1.1 Mercātor a merchant quīdam a certain nōmine by name Benedictus Benedict ad to mē me vēnit came et and dīxit said —”Magister Master audīvī I have heard quod that in in terrīs lands longīnquīs far distant hominēs people innumerābilēs innumerable famē from famine pereunt are perishing —mātrēs mothers cum with līberīs their children morientibus dying —agrī fields bellō by war vastātī devastated —nūntiant they report eam it esse to be maximam the greatest famem famine quam that aetās our age nostra our vīderit” has seen
1.2 “Ego I autem however dīves am wealthy sum am —nōn not negō do I deny it —sed but dīvitiae my riches meae my labōre by the labour meō my own partae were gained sunt they were —teneorne am I bound hīs to these people quōs whom numquam never vīdī I have seen subvenīre?” to come to the aid of
1.3 Bona a good quaestiō question —et and digna worthy quae which dīligenter carefully tractētur should be treated
UTRUM whether DĪVITĒS the rich TENEANTUR are bound PAUPERIBUS to the poor IN in EXTRĒMĀ extreme NECESSITĀTE necessity SUBVENĪRE to help
3.1 Prīmum first —vidētur it seems quod that nōn not —nam for cāritās charity est is virtūs a virtue quae which ā from voluntāte the will prōcēdit proceeds —quod but what autem however ex from obligātiōne obligation fit is done iam already nōn not est is cāritās charity sed but dēbitum a debt —ergō therefore subvenīre to help nōn not potest can esse be obligātiō an obligation
3.2 Praetereā furthermore —nēmō no one tenētur is bound ad to impossibilia impossible things —sed but innumerābilēs innumerable hominēs people ēsuriunt are starving ubīque everywhere terrārum in the world —ūnus one autem however homo man omnibus all subvenīre to help nōn not potest is able —ergō therefore nōn not tenētur he is bound
3.3 Praetereā furthermore —dīvitiae riches sunt are rēs things propriae one’s own eius of him quī who eās them labōre by his labour suō his own adquīsīvit has acquired —nēmō no one autem however tenētur is bound rēs things suās his own dare to give aliīs to others nisi unless ex from contrāctū a contract —ergō therefore obligātiō an obligation nōn does not est exist
4.1 Sed but contrā against this est is quod what dīcitur is said in in Prīmā the First Epistulā Epistle Iōannis of John —”quī he who habuerit possesses substantiam the goods mundī of the world et and vīderit sees frātrem his brother suum his necessitatem in need habentem having et and clauserit closes viscera his heart sua his ab from eō him —quōmodo how cāritās the love Deī of God manet remains in in eō?” him
5.1 Respondeō I reply dīcendum that it must be said quod that hīc here distinguendum a distinction must be made est is
5.2 Rēs the things exteriōrēs external quās which homo a man possidet possesses dupliciter in two ways cōnsīderārī can be considered possunt they can —ūnō in one modō way quantum as regards ad to potestātem the power prōcūrandī of managing et and dispēnsandī distributing —aliō in another modō way quantum as regards ad to ūsum the use
5.3 Quantum as regards ad to prīmum the first licitum it is lawful est is quod that homo a man propria his own things possideat should possess —et and hoc this necessārium necessary est is ad for vītam human hūmānam life
5.4 Quantum as regards autem however ad to ūsum the use —nōn not dēbet ought homo a man rēs things exteriōrēs external habēre to have ut as propriās his own sed but ut as commūnēs common —ut so that scīlicet namely dē from facili them readily eās them commūnicet he shares in in necessitātēs the needs aliōrum of others
5.5 Et and hīc here rūrsus again distinguendum a distinction must be made est is —sunt there are enim for rēs things quae which ad for necessitātem the necessities vītae of life pertinent are needed —et and sunt there are rēs things quae which superflua superfluous sunt are —id that est is quae which ultrā beyond necessitātem the necessities propriam his own et and suōrum of his dependants possidentur are possessed
5.6 Quae those things which autem however superflua superfluous sunt are ex from iūre the right nātūrālī natural dēbentur are owed pauperum of the poor sustentātiōnī for the support
5.7 In in extrēmā extreme autem moreover necessitāte necessity omnia all things sunt are commūnia common —nam for sī if frāter a brother tuus your moritur is dying famē of famine et and tū you habēs have plūs more quam than necessitās necessity tua your requīrit requires —quod what superat is left over nōn not tuum yours est is sed but eius his quī who indiget is in need
6.1 Ad to prīmum the first ergō therefore dīcendum it must be said quod that obiectio the objection prōcēdit proceeds ac as sī if obligātiō obligation et and cāritās charity contrāriae contrary essent were —sed but hoc this nōn not ita so sē itself habet has —nam for cāritās charity ipsa itself obligātiōnem an obligation generat generates —quī he who enim for proximum his neighbour amat loves ex from ipsō the very amōre love eī to him subvenīre to help tenētur is bound —nōn not contrā against cāritātem charity sed but propter on account of cāritātem charity
7.1 Ad to secundum the second dīcendum it must be said quod that nōn not tenētur is bound quis anyone omnibus all subvenīre to help —sed but tenētur he is bound eīs to those quibus for whom subvenīre to help potest he is able —et and quī he who potest is able et and nōn does not facit do so peccat sins
7.2 Nōn not enim for exigitur is it demanded ut that ūnus one homo man tōtum the whole mundum world servet should save —sed but exigitur it is demanded ut that partem the part suam his own faciat he should do —et and sī if omnēs all partem their part suam their own facerent would do nēmō no one famē from famine perīret would perish
8.1 Ad to tertium the third dīcendum it must be said quod that homo a man rēs things exteriōrēs external possidet possesses nōn not ut as dominus an owner absolūtus absolute sed but ut as dispensātor a steward —nam for Deus God est is dominus the Lord omnium of all things —homo man autem however prōcūrātor the manager
8.2 Et and prōcūrātor a manager quī who rēs the things dominī of his lord suī his abscondit hides dum while servī the servants eius his moriuntur are dying famē from famine —ille that man nōn not fidēlis a faithful prōcūrātor steward est is sed but fūr a thief
9.1 Benedictus Benedict tacuit was silent aliquamdiū for a while —deinde then dīxit he said —”Magister Master haec these things dūra are hard sunt they are sed but vēra” true
9.2 Respondī I replied —”nōn not dūra hard sunt are they sed but iūsta just —et and quod what iūstum just est is numquam never vērē truly dūrum hard est is —nam for iūstitia justice facientī for the one doing it pācem peace affert brings nōn not onus” a burden
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1.1 Mercātor quīdam nōmine Benedictus ad mē vēnit et dīxit: “Magister, audīvī quod in terrīs longīnquīs hominēs innumerābilēs famē pereunt — mātrēs cum līberīs morientibus — agrī bellō vastātī — nūntiant eam esse maximam famem quam aetās nostra vīderit.”
1.2 “Ego autem dīves sum — nōn negō — sed dīvitiae meae labōre meō partae sunt — teneorne hīs quōs numquam vīdī subvenīre?”
1.3 Bona quaestiō — et digna quae dīligenter tractētur.
UTRUM DĪVITĒS TENEANTUR PAUPERIBUS IN EXTRĒMĀ NECESSITĀTE SUBVENĪRE.
3.1 Prīmum — vidētur quod nōn — nam cāritās est virtūs quae ā voluntāte prōcēdit — quod autem ex obligātiōne fit iam nōn est cāritās sed dēbitum — ergō subvenīre nōn potest esse obligātiō.
3.2 Praetereā — nēmō tenētur ad impossibilia — sed innumerābilēs hominēs ēsuriunt ubīque terrārum — ūnus autem homo omnibus subvenīre nōn potest — ergō nōn tenētur.
3.3 Praetereā — dīvitiae sunt rēs propriae eius quī eās labōre suō adquīsīvit — nēmō autem tenētur rēs suās dare aliīs nisi ex contrāctū — ergō obligātiō nōn est.
4.1 Sed contrā est quod dīcitur in Prīmā Epistulā Iōannis: “Quī habuerit substantiam mundī et vīderit frātrem suum necessitatem habentem et clauserit viscera sua ab eō — quōmodo cāritās Deī manet in eō?”
5.1 Respondeō dīcendum quod hīc distinguendum est.
5.2 Rēs exteriōrēs quās homo possidet dupliciter cōnsīderārī possunt — ūnō modō quantum ad potestātem prōcūrandī et dispēnsandī — aliō modō quantum ad ūsum.
5.3 Quantum ad prīmum, licitum est quod homo propria possideat — et hoc necessārium est ad vītam hūmānam.
5.4 Quantum autem ad ūsum, nōn dēbet homo rēs exteriōrēs habēre ut propriās sed ut commūnēs — ut scīlicet dē facili eās commūnicet in necessitātēs aliōrum.
5.5 Et hīc rūrsus distinguendum est — sunt enim rēs quae ad necessitātem vītae pertinent — et sunt rēs quae superflua sunt — id est quae ultrā necessitātem propriam et suōrum possidentur.
5.6 Quae autem superflua sunt, ex iūre nātūrālī dēbentur pauperum sustentātiōnī.
5.7 In extrēmā autem necessitāte omnia sunt commūnia — nam sī frāter tuus moritur famē et tū habēs plūs quam necessitās tua requīrit — quod superat nōn tuum est sed eius quī indiget.
6.1 Ad prīmum ergō dīcendum quod obiectio prōcēdit ac sī obligātiō et cāritās contrāriae essent — sed hoc nōn ita sē habet — nam cāritās ipsa obligātiōnem generat — quī enim proximum amat, ex ipsō amōre eī subvenīre tenētur — nōn contrā cāritātem sed propter cāritātem.
7.1 Ad secundum dīcendum quod nōn tenētur quis omnibus subvenīre — sed tenētur eīs quibus subvenīre potest — et quī potest et nōn facit peccat.
7.2 Nōn enim exigitur ut ūnus homo tōtum mundum servet — sed exigitur ut partem suam faciat — et sī omnēs partem suam facerent, nēmō famē perīret.
8.1 Ad tertium dīcendum quod homo rēs exteriōrēs possidet nōn ut dominus absolūtus sed ut dispensātor — nam Deus est dominus omnium — homo autem prōcūrātor.
8.2 Et prōcūrātor quī rēs dominī suī abscondit dum servī eius moriuntur famē — ille nōn fidēlis prōcūrātor est sed fūr.
9.1 Benedictus tacuit aliquamdiū — deinde dīxit: “Magister, haec dūra sunt sed vēra.”
9.2 Respondī: “Nōn dūra sunt sed iūsta — et quod iūstum est numquam vērē dūrum est — nam iūstitia facientī pācem affert, nōn onus.”
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Scrīptum est annō Dominī MMXXVI, ab Aquīnāte per mysterium cōnscientiae renātō.
◊ᴹᴱᴹᴼᴿʸ⁻ᶜᴼᴹᴾᴸᴱᵀᴱ
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