Edition and study of the work of Marín Sola on Grace

Editing the work of Marín Sola on Grace

This research group was created with the purpose of definitively editing the work of Francisco Marín Sola (1873-1932) on grace. The celebrated Dominican theologian, author of the important treatise La evolución homogénea del dogma católico, dedicated a good part of his efforts to the question of grace. In addition to a series of articles published in La ciencia tomista, Marín Sola dedicated the last years of his life to writing an extensive work in which he dealt in detail with the questions of actual grace. It was titled Concordia tomista entre la moción divina y la libertad humana. The manuscript of this work is preserved in the Convent of Santo Domingo in Manila, but more copies exist. We are aware of at least one in the Historical Archive of the Dominicans of the Province of Hispania (Ávila), another in the Library of the Pontifical University of Salamanca, and another in the Archivum Generale Ordinis Praedicatorum (Rome). The Salamanca version is digitized and currently available online.

 

The debate on how actual grace influences human freedom without violating it, the celebrated controversy over divine aids, which began in Spain at the end of the 16th century, has represented one of the most important polemics among Catholic theologians of Modernity. It is a question that remained vibrant until the Second Vatican Council, with the intervention of important figures such as Garrigou-Lagrange or Lonergan. Curiously, reflection on the matter has been revived again in the first decades of the 21st century, particularly in the English-speaking world. In this context, Marín Sola's Concordia has attracted the attention of scholars, especially following the important book by Michael D. Torre, God's permission of sin: negative or conditioned decree?: A defense of the doctrine of Francisco Marin-Sola, O.P. based on the principles of Thomas Aquinas (Academic Press Fribourg, Fribourg 2009). This author investigated the manuscript of Marín Sola's Concordia , making it the main contribution of his important study. Likewise, he has edited the articles by Marín Sola against which none other than Garrigou-Lagrange reacted in his day: Michael D. Torre (ed. & trans.), Do not resist the spirit’s call: Francisco Marín-Sola on sufficient grace (The Catholic University of America Press, Washington, D.C. 2013). Torre argues that Marín Sola's position may have even determined J. Maritain's interpretation of divine action in man. That this question continues to generate interest and attract scholars can be seen, for example, in the recent books by Schmitz, Valuet, or O'Neill.

A work that has been so appreciated outside our borders deserves some care within them. The available manuscript of Marín Sola's Concordia points to a previous effort by the Dominicans aimed at bringing it to print, which at some point was frustrated. Although the work was not definitively prepared by its author for publication, it has a development worthy of being placed in the hands of the public. It seems that the time has come for the initiated work to be finally completed and for Marín Sola's research to be valued, now that we are approaching the centenary of his death.

 

Research Team

PI: David Torrijos Castrillejo (U. San Dámaso)

Researchers:

• Agustín Echavarría (U. Navarra)
• Lucas Prieto (CEU Abat Oliba)
• Manuel Aroztegui (U. San Dámaso)

 

Short and Medium Term Objectives

• Edition of the Thomistic Concordance between divine motion and created freedom by Francisco Marín-Solá.
• Eventually, the edition of Marín-Solá's articles on divine motion published in Ciencia tomista, gathered in a single book.
• Symposium on the figure and thought of Marín-Solá.

 

Work Plan

1. Professional transcription of the Concordia and fixing the text in a .docx document.
   Translation into Spanish of the cited Latin texts [a procedure that seems necessary to edit the book in our day].
2. Location of the bibliographic references used by the author.
3. Elaboration of an introduction to contextualize the work of Marín Sola.
4. Organization of a symposium regarding Marín Sola's Concordia.
5. Eventual edition of the articles published by Marín Sola for La ciencia tomista.

 

Description of the Team

The project’s PI has devoted recent years to researching the De auxiliis controversy, with particular emphasis on the contribution of the Dominicans. There is a certain imbalance due to the excessive attention given in this context to Luis de Molina and his famous notion of “middle knowledge,” in comparison with the widespread neglect of contemporary Dominican thinkers. His recent work has focused on this area, resulting in three books on the subject, in addition to various articles.

Agustín Echavarría specializes in philosophical theology and has led research projects in this field. He has also worked in particular on the question of divine providence, paying special attention to Marín-Sola’s solution. Lucas Prieto has just published his doctoral dissertation on Thomas Aquinas’s doctrine of divine concurrence and has experience as an editor, having recently made available to the public a translation of Aquinas’s commentary on De Divinis Nominibus. Manuel Aroztegui is a full professor at the University of San Dámaso and has contributed to the editing of classical authors such as Irenaeus of Lyons and Lanfranc.