The 60-Second Aquinas
Lesson
Natural Law in the Bible
October 15, 1998
In beginning his discussion of freedom and law in Veritatis Splendor, Pope John Paul II refers to the story of the Fall in Genesis: "The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You shall eat freely of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…’" (Gen. 2: 16-17).
The pope deduces from this short verse that "the power to decide what is good and what is evil does not belong to man, but to God alone" (Veritatis Splendor 51).
Such a statement can be seen in Aquinas’ explanation of natural law as "a share of eternal reason" (ST I-II, Q. 91, Art 2). Aquinas emphasizes that natural law presupposes an eternal law that is created by God. Man’s participation, limited by his ability to reason, is called natural law.
The writer of good and evil is God, as can be seen in the writings of both Aquinas and Pope John Paul II. It is a conclusion that is in line with Thomistic philosophy, AND it’s biblical!
Explanation of The 60-Second Aquinas Lesson
