Thomas Aquinas on the Political Analogy and the Passions of Christ

Abstract In this paper I will address the question whether Aquinas’ political analogy can be properly applied to Christ as having political or despotic rule over his passions. I will argue that a close reading of various texts of Aquinas, especially the more mature Compendium of Theology, leads to the conclusion that Jesus’ reason exercised a despotic rule over his passions, not a political rule. His propassions were totally under the control of his reason and could not resist it; they did not retain “something of their own”, which is the ability to resist reason. The case of Mary’s passions in the writings of Aquinas make this point even more clear.