Aquinas’ idea of statesmanship and kingship:
Aquinas combined the science and philosophy of Aristotle with the revealed truths of
Christianity. Holding that Aristotelianism is true but is not the whole truth, he reconciled the
philosophy of Aristotle with the truth of Christian revelation. Aquinas was a committed disciple
of Aristotle but was an even more sincere disciple of the Church. He reconceived Aristotle's ideas
to a new context, was able to make distinctions that Aristotle did not formulate, and never
hesitated to go beyond Aristotle. The 13th century rediscovery and revival of the corpus of
Aristotle's teaching and Aquinas' synthesis of it with the tenets of Christian faith effected a
dramatic change in medieval political thought. Through his writings, Aquinas provided a solid
bridge from the ancients. According to Aquinas, a ruler is needed even in the state of perfection
or innocence to provide direction and guidance (Younkins 2002).
Thomas thinks that a just government is one in which the ruler or rulers work(s) for the
common good and not simply for the good of one class of citizens. In his view, there are a
number of un-mixed forms of government that are, in principle, legitimate or just, for
example, kingship (regnum), that is, rule by one virtuous man, aristocracy, that is, rule by a few
virtuous men, and polity, rule by a large number of citizens. Thomas identifies 1 three unjust
forms of unmixed government that are opposed to these just forms: 1) tyranny, that is, rule by
one man who looks after his own benefit rather than the common good, 2) oligarchy, that is, rule
by a few wealthy men who look after their own good rather than the common good, and 3)
democracy, rule by the many poor people for their own good rather than the common good
(Regan 2002).
1 Aristotle Politics, book III, chapter 7,
Thomas thinks that a kingship is, in principle, the best form of government. He thinks the
chief concern of a good ruler is to secure the unity and peace of the community. Therefore, the
more a form of government is better able to secure unity and peace in the community, the better
is that form of government, all other things being equal. Therefore, all other things being equal,
kingship is better able to secure unity and peace than rule by many. Therefore, kingship is the
best unmixed form of government 2compare this argument with Thomas’ argument 3 that there
needs to be one bishop, that is, the Pope, functioning as the visible head of the Church in order to
secure the unity and peace of the Church. Aquinas, like Augustine, reaffirmed the primacy of the
Christian religion office over their political protectors and his endorsement of papal primacy is
much more expletive since the papal office and administration is much more developed and
extensive by his time (Chupp 2021).
Thomas is aware of the possibility that a good man can become a tyrant 4. Furthermore,
since the contrary of the best is the worst, and tyranny is the contrary of kingship, tyranny is the
worst form of government.5 Thomas therefore thinks kingship should be limited in a number of
ways in order to ensure a ruler will not be(come) a tyrant. Aquinas did not agree with St.
Augustine that the main purpose of government was simply to keep the sinful in line. Aquinas
saw government as also helping to work for the "common good" that benefits all. The common
good included such things as protecting life, preserving the state, and promoting the peace.
Aristotle would have called this "the good life” (Davies 2014).
2 De regno, book I, ch. 3
3 See at SCG IV, ch. 76
4 De regno, book I, ch. 7
5 De regno, ch. 4
On Nature and Justice:
Aquinas, much like Aristotle, wrote that nature is organized for good purposes. Unlike
Aristotle, however, Aquinas went on to say that God created nature and rules the world by
"divine reason." Aquinas described four kinds of law (McInerny 1999): 1) Eternal law was God’s
perfect plan, not fully knowable to humans. It determined the way things such as animals and
planets behaved and how people should behave. 2) Divine law, primarily from the Bible, guided
individuals beyond the world to "eternal happiness" in what St. Augustine had called the "City of
God”.6 Natural law is that which is inherent within man to want to reach and pursue his end or
telos. It is known by all men that they may pursue the truth.7
Aquinas wrote most extensively about 3) natural law. He stated, "the light of reason is
placed by nature [and thus by God] in every man to guide him in his acts." Therefore, human
beings, alone among God’s creatures, use reason to lead their lives. This is natural law.The
master principle of natural law, wrote Aquinas, was that "good is to be done and pursued and evil
avoided." Aquinas stated that reason reveals natural laws that are good for humans such as self-
preservation, marriage and family, and the desire to know God. Reason, he taught, also enables
humans to understand things that are evil such as adultery, suicide, and lying. While natural law
applied to all humans and was unchanging, 4) human law could vary with time, place, and
circumstance. Aquinas defined this last type of law as "an ordinance of reason for the common
good" made and enforced by a ruler or government. He warned, however, that people were not
bound to obey laws made by humans that conflicted with natural law (Westberg 1994)
6 Aquinas, Comm. Pol. 1962
7 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, Q90 A.3
While Aquinas mostly focused on justice as interior righteousness, which is manifested
by worship and lived out through the theological virtues, he does introduce another aspect
(Staudt 2008). Justice, one of the cornerstones of the medieval account of latria, takes on a new
signification in Aquinas’ biblical commentaries. Justice does not only manifest the need to
worship God by giving Him His due, but also entails a state of righteousness, which both
initiates and is strengthened by worship. The just exterior manifestation of service must flow
from interior justice, which Aquinas explicates while commenting on Psalm: ‘With the heart we
believe unto justice; but with the mouth,’ etc. He says Lord. 8
8 (Psalm 61):
Bibliography:
Aquinas, Thomas (Comm. Pol.) 1962. “Commentary on Aristotle's “Politics.” Selections from
Comm. Pol. I and III trans. Ernest L. Fortin and Peter D. O'Neill. In Medieval Political
Philosophy, ed. Lerner, Ralph and Mahdi, Mushin, pp. 297–334. Ithaca, NY: Cornell
University Press.
Aquinas, Thomas
Law, Politics, and Morality. Trans and Ed. Richard J. Regan. 2nd ed. Indianapolis:
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De Regno, ad regem Cypri. Ed. R. M. Marietti: Turin, 1954, at “De Regno”, ed. Roberto
Busa. http://www.corpusthomisticum.org/orp.html
Du Gouvernement Royal. Trans. Claude Roguet. Paris: Librairie du Dauphin.
On Kingship. Trans. I. Th. Eschmann. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies,
1949.
“Circa res… aliquid fit.’ (Summa theologiae II-II, q. 85, a. 3, ad. 3): Aquinas on New Law
Sacrifice.” Nova et Vetera, English Edition 4 no 2 (2006): 295–312.
Chupp, Jesse. “Presentation: Medieval Christian Natural Law: Aquinas.” Liberty University.
2021
Davies, Brian. “Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae : A Guide and Commentary.” New York:
Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2014. Accessed April 15, 2021. ProQuest Ebook
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Quaestiones disputatae de virtutibus (Disputed Questions on the Virtues). trans. Ralph McInerny.
South Bend, Indiana: St. Augustine’s Press, 1999.
Questiones disputatae de veritate (Disputed Questions on Truth), 1256-1259. Trans. Mulligan,
Robert W., James V. McGlynn, and Robert W. Schmidt, trans. Truth. 3 vols. Library of
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Staudt, Robert Jared. "Religion as A Virtue: Thomas Aquinas On Worship Through Justice, Law,
And Charity." Ave Maria University. Print (2008): 158-59.
Westberg, Daniel. "The Relation between Positive and Natural Law in Aquinas." Journal of Law
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Younkins, Edward. “Thomas Aquinas' Christian Aristotelianism”. The Journal of Markets and
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Younkins, Edward W. “Capitalism and Commerce.” Lanham: Lexington Books, 2002.
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