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THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 1963 GEORGIA BULLETIN A Quickening Of The Thomistic Revival JOSEF PIEPER, PRUDENCE NEW YORK: PANTHEON, 1959, 96 pp. $2.75 Until relatively recently in the history of Christian ethics, the classic theory of four vir tues, prudence, justice, for titude and temperance, was the standard point of departure in the construction of a moral philosophy and the applica tion of such a philosophy to the moral life. This method, based upon the best in ancient pagan thought, as well as incorpo rating the teachings of the two greatest of Christian theolo gians, Paul and Augustine, was synthesized in the incomparable second part of Thomas Aqui nas’s Summa Theologiae. Then, beginning in the sixteenth cen tury and reaching an apex in the seventeenth and eighteenth, this approach was replaced by a more rationalistic and lega listic method, based upon an extremely technical and precise theory of natural law. The re discovery and re-emphasis of Aquinas which came about with Leo Kill's Aeterni Patris, could only have the best effect upon Catholic moral theology, but its effect has unfortunately been felt only gradually. The old, rigid, rationalistic theology of law and conscience was too firmly rooted in our seminar ies and universities. A few men in the twentieth century, however, have been outstanding in quickening the Thomistic revival, especially in Europe. One of these is Josef Pieper, professor at the Uni versity of Munster. For thirty- five years he has been explor ing the territory of Aquinas's ethics, and its relevance to contemporary moral problems. As a result we have several short, brilliant works on jus tice, fortitude and temperance, a defense of leisure and its necessity' for the speculative life, and finally, the crowning achievement of them all, his most recent volume on moral philosophy, Prudence. The immense difficulty a spe culative moralist faces today is keynoted in the first words of this tract; No dictum in traditional Christian doctrine strikes such a note of strangeness to the ears of contemporaries, even contemporary Christians, as this one: that the virtue of pru dence is the mold and "mo ther" of all the other cardinal virtues, of justice, fortitude, and temperance. In other words, none but the prudent man can be just, brave, and temperate, and the good man is good in so far as he is prudent. These words shock only be cause modem Christians have lost their roots. Prudence is proverbially the ‘virtue’ of the serpent, a virtue of worldly wis dom, of cunning (two vices ex- plicitely opposed to it by Aqui nas!). Indeed the virtue that St. Bernard called auriga vir- tutum, the ’charioteer virtue’, has in common parlance come to be equivalent to foxiness and ‘Jesuitry.’ What is the classic meaning of prudence, the meaning so forcefully explained and defend ed in Pieper’s little book? Ba sically it is the moral and in tellectual virtue of determin ing the means to arrive at the ends of human life, namely beatitude, or Christian per fection. It is not merely the intellectual ability to discern general principles of conduct, this being rather synderesis, or 'conscience.* But it also demands the perfected ability to deal reasonably and virtuously with the particulars of human conduct. It therefore is the vir tue which, in modern times, has become the ‘science’ of casuistry. What is its relation to the complete moral life? It is the ‘mold and mother of all the virtues,’ in Claudel’s words, the ‘intelligent prow’ of our nature. It is presupposed in the formation of the just, tem perate and brave man. At the same time, prudence presup poses the other virtues, as ends to be achieved. Prudence deals with means, not with ends of human activity. It has to do, then, with that aspect in which the Christian man is supreme ly free, namely in the formation of what kind of good life he is to lead. No two men are ‘good’ in exactly the same way. It is prudence which insures this unique freedom, this highly in dividual working out of one’s destiny, the choosing of many roads on the way home. An ethics which denies the impor tance of prudence, invariably denies the importance of moral freedom, and results in a stere otyped morality, involving the exhaustive legislation of every particular in human conduct. THOMAS Aquinas in his cen tury, Paul in his, Pieper in ours, has seen that a humane Christian morality cannot be constructed in this way. The de cisions are always ours, and may be delegated to no one. The security of bourgeois mo rality which we all deplore must not be replaced by a more sin ister security of the total for mation of one's conscience by another may, be the priest or layman. Pieper says, ‘The im mediate criterion for concrete ethical action is solely the im perative of prudence in the per son who has the decision to make. This standard cannot be abstractly construed or even calculated in advance.* And again, *A moral theology which relies too much upon casuis try necessarily becomes a "science of sins’* instead of a doctrine of virtues.* One could become exhausted in praise of this profound and yet so brief, volume. It deser ves the most careful considera tion by every more than mini mally educated Catholic. It de serves the attention of every shepherd of souls. Freedom in Christ presupposes maturity in Christ. The virtue of prudence insures both. R. J. MULVANEY, Ph.D. LITTLE PEOPLE’S PAPERBACKS “A new concept in publishing”—Ave Maria, Feb. 16 # Bible stories told excitingly for the under-eight-year-old. • Illustrated in full color in an unusual “torn paper” technique. God Made The World and How The Animals Got Their Names, the first two titles in the series, make the story of Genesis meaningful for children. They bring to children the story of God’s love as He revealed it in the Bible. God Made the World helps children see God in the world around them. It gen erates in the child a sense of participating in the mystery of God’s love. How the Animals Got Their Names takes its cue from the event in Genesis where God “brought the animals to the man to see what he would call them.” It makes the point that God made man the master creature and permits the child to join with Adam in naming the animals. It shows how much God loves him and teaches the child to use creation to love God. The stories are told simply, vividly, imaginatively by Gerard A. Pottebaum. Robert Stro- bridge’s illustration is modem in taste and design. The symbolistic art involves the child’s imagination and opens his heart to the story’s religious meaning. Paperback Edition 35c, Deluxe Edition $1.25 On sale at the Notre Dame Book Shop * 115 Peachtree Street, Atlanta and at Church racks and better bookstores everywhere BOOK DIVISION 33 WEST T FIFTH STREET II QWIM/, PUBLISHER, INC. BA 2-3621 • DAYTON 2. OHIO REVIEWERS SAY: "For children up to the age of 8, these are unlike most other things you've seen in Catholic juveniles . . . Illustrations are made with a torn paper tech nique. Textures and vibrant colors, along with a very few words, carry the theme of the story . . . There are notes, too, for the parent who’ll presum- at y do the first few readings of the book. Both titles we’ve seen are unusually interesting, un usually colorful.” —Ed O'Meara in the Catholic Sentinel “Geo. A. Pflaum, Inc., of Dayton, has launched a little people’s library of original paperbacks designed to inform those under eight Two of the appealing initial issues: How the Animals Got Their Names and God Made the World, each illustrated through out in full color." —Parade of Books ‘‘This new series brings the paperback revolution to the little people and fills a serious need felt by parents and elementary school teachers who need inexpensive quality reading for their children. The books apply the latest findings of scriptural and catechetical experts." —George R. Cregan in the Steubenville Register "The many colored illustrations are sure to amuse and instruct the young reader. The adult may find them fascinating also.” —Mississippi Register "One of the most powerful means of increasing the life of God in a soul is by learning more about God and the things of God. The more we know about God, the stronger our faith, our trust, our love becomes. That is why good reading is so important ... In those two (books) there is much to delight the hearts of little ones, something to be read to them if they are too young to read for themselves ... By all means, spread the good news . . . Here might be your chance to start a fire of love in the heart of some little one, a fire that will burn forever.” —Bro. Ben in the Prairie Messenger