The Complete Works Of Francisco Suárez - On Grace, Part I, Volume VIII - Francisco Suárez

This eighth volume of Suárez’s Complete Works presents the first part of his extensive treatise on grace, one of the most complex and debated areas of scholastic theology. Working within the mature Jesuit scholastic tradition, Suárez offers a systematic analysis of grace as the supernatural principle of salvation.

The work begins by defining grace in general and distinguishing its various types, such as habitual grace, actual grace, and prevenient grace. Suárez carefully explains how grace elevates human nature beyond its natural capacities while remaining harmoniously ordered to free will.

A central focus of this volume is the relationship between divine grace and human freedom. Suárez develops a nuanced account of how grace operates effectively in the soul without destroying liberty, emphasizing concurrence between divine causality and human action. He also addresses preliminary questions regarding predestination, divine foreknowledge, and the distribution of grace.

Throughout, Suárez employs his characteristic method of careful distinctions and rigorous argumentation, engaging with both Thomistic and broader scholastic positions. The result is a detailed and systematic foundation for the deeper theological questions concerning salvation that are taken up in the subsequent volume.