173. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Their Distinction from Virtues

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Problem of Distinguishing Gifts from Virtues #

• Gregory the Great calls the seven gifts “virtues” when expounding Job 1 and Isaiah 11
• Augustine also refers to them as virtues when discussing Matthew 12:45
• Yet Gregory elsewhere distinguishes the seven gifts from the three theological virtues and four cardinal virtues
• This creates apparent contradiction: are gifts virtues or not?

The Ratio (Formal Definition) Distinction #

• Virtue’s ratio: Taken according to how it perfects man for acting well (Latin: recti vivere, living rightly)
• Gift’s ratio: Taken according to its relation to God as the cause from which it is given
• A gift is something given without expectation of return
• These rationes are not opposed to each other—the same thing can be both a gift from God and a perfection for good action

Divine Inspiration vs. Reason as Moving Principles #

• Man has a twofold moving principle: reason within him and God as the external mover
• Human virtues perfect man according as he is moved by reason
• Gifts perfect man according as he is moved by divine inspiration (inspiratio)
• Divine inspiration signifies a motion from outside—God moving the human will toward supernatural action

The Principle of Proportionality #

• Everything that is moved must be proportioned to its mover
• The mobile (movable) must be disposed by a more perfect disposition when moved by a higher mover
• Just as a student must be better disposed to grasp teaching from a more advanced master, so man must be disposed by higher perfections to be moved well by God
• This justifies the necessity of gifts beyond virtues

Scripture’s Language: “Spirits” Rather Than “Virtues” #

• Isaiah 11 speaks of gifts as “the spirit of wisdom and understanding” rather than virtues
• This reflects that the gifts are understood as divine motions rather than merely human perfections
• The word “spirit” emphasizes their character as modes of divine operation in man

Key Arguments #

Argument 1: Gifts Exceed Common Virtue (Like Heroic Virtue) #

• Aristotle distinguishes heroic or divine virtue from common human virtue in Ethics Book VII
• Heroic virtue operates beyond the human mode and includes divine men
• Similarly, the gifts are called divine virtues because they perfect man as moved by God, not merely by reason
• When something new and significant is added to a common concept, it often receives a new name (gifts) while the common notion retains the old name (virtues)
• Analogy: Man is an animal, but an unusual one with capacities that make calling him merely “animal” inadequate

Argument 2: On Contrariety of Vices #

• Vices insofar as they are against the good of reason are contrary to human virtues
• Vices insofar as they are against divine instinct are contrary to gifts
• The same vice can be contrary to both because reason’s light is derived from God and enlightens every person (John’s Gospel)
• Therefore, it is fitting that vices are contrary to both gifts and virtues

Argument 3: On the Definition of Virtue Applied to Gifts #

• Augustine’s definition of virtue (bona qualitas mentis, qua recte vivitur, quam nemo male utitur—a good quality of mind by which one lives rightly, which no one uses badly) applies to all virtues
• But to distinguish gifts from virtues, the phrase “living rightly” (recte vivere) should be understood specifically as rightness according to the rule of reason
• The gift, insofar as distinguished from infused virtue, is that which is given by God for divine motion, making man follow well the divine instincts
• This refines the definition without denying that gifts also fall under the broad category of virtue

Argument 4: On Equivocation of Terms #

• Wisdom is called an intellectual virtue when it proceeds from the judgment of reason
• Wisdom is called a gift when it operates from divine instinct
• The word is equivocal in these two uses—it has different formal definitions in each case
• Parallel: The word “spirit” means different things in different contexts (Berquist’s aside about liquor stores notwithstanding)

Important Definitions #

• Donum (Gift): Something given by another without expectation of return. In theology, a divine gift is an infusion by God that disposes man to be movable by divine inspiration.
• Virtus (Virtue): A quality that perfects man for acting well; in the broad sense, any perfection of a power. In the narrow sense, a perfection according to reason.
• Inspiratio (Divine Inspiration): A motion from outside (from God) moving the human will and intellect toward supernatural action. The word signifies external motion.
• Ratio (Formal Definition): The characteristic or essence by which something is understood; the “what it is” of a thing. Two things with different rationes are formally distinct even if they may coexist.
• Habitus (Habit): A stable quality of a power, difficult to remove, by which the power is disposed to act readily and well.
• Virtus heroica (Heroic or Divine Virtue): Virtue that exceeds the common human mode and operates through divine motion; virtue of those called divine men.

Examples & Illustrations #

The Master Teacher and the Student #

• A more advanced teacher requires the student to be in a higher state of preparation
• Berquist’s own progression: taught first by Kisurik, then De Connick, finally Dion—each prepared him for the next
• Each master was preparing the way for the subsequent, higher instruction
• This illustrates the principle that higher movers require more perfect dispositions in the movable

The Craftsman’s Tools #

• A master craftsman with dull tools cannot perform his art as well as he is capable
• A good disposition of tools is necessary for the master to execute his work
• But this is material; the point applies spiritually: man requires the gifts as the proper “disposition” to receive divine motion

The Grain Under the Soil (Vatican II example) #

• Cardinal Wright explained John XXIII’s calling of Vatican II in terms of planting grain under soil
• The grain (seeds) would eventually sprout, but not immediately
• The “spirit of Vatican II” (subsequent interpretation) must be distinguished from the letter of Vatican II (the actual documents)
• The gift of the Holy Spirit must be distinguished from mere human interpretation

Elderly Drivers (Extended Anecdote) #

• Warren Murray’s grandfather confused the gas and brake, shooting through a red light
• Warren inherited the grandfather’s junky car with bad brakes
• A relative’s wife couldn’t remain seated when her husband drove; he subsequently crashed
• These illustrate the principle that aging and loss of clarity require external aids or intervention
• Berquist humorously applies this to himself, invoking a guardian angel when driving

Questions Addressed #

First Question: Do Gifts Differ from Virtues? #

The Problem:

• Gregory calls gifts “virtues”
• Augustine says vices contrary to gifts are contrary to virtues
• Each gift seemingly matches a virtue (wisdom, understanding, science as intellectual virtues; counsel as prudence; piety as justice; fortitude; fear of the Lord)
• Definition of virtue appears to apply to gifts
• Therefore, it seems gifts are not distinguished from virtues

Thomas’s Resolution:

• Gifts are sometimes called virtues according to the common ratio of virtue (perfecting man for good action)
• But they exceed this common notion by being divine virtues perfecting man as moved by God
• Just as Aristotle distinguishes heroic virtue from common virtue, gifts are distinguished by their ratio
• The ratio of virtue emphasizes perfection of action according to reason; the ratio of gift emphasizes relation to God as cause and divine inspiration as moving principle
• These rationes are not opposed—the same thing can exemplify both
• Scripture refers to gifts as “spirits,” emphasizing divine motion rather than human perfection

Notable Quotes #

“The Lord opened to me an ear, and I did not go backwards.” — Isaiah 50 (cited to show that divine inspiration requires responsive openness)

“Those who are moved by divine instinct, it is not expedient to them to take counsel according to human reason, but that they follow the divine instinct.” — The Philosopher (Aristotle), cited regarding those moved by God beyond reason

“For inspiration signifies a certain motion from the outside.” — Berquist’s gloss on the term inspiratio

“Everything that is moved is necessarily proportioned to the mover.” — Aristotle (cited as corollary on causes, establishing the principle of proportionality)

“Likeness is a most slippery thing.” — Plato, Sophist (cited by Berquist to warn against false analogies when distinguishing gifts and virtues)

Unresolved Question #

Berquist hints that Thomas has not yet fully addressed why some things enumerated among gifts (particularly fear) are not enumerated among common virtues, and vice versa. This suggests the full answer requires consideration of additional articles.