Whether to the Words, "Thou Shalt Love the Lord Thy God with Thy
Whole Heart," It Was Fitting to Add "and with Thy Whole Soul, and
with Thy Whole Strength"?
Objection 1: It would seem that it was unfitting to the words, "Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart," to add, "and with
thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength" (Deut. 6:5). For heart
does not mean here a part of the body, since to love God is not a
bodily action: and therefore heart is to be taken here in a spiritual
sense. Now the heart understood spiritually is either the soul itself
or part of the soul. Therefore it is superfluous to mention both
heart and soul.
Obj. 2: Further, a man's strength whether spiritual or corporal
depends on the heart. Therefore after the words, "Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with thy whole heart," it was unnecessary to add, "with
all thy strength."
Obj. 3: Further, in Matt. 22:37 we read: "With all thy mind," which
words do not occur here. Therefore it seems that this precept is
unfittingly worded in Deut. 6.
On the contrary stands the authority of Scripture.
_I answer that,_ This precept is differently worded in various
places: for, as we said in the first objection, in Deut. 6 three
points are mentioned: "with thy whole heart," and "with thy whole
soul," and "with thy whole strength." In Matt. 22 we find two of
these mentioned, viz. "with thy whole heart" and "with thy whole
soul," while "with thy whole strength" is omitted, but "with thy
whole mind" is added. Yet in Mark 12 we find all four, viz. "with thy
whole heart," and "with thy whole soul," and "with thy whole mind,"
and "with thy whole force" which is the same as "strength." Moreover,
these four are indicated in Luke 10, where in place of "strength" or
"force" we read "with all thy might." [*St. Thomas is explaining the
Latin text which reads "ex tota fortitudine tua" (Deut.), "ex tota
virtue tua" (Mk.), and "ex omnibus viribus tuis" (Luke), although the
Greek in all three cases has _ex holes tes ischyos_, which the Douay
renders "with thy whole strength."]
Accordingly these four have to be explained, since the fact that one
of them is omitted here or there is due to one implying another. We
must therefore observe that love is an act of the will which is here
denoted by the "heart," because just as the bodily heart is the
principle of all the movements of the body, so too the will,
especially as regards the intention of the last end which is the
object of charity, is the principle of all the movements of the soul.
Now there are three principles of action that are moved by the will,
namely, the intellect which is signified by "the mind," the lower
appetitive power, signified by "the soul"; and the exterior executive
power signified by "strength," "force" or "might." Accordingly we are
commanded to direct our whole intention to God, and this is signified
by the words "with thy whole heart"; to submit our intellect to God,
and this is expressed in the words "with thy whole mind"; to regulate
our appetite according to God, in the words "with thy whole soul";
and to obey God in our external actions, and this is to love God with
our whole "strength," "force" or "might."
Chrysostom [*The quotation is from an anonymous author's unfinished
work (Opus imperf. Hom. xlii, in Matth.) which is included in
Chrysostom's works], on the other hand, takes "heart" and "soul" in
the contrary sense; and Augustine (De Doctr. Christ. i, 22) refers
"heart" to the thought, "soul" to the manner of life, and "mind" to
the intellect. Again some explain "with thy whole heart" as denoting
the intellect, "with thy whole soul" as signifying the will, "with
thy mind" as pointing to the memory. And again, according to Gregory
of Nyssa (De Hom. Opif. viii), "heart" signifies the vegetative soul,
"soul" the sensitive, and "mind" the intellective soul, because our
nourishment, sensation, and understanding ought all to be referred by
us to God.
This suffices for the Replies to the Objections.
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