The Complete Works Of Francisco Suárez - Commentaries on the Third Part of St. Thomas, Part I, Volume XVII - Francisco Suárez

This seventeenth volume begins Suárez’s detailed commentary on the Third Part of the Summa Theologiae of Thomas Aquinas, which concerns the mysteries of Christ and the economy of salvation. It represents Suárez’s mature engagement with Christology within the broader scholastic tradition.

The work opens with foundational questions about the fittingness and necessity of the Incarnation, examining why the Word of God assumed human nature and how this act is ordered toward redemption. Suárez carefully analyzes the union of divine and human natures in the one person of Christ, emphasizing the metaphysical conditions required for the hypostatic union.

He also addresses the properties of Christ’s human nature, including knowledge, will, and sanctity, while maintaining the full integrity of both divine and human realities. Special attention is given to the communication of idioms and the proper predication of Christ’s actions.

Throughout the volume, Suárez combines Thomistic structure with his own distinctive precision in metaphysical distinctions. The result is a rigorous and systematic exposition of the foundations of Christology, preparing the way for the more detailed treatment of Christ’s life, passion, and redemptive work in subsequent volumes.