THEOC 3301: Sacred Theology, Action Theory, and Law

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering Weeks 6 through 10 of THEOC 3301, focusing on Sacred Theology, Divine Providence, the components of moral action, types of law, and St. Thomas Aquinas's theological principles.

Divine Providence

The action whereby God gives beneficial goods to creatures.

Cooperation with Divine Providence

The status of a good action that perfects the person doing it; persisting in this cooperation eventually leads that person to a state of happiness.

Resistance to Divine Providence

The status of an evil action that perverts the person doing it; persisting in this resistance eventually leads that person to a state of misery.

Misery

The eventual state of a person who persists in evil actions and resistance to divine providence.

Virtue

A disposition to do some free action readily (or experience some free emotion readily) that perfects the person who has it.

Theological Virtue

A virtue that, by definition, enables someone to take part in divine activity.

Faith

A theological virtue that enables someone to believe whatever God reveals and take part in divine activity.

Free Action

An action that is the result of the intellect and will working together to determine, deliberate with counsel, and choose.

Unfree Action

An action that occurs when people lack freedom because they do not understand what they are doing and do not take counsel in their action.

Divine Facilitation of Free Actions

The three ways God assists human freedom: endowing humans with intellect and will to pursue the ultimate goal of happiness, infusing grace and virtues to do good, and providing grace to reconcile after sin is committed.

Happiness

Knowledge of God of any sort.

Natural Happiness

Knowledge of God that is mediated through other things.

Beatific Vision

Immediate knowledge of God that comes directly from God.

Intention

A chosen response to a known thing, which designates the end or the "why" of an action.

Object (of an Action)

The goal toward which an action tends primarily.

Circumstance

An environmental condition of an action that determines its gravity or degree.

Supervening Circumstance

An environmental condition of an action that is within the control of the person doing the action and bears upon whether the action perfects or perverts them.

Good Action (Action Theory Criteria)

A free action in which its object, its end(s)/intention(s), and its supervening circumstance(s) all perfect the person doing the action.

Evil Action (Action Theory Criteria)

A free action in which any of its object, its end(s)/intention(s), or its supervening circumstances perverts the person doing the action.

Teaching Sacred Theology (Biblical Methods)

The four biblical ways to teach sacred theology: discussing how some events foreshadow others, explaining why some events exemplify what we should do, giving logical arguments, and using metaphorical language.

Sacred Theology as a Science

The classification of sacred theology as a science because it is based on a message from God, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.

Scope of Sacred Theology

The perspective of sacred theology, which concerns God and things related to God from God's perspective.

Purpose of Sacred Theology

To teach human beings about God, the Provider of happiness.

Cause

Something that explains the existence of another thing.

Final Cause

A cause that explains the fulfillment of something extrinsic to it.

Final Cause of a Plant

Reproduction.

Final Cause of a Non-Human Animal

A sensation of security (for its family).

Grace

A gift given by God that shapes the human person by bestowing virtues that lead to good actions through participation.

Eternal Law

The highest law that helps lead humans to happiness and orders people toward their proper actions.

Divine Law

The law learned through divine revelation, specifically found in the Old and New Testaments.

Natural Law

The moral law that comes naturally to people through reason, such as the precept that we should not murder.

Human Law

One of the four types of law (alongside eternal, divine, and natural law) that serves to order people to their proper actions.

Aquinas's Valuation of Augustine

St. Thomas Aquinas's practice of citing and agreeing with St. Augustine of Hippo's works, grounded in their shared view that understanding Sacred Science requires multiple parts rather than relying on reason or philosophy alone.