Virtue and Grace in the Theology of Thomas Aquinas

Throughout his writings Thomas Aquinas exhibited a remarkable stability of thought. However in some areas such as his theology of grace his thought underwent titanic developments. In this book Justin M. Anderson traces both those developments in grace and their causes. After introducing the various meanings of virtue Aquinas utilized including ''virtue in its fullest sense'' and various forms of ''qualified virtue'' he explores the historical context that conditioned that account. Through a close analysis of his writings Anderson unearths Aquinas''s own discoveries and analyses that would propel his understanding of human experience divine action and supernatural grace in new directions. In the end we discover an account of virtue that is inextricably linked to his developed understanding of sin grace and divine action in human life. As such Anderson challenges the received understanding of Aquinas''s account of virtue as well as his relationship to contemporary virtue ethics.