by CCW | 18 March 2026 06:00
Ethical Treatise – a handbook that answers Laurentius’ questions about “man’s chief end” what “to avoid” in terms of heresies, “to what extent religion is supported by reason”, “what there is in reason that lends no support to faith, when faith stands alone,” “what is the beginning and the end of religion, “what is the sum of the whole body of doctrine”, “what is the sure and proper foundation of the catholic faith.” He says these questions are all answered through the proper objects of faith, hope and love. The whole treatise is about the kind of Trinitarian relationship in us of these three theological virtues through a basic and essential form of theological reasoning that seeks to gather all things into unity in God from whom and to whom all things belong. Wisdom belongs to God. “We begin in faith, and are made perfect in sight. This also is the sum of the whole body of doctrine. But the sure and proper foundation of the catholic faith is Christ” (ch. 5).
The treatise seeks deliberately to avoid commenting on heresies. God is to be worshipped through the three graces understood in their necessary interrelation. The task of the treatise is to state what are the true and proper object of each of these three theological virtues.
Immediately he turns to the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer which he says (all in the introduction) “you have these three graces exemplified: faith believes, hope and love pray.” In a way this provides the structure of the treatise. But as he notes, “without faith the two last (hope and love) cannot exist, and therefore we may say that fatih also prays – i.e. faith prays through hope and love without which hope and love are incomplete, even though love is the fullest completion and perfection of faith and hope. This apparent paradox is explained through the argument as the conclusion of the Introduction (ch. 8) makes clear. “Wherefore there is no love without hope, no hope without love, and neither love nor hope without faith.”
The treatise is structured as follows: Intro – chapters 1-8
Faith – as that which we are to believe in regard to religion – Ch. 9 – Ch. 113; This is essentially a theological commentary on the Creed organized as follows: Ch. 9 -33 “God the Father in general: I believe in God the Father Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth, treating a number of questions about the attributes and nature of God and how we think and know things, (God as Trinity actually); “And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary – Ch. 34-55; I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Church, Communion of Saints. Ch. 56- 63 .The Forgiveness of Sins, Ch. 64-84; the Resurrection of the Body and Life Everlasting, Ch. 84-113.
What follows is the consideration of Hope by way of the Lord’s Prayer (Ch. 114-116) and Love by way of the gathering into unity all that belongs to Faith and Hope – Ch. 117-122. A remarkably concise and coherent treatise on the theological substance of the three graces, Faith, Hope and Charity.
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