Led by God in Freedom: Lessons on Prudence and Moral Transformation from Aquinas’s Commentary on Romans
ten Klooster,Anton
ten Klooster,Anton
Abstract
Moral transformation is the process by which a person grows in holiness. The grace of the Holy Spirit enables this growth. This article explores how the notion of ‘prudence of the Spirit’ in Aquinas’s commentary on Romans can help to further elaborate the concept of moral transformation. It does so by first presenting this transformation as a human process. Second, the article presents an in-depth interpretation of Aquinas’s commentary on Romans 8:14: ‘those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God’. Here, special attention will be given to the proper character of the prudence the Holy Spirit forms in believers. The concluding discussion draws lessons from our reading of the commentary and related texts. This reinforces the conviction that grace enables freedom and will help us to find proper metaphors for speaking of the transformative work of the Holy Spirit.
Description
Date
2023-05
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Thomas Aquinas, grace, moral transformation, prudence, virtue ethics
Citation
ten Klooster, A 2023, 'Led by God in Freedom : Lessons on Prudence and Moral Transformation from Aquinas’s Commentary on Romans', Studies in Christian Ethics, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 311-322. https://doi.org/10.1177/09539468221149935