Abstract

My thesis is that obedience is a great virtue and that it is best, although not first, understood in relation to God: God is the source of all authority and the end of all obedience. Like St. Thomas, I begin with what is better known to us, ordinary human obedience. Thus, my first chapter consists in an argument that obedience is a matter of justice, a matter of recognizing and acting upon the fact that certain persons excel in knowledge and virtue, and are thus suited to be in positions of authority. Furthermore, while honor respects the authority's personal goodness, it is obedience which regards authority as a mover, for in obedience the subject is moved and perfected by authority. This idea provides the foundation for chapter two, in which I argue that God is the "Prime Mover" among authorities. As the Prime Mover, He is the Source of perfection, indeed He is Perfection. Thus, He is the end or goal of obedience. ;In the final chapters, I consider objections. The third chapter considers various evils that have come about as the result of obedience, evils which would suggest that obedience is not a God-centered virtue. I respond that although authority is good and from God, its use is dependent upon the use of free will, and thus may be sinful and not from God. And if there is a conflict, we should obey the higher superior rather than the lower: "we must obey God rather than men." In the fourth chapter, I deal with conscience as an alternative to obedience. My conclusion here is two-fold: Conscience, even as external authorities, can err; neither can replace the other, and It is obedience, not conscience, which corresponds to man's social nature. Obedience to other human beings promotes the common good, and stimulates love of human beings; obedience to God, as akin to charity and the love of God, is infinitely greater... ;Obedience, as the title of my second chapter suggests, is indeed "divine." This is the teaching of St. Thomas as well as St. Paul