An Apology for the Religious Orders (Contra Impugnantes)
St. Thomas Aquinas
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Start reading Written 1256–1257 Language English, Latin, Portuguese Contents 28 chapters Books
An Apology for the Religious Orders (Contra Impugnantes) St. Thomas Aquinas
Aquinas's defence of the mendicant orders against the attacks of William of Saint-Amour, written at Paris during his first regency. A foundational text on religious life, evangelical counsels, and the right of mendicants to teach.
Contents Book 1 — The author's intention 1 chapter Book 2 — What is meant by religion, and in what its perfection consists 1 chapter Book 3 — Whether it is lawful for a religious to teach 1 chapter Book 4 — Whether a religious can lawfully belong to a college of secular teachers 1 chapter Book 5 — Whether it is lawful for a religious to preach and hear confessions 1 chapter Book 6 — Whether religious are bound to work with their own hands 1 chapter Book 7 — Whether it is lawful for a religious to leave all he has, so that no property, either private or common, remains to him 1 chapter Book 8 — Is it lawful for religious to live on alms? 1 chapter Book 9 — They bring up many arguments against the religious custom of wearing a poor habit 1 chapter Book 10 — The attacks brought against religious on account of their works of charity 1 chapter Book 11 — How religious are attacked on account of the journeys which they undertake for the salvation of souls 1 chapter Book 12 — Attacks made on religious because they study 1 chapter Book 13 — Attacks brought against religious on account of their systematic method of preaching 1 chapter Book 14 — Accusations that religious procure letters of recommendation 1 chapter Book 15 — The charges that religious resist their detractors 1 chapter Book 16 — Religious are condemned for going to law 1 chapter Book 17 — Religious are blamed for causing their persecutors to be punished 1 chapter Book 18 — Religious are accused of seeking to find favour with men 1 chapter Book 19 — Objections brought against religious because they rejoice at the good works which God effects through their instrumentality 1 chapter Book 20 — Religious are blamed for frequenting the courts of sovereigns 1 chapter Book 21 — The enemies of religious seek in every way to defame them 1 chapter Book 22 — The enemies of religious spread abroad against them reports of which the truth is doubtful 1 chapter Book 23 — The enemies of religious propagate distinct falsehoods concerning them, and first that they are false apostles 1 chapter Book 24 — The enemies of religious accuse them of being wolves and robbers and of creeping into houses 1 chapter Book 25 — The enemies of religious try to prove that the times of antichrist are at hand 1 chapter Book 26 — The opponents of religious life strive to prove that religious are antichrists 1 chapter Book 27 — The enemies of religious endeavour to cast suspicion upon such of their works as are clearly good 1 chapter Book 28 — Epilogue 1 chapter Source: English translation by the Dominican Fathers, *An Apology for the Religious Orders* (Sands, London, 1902, PD), revised by the Aquinas Institute. Mirrored from aquinas.cc. · Latin text from the Leonine / Marietti editions (public domain), mirrored from aquinas.cc.
