Overview

The Variety of Charisms listed in Corinthians 12 is characterized by Paul as """"manifestations of the Spirit"""" that serve the common good through the building up of the Church. While the modern emergence of Christian charismatic movements has spurred increased interest in the nature and exercise of these charisms, they have long been subject to theological reflection, and in fact received especially sustained and fruitful consideration from Thomas Aquinas. In A Theology of the Charisms in Saint Thomas Aquinas, Adrian Adiredjo, O.P., explores the Angelic Doctor's teaching on these spiritual gifts, calling attention to his unprecedented insights and their profound integration within his theological project. He first locates this teaching in its historical context, reviewing prior medieval approaches to the charisms and providing a diachronic analysis of developments in Aquinas's own approach. Adiredjo next fills out the theo-logical context of this teaching, establishing how Aquinas situates the nature and function of the charisms within the economy of grace and in connection with Trinitarian theology, Christology, soteriology, and ecclesiology. Building on these historical and theological foundations, the remainder of the study offers a detailed examination of Aquinas’s teaching on particular charisms. Adiredjo focuses especially on prophecy, speech, and miracles, which encompass what is most essential for knowing, communicating, and confirming the truth of the Christian faith. This groundbreaking study throws valuable light on Aquinas's thought, and also shows the applicability of his insights to the needs of the Church today.

Full Product Details

Author:   Adrian Adiredjo
Publisher:   Emmaus Academic
Imprint:   Emmaus Academic
Weight:   0.771kg
ISBN:  

9781645855378

ISBN 10:   1645855376
Pages:   434
Publication Date:   19 June 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Contents Acknowledgements xi Foreword by Bernhard Blankenhorn, O.P. xiii Introduction1 Part One The Medieval Scholastics and Thomas’s Early Development of Their Thought 11 Chapter 1: The Medieval Scholastics 15 Discussion on the Charisms 15 History of the Term Gratia Gratis Data 26 Chapter 2: Aquinas’s Early Development of the Medieval Teaching on the Charisms....37 Thomas’s Super Isaiam and Sentences Commentary 37 Summa contra Gentiles 44 The 1 Corinthians Commentary 55 Conclusion 65 Part Two Thomas’s Mature Teaching: The Nature and Function of the Charisms in General 67 Chapter 3: The Summa Theologiae: The Charisms in the Order of Grace 71 ST I-II, q. 111, a. 1: Manifestatio Spiritus ad utilitatem 72 ST I-II, q. 111, a. 4: The Charisms and Teaching the Faith 82 ST I-II, q. 111, a. 5: Excellentiorem viam vobis demonstro..91 Conclusion 93 Chapter 4: The Divine Missions and the Charisms 97 Fundamental Notions of the Divine Missions 98 The Charisms and the Spirit’s Visible Mission 101 The Charisms and the Invisible Missions 108 Conclusion 116 Chapter 5: The Charisms and the Grace of Christ 119 Christ as the Fountain of Grace 120 The Presence of the Charisms in Christ 123 Prophecy in Christ 127 Christ’s Charism of Working Miracles 134 The Apostles’ Charisms and Their Fullness of Grace 139 Conclusion 145 Part Three Prophecy as a Charism 147 Chapter 6: Prophecy in the Economy of Revelation 153 Prophecy as Supernatural Cognition (ST II-II, q. 171, a. 1) 155 Divine Causality of Prophecy (ST II-II, q. 172, a. 1) 169 The Expansion of the Object of Prophecy (ST II-II, q. 171, a. 3) 174 The Growth of Prophecy in History (ST II-II, q. 174, a. 6)185 Prophecy as a Present Ecclesial Reality 195 Conclusion 200 Chapter 7: Ontology and the Psychological Process of Prophecy 205 Natural Cognition. 207 The Ontology of Prophecy and the Divine Light (ST II-II, q. 171, a. 2) 212 The Psychological Process of Prophecy (ST II-II, q. 173, a. 2) 224 Alienation from Senses (ST II-II, q. 173, a. 3) 238 Self-Awareness and Understanding Prophecy (ST II-II, q. 171, a. 5, and ST II-II, q. 173, a. 4) 243 Conclusion 252 Chapter 8: Prophecy and Sanctity 259 Natural Disposition and Prophecy (ST II-II, q. 172, a. 3) 259 Prophecy and Goodness of Life (ST II-II, q. 172, a. 4) 266 Conclusion 285 Part Four The Charisms of Speech and Working of Miracles 289 Chapter 9: The Gift of Tongues 291 A Charism for Evangelization to the Gentiles (ST II-II, q. 176, a. 1) 291 The Superiority of Prophecy over the Gift of Tongues (ST II-II, q. 176, a. 2) 296 The Gift of Tongues and Prayer 301 Conclusion 304 Chapter 10: The Charisms of the Word of Wisdom and the Word of Knowledge 307 The Necessity of the Charisms of Discourse (ST II-II, q. 177, a. 1)307 The Charisms of Discourse and Teaching the Faith (ST II-II, q. 177, a. 2) 316 The Charism of the Word of Wisdom and the Gift of Wisdom (ST II-II, q. 45, a. 5c) 323 Conclusion. 328 Chapter 11: The Charism of Working Miracles 331 The Working of Miracles as a Charism (ST II-II, q. 178, a. 1) 332 The Miracle Worker as God’s Instrument 346 Miracle Workers and Sanctity (ST II-II, q. 178, a. 2) 352 Conclusion 371 General Conclusion 373 Bibliography 383 Name and Subject Index 403 Scripture Index 415

Reviews

“A Theology of the Charisms in Saint Thomas Aquinas meets a long-standing need for a theologically and historically responsible book-length account of the gratiae gratis datae according to Aquinas. This is an exemplary study of the graces geared to the building up of Church. Fr. Adiredjo is thorough and accurate as he recounts all that Aquinas has taught about the charisms, individually and collectively. The charisms are located securely in their appropriate contexts, and through this study new light is shed on Aquinas on Christ and the Holy Spirit, and on Church understood as mystical body. The author is familiar, too, with Pentecostal teaching, as well as that of select modern Roman Catholic portrayals of the charisms, and offers along the way comparisons that are fair and judicious, and suggestive of Aquinas’s abiding significance. The book is highly recommended, a wonderful addition to the scholarship!” - Joseph Wawrykow University of Notre Dame “We have here a thorough and penetrating study of an unjustifiably neglected part of Aquinas’s theology of divine grace and of the Church. As Pentecostalist theologies are on the rise in a shifting ecumenical scene, Adrian Adiredjo, O.P., points us in the direction of a profound ressourcement of what the Common Doctor has to teach about an important but often misunderstood aspect of Christian ecclesial life. While skillfully portraying for us the novelty and significance of Aquinas’s developing understanding of the role charisms play in the life of the Church and so of the individual Christian, Adiredjo focuses in particular on those relating to speech, that is, the proclamation of the Gospel, and to the corresponding witness of the working of miracles. Displaying an insightful ability to manifest connections across the whole of St. Thomas’s theology, including the role of Christ as Head of the Body and the mission of the Holy Spirit, Adiredjo not only shows us how this fruitful Christian thinker compares in a fascinating way both with other medieval theologians and the general ecclesiastical and monastic culture of his time, but also relates to us a doctrine of crucial relevance for Christian theology today.” - Simon Francis Gaine, O.P. Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas “Adrian Adiredjo’s book offers a careful and much-needed retrieval of a dimension of Thomistic theology that is often cited but rarely examined in its full theological scope. Against the widespread tendency to reduce the gratiae gratis datae to gifts that merely ‘do not sanctify,’ this study convincingly shows how Thomas situates the charisms within the very order of grace and the concrete life of the Church. One of the book’s major strengths lies in its comprehensive engagement with Aquinas’s corpus. By bringing together texts from the Summa Theologiae, the biblical commentaries, and earlier works, Fr. Adiredjo reconstructs a coherent vision of the charisms as manifestations of the Spirit ordered to ecclesial communion and the building up of faith. Particularly valuable is his treatment of prophecy, which is not isolated within the theology of revelation but carefully integrated into Aquinas’s broader theology of grace and sanctity. This book provides both historical depth and theological clarity, showing how Aquinas’s insights remain surprisingly relevant for current pastoral and spiritual debates.” - Piotr Roszak Nicolaus Copernicus University “The Catholic Church has always been charismatic, but what are charisms and how do they function? How do the charisms of preaching or of miracles relate to salvation and to sanctifying grace? This book provides comprehensive guidance from the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas. Not only are we confronted with the manifold analysis of charisms provided by medieval spiritual figures, this treatment also allows one to envisage clearly how charisms work within the mystical body of the Church—always in relation to the Gospel itself, the teaching and authority of the Church, the sacraments, and an ecclesial life of sanctification. An important work of reference.” - Thomas Joseph White, O.P. Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas

Author Information

Adrian Adiredjo, O.P., completed his doctorate in systematic theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome in 2022. He teaches systematic theology at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, and he previously served as Rector of Darma Cendika Catholic University in Surabaya, Indonesia, from 2021 to 2025.

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