1. Eternal Life, the Theological Virtues, and Scripture's Purpose

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Ultimate End: Eternal Life #

• The Christian goal is eternal life (zoē aiōnios), not merely “heaven”
• Eternal life is the beatific vision—seeing God as He is, face to face
• This is the fulfillment of the human person and the ultimate happiness (eudaimonia)
• The term “kingdom” or “house of God” are alternative names, but “eternal life” captures the relational reality

The Three Theological Virtues and Their Relationship to the End #

• Faith (pistis): tells us what our end is
• Hope (elpis): enables us to pursue that end
• Charity (agapē, caritas): joins us to the end itself
• In time: faith precedes hope, which precedes charity; all three precede eternal life
• In the beatific vision: charity remains (perfected), but faith and hope cease (replaced by vision and possession)
• This order reflects both temporal sequence and causal/dispositional relationship

The Architectural Metaphor of Spiritual Building #

• From Jude 20-21: building oneself up (ep oiko dumuntes) in the most holy faith
• Medieval patristic metaphor: faith is the foundation, hope the walls, charity the roof
• Each virtue disposes one toward the next without completing the movement to it

Sacred Doctrine’s Structure Around Faith, Hope, and Charity #

• Catechetical doctrine follows the order: faith, hope, charity
• Augustine’s Enchiridion follows this structure
• Thomas follows this structure in the Compendium of Theology (though incomplete)
• The Second Part of the Summa Theologiae (Secundi Secundae) is organized around the three theological virtues as primary, with the four cardinal virtues as secondary
• This is one of three chief orders of sacred doctrine as a whole

Vatican II’s Dei Verbum and Its Scriptural Foundations #

• The Constitutio Dogmatica de Divina Revelatione (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation) contains a prolegomenon (preamble)
• The preamble discusses: (1) sharing in eternal life, and (2) faith, hope, and charity—bringing out the order of these virtues in relation to the end
• The Constitution emphasizes hearing the Word of God (dei verbi) faithfully and proclaiming it (fidenta)

Historical Development of Biblical Studies #

• Church Fathers Era (1st-3rd centuries): Called the “Golden Age of Biblical Exegesis”
  • Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Justin, Irenaeus
  • Catechetical schools of Alexandria and Antioch were primary centers
  • Origen: remarkable for penetration and labor, though with significant errors; influential on all who came after
  • Eastern Church notables: Clement and Cyril of Alexandria, Eusebius, Basil the Great, Gregories of Nazianzus and Nyssa, John Chrysostom
  • Western Church notables: Tertullian, Cyprian, Hilary, Andrew, Leo the Great, Gregory the Great, Augustine, Jerome
• Medieval Period (11th-12th centuries): Systematic development
  • Development of glosses and sharp commentaries (Walafrid Strabo, Anselm of Laon)
  • Allegorical exposition (Bernard of Clairvaux)
  • With the Scholastics: “fresh and welcome progress” in biblical study
• Scholastic Contributions to scriptural interpretation:
  • Accurate and clear distinction of the various senses (sensus) of sacred words (not previously given)
  • Assignment of the value of each sense in theology
  • Division of books into parts and summaries of parts
  • Investigation of the objects (purposes) of the writers
  • Demonstration of the connection of sentence with sentence, clause with clause
  • Application of logical principles to illuminate obscure passages
  • These methods appear in both theological treatises and scriptural commentaries

Key Arguments #

The Distinction Between What We Call Something vs. What It Is #

• When asked “what is our goal?” one may answer with the name (“heaven”) rather than what it really is
• A shape may be called a “triangle” vs. described as having “three angles and three sides”
• Naming and defining serve different functions; precision in terminology matters for philosophical clarity

The Primacy and Ordering of Theological Virtues in Doctrine #

• The structure of sacred doctrine itself (catechetical, theological, liturgical) reflects the order of faith, hope, and charity
• This order is not arbitrary but reflects both the temporal sequence of acquiring virtues and their causal/dispositional relationships
• Thomas’s comprehensive treatment in the Secundi Secundae of the Summa places theological virtues first, cardinal virtues second—indicating the hierarchy of values

Historical Continuity of Method #

• The patristic period established the foundation of biblical exegesis
• The medieval period refined, systematized, and developed that foundation
• The scholastic method brought fresh progress by introducing precision in distinguishing multiple senses and establishing their theological value
• This represents genuine development in understanding, not mere repetition

Important Definitions #

Eternal Life (zoē aiōnios) #

• Not merely endless temporal duration but a qualitative state of union with God
• Characterized by the beatific vision: direct knowledge and love of God as He is in Himself
• The fulfillment of human longing and the ultimate human happiness

Theological Virtues #

• Faith (pistis): assent to divine truth revealed by God; tells us what our end is
• Hope (elpis): confident expectation of attaining the promised end; pursues the end
• Charity (agapē, caritas): love of God and neighbor; joins us to the end; alone remains in the beatific vision

Building Oneself Up (ep oiko dumuntes) #

• From Greek oikos (house): to construct, build, or establish one’s spiritual house
• Indicates active participation in one’s own spiritual development through the virtues

Golden Age of Biblical Exegesis #

• The first three centuries following the Apostles, during which the Church Fathers produced foundational work in scriptural interpretation
• Characterized by penetrating analysis, theological application, and defense of the faith through Scripture

Word of God (dei verbi) #

• Can refer to the Son of God (the Logos, the eternal Word) or to Holy Scripture (the written word of God)
• Thomas emphasizes that Scripture is chiefly about the Word of God (the Son) made manifest in the word of God (the Bible)

Examples & Illustrations #

From Jude 20-21 (Greek Text Analysis) #

• Aga petoi (beloved): address to the faithful
• Ep oiko dumuntes (building up): from oikos (house), refers to building oneself spiritually
• Te hajotate humon (your faith): the foundation
• Pistis humon (pistis): faith as the virtue in question
• Penumati hajio (in the Holy Spirit): the enabling condition
• Agape theo (agapē): charity/love of God as the culmination
• Prostecomeno (awaiting): looking forward to the end
• Zoem Ionium (zoē aiōnios): eternal life as the goal
• This single passage encapsulates the entire movement from faith through charity to eternal life

Supermarket Etymology #

• Berquist encountered the Greek word oikos (house) in the supermarket with his wife, noting a product called “Oikos” yogurt, confirming the word’s meaning and modern usage

The House of God #

• From the Psalms: “Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it”
• The “house” can refer to: (1) the Church, (2) the heavenly kingdom, or (3) the individual soul
• All three senses are valid and demonstrate the richness of scriptural meaning

Questions Addressed #

What is our ultimate end as Christians? #

Answer: Eternal life (zoē aiōnios), understood as the beatific vision—seeing God as He is, face to face. This is more precise than calling it “heaven” because it emphasizes the relational reality of direct knowledge and love of God rather than a location.

How do we attain eternal life? #

Answer: Through the three theological virtues ordered in time: (1) faith, which tells us what our end is; (2) hope, which enables us to pursue that end; and (3) charity, which joins us to the end. These virtues dispose one toward the next through a dispositional rather than efficient causality.

What is the relationship between naming our goal and defining it? #

Answer: Naming (calling it “heaven”) and defining (describing what it really is) are different operations. Philosophical precision requires distinguishing between nominal definition and real definition. The real definition of our goal is eternal life; various names point to this reality from different angles.

Why does Vatican II’s Dei Verbum structure its preamble around faith, hope, and charity? #

Answer: Because the structure of sacred doctrine itself follows the order of faith (what we believe), hope (what we await), and charity (what we love). This reflects both the order of acquisition in time and the theological priority of these virtues in leading to eternal life.

What were the distinctive contributions of medieval Scholasticism to biblical studies? #

Answer: The Scholastics provided: (1) precise distinction of the various senses of Scripture (literal, allegorical, moral, anagogical) with theological value assigned to each; (2) systematic division of books into parts and summaries; (3) investigation of authorial intent; (4) demonstration of textual connections and logical flow. These methods brought “fresh and welcome progress” compared to the patristic period by introducing systematic rigor and precision.

Notable Quotes #

“Our goal is eternal life… seeing God as He is, seeing God face to face.”

“Faith tells us what our end is; by hope we pursue that end; and by love we are joined to it.”

“The foundation is faith. The walls are hope. And the roof is charity.”

“From the Church Fathers through the Scholastics came fresh and welcome progress in the study of the Bible.”

“The word of God, meaning the Bible, is chiefly about the Word of God, meaning the Son of God.”

“With the age of the scholastics, came fresh and welcome progress in the study of the Bible.”

“To the scholastics we owe the accurate and clear distinction… of the various senses of the sacred words, the assignment of the value of each sense in theology, and the division of books into parts.”

“[The first three centuries] merited for the three following centuries the appellation of the Golden Age of Biblical Exegesis.”

“Most famous of all, St. Augustine and St. Jerome.”

“In whom the science of Scripture was rivaled by the splendor of his eloquence.” (on John Chrysostom)