
to it that earthly duties were defined. What was the place
of politics in such a scheme? The injunction to render
unto Caesar the things that were Caesar's had the highest
authority, and should no doubt be followed. But what,
in feet, did it entail? The question was one by which
St. Thomas was considerably exercised. If men's souls
are immortal, in what sense can they belong to the State?
If men's duty, and allegiance are owed to a heavenly ruler,
to do His will and keep His commandments, how can
they be under the command of an earthly one? What,
in short, should be the limits. of a necessary temporal
power over essentially spiritual beings?
St. Thomas's conclusions may be stated briefly as
follows. First, man has two natures, a natural 1 and a
supernatural, and he can live upon the plane of either.
Secondly, the salvation of the individual soul lies not in
this life, but in the hereafter. The salvation of man's
soul will, therefore, be achieved not by his natural but
of the
by his supernatural nature. Thirdly, the object
State is the promotion of the good of the individuals
who compose it, that is to say, in die last resort the preparation
of their souls for salvation. So far, no particular
difficulty has presented itself, but at this point a problem
arises. The State must, St. Thomas agrees, possess authority,
if only to enable it to perform its function of promoting
the good of its citizens. Yet God is the ultimate authority
in all things, and his power extends no less over man's
natural, than over his supernatural, self. Over man's
supernatural self God's authority is unchallenged and
supreme, but over man's natural self, so far as it junctions
1 Thc word "natural" is not here used in its Greek meaning to
denote the fullest development of a man's potentialities. St. Thomas
uses it in ft sense *wiucti approximates move closeiy to its modern
meaning, to denote man primitive, and, on St. Thomas s pfenusei,
unrry.ncffate, sen*
En