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Summa Theologiae · II-II, q. 19

Question 19. Of the Gift of Fear

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Second Part of the Second Part. 12 articles.

Read in the reading room → This question at New Advent

Text: Summa Theologiae, Project Gutenberg #18755, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province. The Second Part of the Second 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. Question and article numbers were added by the transcriber. Rights: Public domain (US)

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We must now consider the gift of fear, about which there are twelve points of inquiry:

(1) Whether God is to be feared?

(2) Of the division of fear into filial, initial, servile and worldly;

(3) Whether worldly fear is always evil?

(4) Whether servile fear is good?

(5) Whether it is substantially the same as filial fear?

(6) Whether servile fear departs when charity comes?

(7) Whether fear is the beginning of wisdom?

(8) Whether initial fear is substantially the same as filial fear?

(9) Whether fear is a gift of the Holy Ghost?

(10) Whether it grows when charity grows?

(11) Whether it remains in heaven?

(12) Which of the beatitudes and fruits correspond to it?

Articles

  1. Whether God Can Be Feared?
  2. Whether Fear Is Fittingly Divided into Filial, Initial, Servile and Worldly Fear?
  3. Whether Worldly Fear Is Always Evil?
  4. Whether Servile Fear Is Good?
  5. Whether Servile Fear Is Substantially the Same As Filial Fear?
  6. Whether Servile Fear Remains with Charity?
  7. Whether Fear Is the Beginning of Wisdom?
  8. Whether Initial Fear Differs Substantially from Filial Fear?
  9. Whether Fear Is a Gift of the Holy Ghost?
  10. Whether Fear Decreases When Charity Increases?
  11. Whether Fear Remains in Heaven?
  12. Whether Poverty of Spirit Is the Beatitude Corresponding to the Gift of Fear?

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, Second Part of the Second Part. Project Gutenberg #18755. 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.