Question XXXIV: Whether a man ought to love himself more than his neighbor

It must be asserted. This is proved by the Holy Doctor first from the Saints, Augustine and Ambrose, who immediately after the love of God place the love of self, as we saw in quaest. 28.

Secondly, from Ecclus. 14: He who is evil to himself, to whom will he be good? Therefore one cannot orderly love one's neighbor unless one first loves oneself: for this reason in Matth. 22 and Deuter. 6 it is said: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Therefore the love of self is the exemplar of the love of neighbor: but the exemplar is superior to the exemplated.

Thirdly, from St. Augustine in the Enchir. cap. 76. See also Valencia disp. 3 quaest. 4 p. 3, Tanner disp. 2 q. 5 dub. 3.

Fourthly. The order of charity is first toward the first principle and last end, which is the Highest Good; then toward the participants: Man therefore loves himself as a participant in that good; others indeed as Companions in the participation; and, the participants being equal, unity is preferable to union. St. Thomas uses the same middle.

It is confirmed first by the Holy Doctor in the body, because a weight draws more the thing in which it is than that which is attached to it: but charity is a weight, as I showed in quaest. 30.

It is confirmed secondly. Each thing appetizes perfection in itself more than in its like: Therefore we reasonably appetize that God be united to us more than to others like to us.

It is confirmed thirdly by the Holy Doctor and Valencia, because those are reproved and called fools who neglect their own salvation to procure that of another: Matth. 16: What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the detrimment of his soul?

Finally, if he ought to love each individual neighbor as himself: Therefore also another neighbor conjoined simultaneously double more, and four, quadruple, and so on to infinity. From this affection it follows that one cannot give one's life for the life of a friend to be saved; so Durand. 4 dist. 17 quaest. 6, Richard dist. 15 art. 3 quaest. 5, Gabriel dist. 16 quaest. 3 art. 1, Paludanus dist. 15 q. 3 art. 2, Bellarm. on good works lib. 3 cap. 8 tom. 3. Hence St. Augustine in lib. de mendacio cap. 6 says: If anyone lose his bodily life for the bodily life of a friend, he does not love his neighbor as himself, but more than himself; which exceeds the rule of doctrine.

The reason is the one the Holy Doctor brings in the body and at ad 2, because love toward self is the measure of love toward neighbor; for it is said: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself; but the measure is more perfect than the measured, as Scotus also says. Hence Hurtado defends this opinion tooth and nail in t. 2 disp. 114 sect. 4 § 42, where he lays down that it is a sin to die for the life of a neighbor.

Others however say that this is licit: Azorius tom. 2 lib. 2 cap. 3 quaestio 2, Soto on Justice lib. 5 quaest. 1 art. 6, Victoria relect. on homicide num. 25, Corduba lib. 1 quaest. 83 at ad 4, Tanner disp. 2 quaest. 5 dub. 4 num. 73, citing St. Thomas 3 dist. 29 quaest. 1 art. 5 at ad 3 and lib. 1 de regimine Principum, and here quaest. 26 art. 4 at ad 2, Bannes, Aragon, Valencia quaest. 4 p. 3. See below quaest. 35.

Diana p. 5 tract. 4 resol. 28, with Faber on Restitution in 4 disp. 52 num. 41, Valencia tom. 3 disp. 3 quaest. IV p. III, Lorca II II quaest. XXVI art. V sect. III disp. XXVIII member III num. 55, say that it is sometimes licit to do this on account of some added cause; for instance if the friend is more useful, or if he is unjustly oppressed; and thus justice also is saved; and in this way it is a heroic work, says Lorca.

The Holy Doctor asserts it entirely in III dist. XXIX dub. I litt. With equality indeed given, the Holy Doctor wills that alms be given first to oneself. But he calls perfect heroic charity in dub. V, from St. Augustine tract. V on John, when one is ready to die for love of the brethren — a death not undergone precisely for them, but in order to God. Wherefore the act will be heroic by Charity. Hence in John XV it is said: Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. So also Bass. v. Charity, num. 19, where he brings forward many.

Against this assent you will object first: Charity seeketh not her own, I. Cor. XIII.

It is replied that seeking one's own good is forbidden as excluding the common; for that is lust. But to seek one's own good as such is not evil; for he himself in Philip. the first desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ. So also St. Thomas replies from St. Augustine, the third rule.

You will object secondly from Matth. XXII, where we have: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: Therefore equally.

The Holy Doctor replies particularly that as, is not a mark of perfect equality, but of expressed likeness, which is attended to in this, that man love his neighbor toward that good toward which he loves himself, and that after his own salvation he ought to wish nothing more than that of another.

You will object thirdly from St. Gregory, homil. XVII on the Gospels: No one is said to have Charity toward himself, but toward another.

The Holy Doctor replies that the sense is not to terminate Charity in oneself, but that it ought to be extended toward one's neighbor, for he who does not love remains in death. It is also replied that Charity is toward another insofar as it is friendship.

You will object fourthly. Liberality is attended to toward another. But charity is a liberal love: Therefore.

He replies that liberality is extended toward another, but nevertheless begins from oneself.

You will object fifthly. Charity, coming upon nature, inverts the order; and he who before loved himself more than God begins to love God more: Therefore it inverts also the love in order to neighbor, so that the latter be loved more.

The Holy Doctor replies that there is no variation of nature, that I should love myself before my neighbor; therefore it is not to be taken away by Charity, as vitious self-love is taken away.

You will object sixthly. Our charity ought to be conformed to the Charity of God, who loves our neighbors more, if they are better, than us. The assumption is proved: for he wills his honor; but the salvation of a hundred souls is more toward God's honor than my salvation: Therefore. For thus the Apostle in Rom. IX desired to be an anathema for the brethren.

The Holy Doctor replies, with St. Thomas, that the order of Charity is not attended to only by the magnitude of the good wished; but also on the part of the lover; just as the quantity of an action depends on the subject itself. Therefore, although the neighbor be better, nevertheless he does not preponderate, because Charity was given to me first for acting in its own subject, and this is the honor of God and his will expressed in the Scriptures. But what the Apostle desired, to be an anathema, understand for a time, or under a condition, should it be desirable, as St. Bonav. says at the end; or he desired separation from the fellowship of the members of Christ, as Chrysostom explains; or he desired death for the salvation of his neighbor, as Valencia notes disp. III quaest. IV punct. 3. Say the same of that saying of Moses, Deuter. XXXII: Either forgive them, etc. or blot me out of thy book; which Fusesius explains in lib. III cap. 9 as a filial exaggeration.