Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Q1 A5: Whether sacred doctrine is nobler than other sciences?

Yes. Sacred doctrine is nobler than other sciences because its certitude is greater (since human reason can err, but divine knowledge cannot) and because its subject matter is worth more (since its subject matter is the things which transcend reason's grasp).

For example, in the ranking of greater goods, eternal bliss is nobler than political science, just as political science is nobler than military science, because what is more noble is ordained to a purpose higher than that which is less noble. The purpose of the state is greater than the army; yet eternal bliss is far greater than both.