St Paul, Hebrews, Aquinas, Grace

Over on Madame Evangelista’s blog, Berenike quoted Aelianus in the combox to the effect that “Hebrews is the key to the whole Pauline corpus”.

Whether or not Paul was the immediate author of Hebrews, I think there’s a lot of truth in this assessment, which raises the twofold question of (i) how do the various Pauline epistles relate to each other? and (ii) what is the unifying theme?

At the start of his commentary on Romans, Aquinas shows how all the Pauline epistles (culminating in Hebrews) fit together – the unifying theme being that each of them explores a different aspect of Christ’s grace.

Anyway, here’s how Aquinas maps out the epistles of St Paul with their theology of grace (a good translation of the whole epistle is available as a pdf document from the Aquinas Center for Theological renewal at Ave Maria Univeristy in Florida).

The Structure of the Pauline Corpus

According to St. Thomas Aquinas

I. All of the letters are about the grace of Christ. Nine letters consider the grace of Christ as it exists in the mystical body itself:

A. This grace is considered in three ways. First, in itself, and this is how it is treated in the letter to the Romans.

B. Second, in the sacraments which communicate it:
1. In 1Corinthians, the sacraments themselves are considered;
2. In 2 Corinthians, the ministers of the sacraments are discussed;
3. In Galatians, certain sacraments (namely those of the Old Law) are excluded;

C. Third, in its effect, namely the unity of the mystical body, the Church:
1. First, the unity itself is discussed:
a) In Ephesians, the foundation [institutio] of the Church’s unity is considered;
b) In Philippians, the progress and confirmation of the Church’s unity is set forth;

2. Second, its defense:
a) Against error, in the letter to the Colossians;
b) Against persecution: (1) In the present in 1Thessalonians; (2) In the future (and chiefly at the time of the Anti-Christ) in 2Thessalonians

II. Four letters consider the grace of Christ as it exists in the chief members of the Church, namely the prelates:

A. First, in the spiritual prelates, in 1&2 Timothy and Titus;

B. Second, in temporal prelates, and this is how it is considered in the letter to Philemon;

III. One letter, that to the Hebrews, considers the grace of Christ as it exists in the head of the body, Christ himself.