Aquinas infers latria for Christ’s Cross (and even for other cross-effigies by representation) from ‘O cross, hail, only hope’
Aquinas reads the hymn as prayer to the cross-as-distinct and concludes the true Cross is owed latria (representation plus contact), and other cross-images latria by representation alone (ST III q.25 a.4).
Latin
XXIII. Hanc vero precationem ad crucem, ut a Christo distinguitur, dirigi, sicut ex ipsius hymni verbis manifestum est, agnovit Thomas Aquinas Scholae Romanae princeps. Inde enim colligit crucem esse cultu Latriae adorandam, hoc utens argumento, Illi exhibemus latriae cultum in quo ponimus spem salutis. Sed in cruce Christi ponimus spem salutis: cantat enim Ecclesia, O crux ave spes unica, Hoc Passionis tempore, Auge piis justitiam, Reisque dona veniam. Ergo Crux Christi est adoranda adoratione latriae. Articuli vero conclusio his verbis concepta est, Crux Christi in qua Christus crucifixus est, tum propter repraesentationem, tum etiam propter membrorum Christi contactum, latria adoranda est: crucis vero effigies in alia quavis materia, priori tantum ratione latria adoranda est. In Summa parte tertia quaestione 25. Articulo quarto.
About this text
Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu - Sedan Theological Theses, newly rendered from the 1675 London Latin. Covers De Theologia through Angelorum & Hominum Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII and Pars Secunda (Reformata) I-XL. Not the collected folio.
English follows locked Pitt Latin through Imaginum CLOSED + Sanctorum Cultu Romana CLOSED + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL. 1675 PDF ~384-390 (book ~370-376); Vision OCR + pdftotext + tess. No modern English. This slice densifies Sanctorum Pars Secunda I-XL. Next: Pars Secunda XLI–fin (~CI). Claim stays claimed (book densify not done).
Catalogue & scope
ESTC R17887; Wing L802. IA bub_gb_eOkHAW4G0-wC (+ EEBO 1675 for gap leaves). Densify through Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL (Pars Secunda not closed; not whole folio).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Theologia I-XLIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive PDF of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Checked print pdftotext of De Theologia pages (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive DjVu OCR of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Fide I-XXII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Authoritate Scripturae Pars I I-XLVII + Pars II I-XXXV + Pars III I-VIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Scripturae plenitudine densify (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.