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Summa Theologiae · I, q. 89

Question 89. Of the Knowledge of the Separated Soul

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, First Part. 8 articles.

Read in the reading room → This question at New Advent

Text: Summa Theologiae, Project Gutenberg #17611, First Part (Prima Pars), translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province. The First Part of the Summa in the English Dominican translation (first printed 1911 to 1925; second and revised edition from 1920). A sample check on 2026-11-09 against pre-1931 printings at the Internet Archive (first printings of 1915 and 1916 and the second and revised edition of the 1920s) found that the article text matches, with no 1947 introduction, synopsis, or index. The phrase “From the Complete American Edition” in Gutenberg's catalog title is a provenance note only. Question and article numbers were added by the transcriber. Rights: Public domain (US)

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We must now consider the knowledge of the separated soul. Under this head there are eight points of inquiry:

(1) Whether the soul separated from the body can understand?

(2) Whether it understands separate substances?

(3) Whether it understands all natural things?

(4) Whether it understands individuals and singulars?

(5) Whether the habits of knowledge acquired in this life remain?

(6) Whether the soul can use the habit of knowledge here acquired?

(7) Whether local distance impedes the separated soul's knowledge?

(8) Whether souls separated from the body know what happens here?

Articles

  1. Whether the Separated Soul Can Understand Anything?
  2. Whether the Separated Soul Understands Separate Substances?
  3. Whether the Separated Soul Knows All Natural Things?
  4. Whether the Separated Soul Knows Singulars?
  5. Whether the Habit of Knowledge Here Acquired Remains in the Separated Soul?
  6. Whether the Act of Knowledge Acquired Here Remains in the Separated Soul?
  7. Whether Local Distance Impedes the Knowledge in the Separated Soul?
  8. Whether Separated Souls Know What Takes Place on Earth?

Also online, linked only: the same translation at New Advent and the Latin text at Corpus Thomisticum. Neither is copied here.

Source: Thomas Aquinas. Summa Theologica, First Part. Project Gutenberg #17611. Project Gutenberg record. Public domain in the USA. Outside the U.S., check local copyright rules. Project Gutenberg notices retained. The full Project Gutenberg license is kept in the hosted text.