Moral Theology: Its Method and Masters
Thyrsus González de Santalla
Drawn from the authors' own words; every quotation links to its place.
Jesuit · 1624–1705
In the Index: González
Dates differ: Prümmer 1624–1705; Haringer ?–1705.
In Prümmer's Catalogue and Haringer's Index
- “Gonzalez, Thyrsus, S.J., Spanish (1624-1705), was superior general of the Society of Jesus; he tried to introduce Probabiliorism into the whole Society of Jesus. He wrote, besides other things: 1. Fundamentum theologiae moralis, id est tractatus de recto usu opinionum probabilium, Rome 1694; 2. Selectae disputationes ex universa theologia scholastica, Salamanca 1680-1686, 4 folio volumes. In the controversies concerning Probabilism the right manner of charity, and even of justice, was not rarely injured by several authors.” — Prümmer, Catalogue of authors
- [+*: rigid] “Gonzalez Thyrsus, Spanish, first professor of theology, then superior general of the Society of Jesus. He gave much labor to this, that probabiliorism might be taught in the schools of the Society of Jesus, and for this reason he called probabiliorists from Spain to Rome; he himself also published a work on the right use of probable opinions, where, defining a probable opinion, he says that it is probable which, when all things have been considered, appears true to the one acting. "I do not know," says St. Alphonsus, "how the aforementioned authors (where he speaks of Gonzalez, Habert, Fagnanus, etc.), by asserting that it is not licit to use for acting anything except morally certain opinions, when in this way they in reality utterly reject the use of probable opinions, although in words they seem to admit it; I do not know, I say, how they can be excused from the condemned proposition which said: it is not licit to follow an opinion, among probable opinions, even the most probable"; died 1705.” — Haringer's index of writers (Gury-Ballerini) (p. XIX, sign read on the page)
His Moral System, as Our Authors Report It
Every report quoted in the author's own words and linked to its place; point at a name to see his words. Haringer's signs give St. Alphonsus's judgment as Haringer found it in St. Alphonsus's works (his notice, Gury-Ballerini, 1884, p. XI); a sign on a writer the 1884 editor added to the list is the editor's own, and is said to be his.
| Probabiliorist | |
|---|---|
| Counted among them by 3 of our authors | Koch-Preuss, Handbook I, the moral systems; Noldin, Summa I, n. 231; Gury-Ballerini, Compendium I, n. 66, note |
| “Besides, the same Pontiff ordered that the theology of Fr. Antoine, S.J., a vigorous Probabiliorist, be expounded in the Seminary of Propaganda Fide. Clement XIII on 26 Feb. 1761, through a Decree of the Holy Office, condemned a sheet containing several theses favoring the system of Probabilism; indeed, the proposition, "Probabilism was supremely familiar to Christ the Lord," he specially condemned as erroneous and proximate to heresy. - From all these things it clearly appears how rightly Thyrsus Gonzalez wrote in the supplicatory little book offered to Clement XI in the year 1702: "It is certain that the Apostolic See has always inclined more toward the opinion contrary to Probabilism."”Prümmer quotes his book offered to Clement XI in 1702, on the Holy See's inclination against probabilism | Prümmer, Manuale I, n. 345 |
| “The probabiliorism of Father Thyrsus rejects both probabilism and equiprobabilism”Sabetti-Barrett: his probabiliorism rejects equiprobabilism no less than probabilism | Sabetti-Barrett, Compendium, n. 64 |
| “With these are to be numbered a few Jesuits, such as Antoine (+ 1743), Elizalde; but especially Thyrsus Gonzalez (+ 1681), who, seeing the excesses of probabilism, wrote a Treatise concerning the right use of probable opinions, in which he defended probabiliorism; after many difficulties had been overcome, by the counsel of Innocent XII, he made the same public, and within the space of one year committed it to the press twelve times.”Tanquerey on his Treatise on the right use of probable opinions and its publication | Tanquerey, Fundamental Moral Theology, n. 401 |
| “He gave much labor to this, that probabiliorism might be taught in the schools of the Society of Jesus”Haringer’s index: he labored that probabiliorism be taught in the Society's schools | Haringer, Index of writers |
| “Thyrsus Gonzalez had written the book The Foundation of Moral Theology concerning the Right Use of Probable Opinions, in which he strenuously defended probabiliorism”Merkelbach: in his Fundamentum he strenuously defended probabiliorism | Merkelbach, Summa II, excursus on the moral systems |
| Against probabilism | |
| Counted among them by one of our authors | Concina, Compendium II, diss. II, ch. IX, n. XII |
| “Father Thyrsus Gonzalez, General of the Jesuits, tried to banish Probabilism from the Society by publishing an anti-Probabilistic work, Fundamentum Theologiae Moralis”Koch-Preuss: as General of the Jesuits he tried to banish probabilism from the Society | Koch-Preuss, Handbook I, the moral systems |
| “Thyrsus Gonzalez, then professor at Salamanca, had given repeated letters to the supreme pontiff and at the same time had sent a little work against probabilism”Noldin on the occasion of the decree of 1680, Gonzalez's letters and little work against probabilism, and its force, which he holds disciplinary, not doctrinal | Noldin, Summa I, n. 239 |
| “In the first, Thyrsus Gonzalez is praised, who undertook to attack probabilism”Bucceroni: the decree of 1680 praised his attack on probabilism but condemned nothing; equiprobabilism was unknown to him (Bucceroni himself had the decree published in 1902) | Bucceroni, Commentarii, n. 112 |
| Rigid in his opinions | |
| “Gonzalez Thyrsus, Spanish, first professor of theology, then superior general of the Society of Jesus. He gave much labor to this, that probabiliorism might be taught in the schools of the Society of Jesus, and for this reason he called probabiliorists from Spain to Rome; he himself also published a work on the right use of probable opinions, where, defining a probable opinion, he says that it is ”Haringer marks him +*, giving St. Alphonsus's judgment of him (rigid) | Haringer's index, Index of writers, p. XIX |
Where Our Authors Discuss Him
Each read in its full passage; the words quoted are the author's own. Where several authors say the same thing, one is quoted and the others follow “in nearly the same words”; point at a name to see his words.
| “Indeed, if the decree of Innocent XI had condemned probabilism, Father Gonzalez, exercising the supreme office in the Society, could not have written these things in his book concerning the right use of probable opinions: "But I do not publish this treatise as the General Superior of the Society of Jesus, but as one theologian from the Society: intending to bind none of my subjects to teaching thus, but leaving full liberty to all, so that in this most grave controversy they may defend that part which, after accurate study undertaken from a sincere desire of finding the truth, they have found to rest upon more solid foundations."”Sabetti-Barrett: Innocent XI's decree of 1680 did not condemn probabilism; they quote Gonzalez's own disclaimer in his Fundamentum | Sabetti-Barrett, Compendium, n. 64 |
| “After a report had been made by Father Laurea concerning the contents of the letters of Father Thyrsus Gonzales”Tanquerey prints the decree of Innocent XI (26 June 1680) on his letters | Tanquerey, Fundamental Moral Theology, n. 405 |
| “By calumny Nicolius counted Comitolus among the enemies of probabilism. Thyrsus Gonzalez incautiously copied this error from Nicolius, and after him others thereafter.”Haringer’s index: he copied from Nicolius the error that Comitolus opposed probabilism | Haringer, Index of writers, note 1 |
| “Fr. Étienne de Camps published a book entitled Quaestio Facti, in which he frees the Society from the note of defending Probabilism as its own. The same was done by Fabri, Daniel, Moya, Gonzalez, Camargo.”Concina: he denied that probabilism is the Society’s own doctrine | Concina, Compendium II, diss. II, ch. IX, n. X |
Works Our Authors Used
- Gonzalez, Thyrsus, S.J., Fundamentum theologiae moralis, Cologne, 1694. — Tanquerey's list
In the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)
“Thyrsus González de Santalla”, vol. 6, by Joseph Salsmans. Public domain; transcription from Wikisource.
Theologian and thirteenth general of the Society of Jesus, b. at Arganda, Spain, 18 January, 1624; died at Rome, 27 October, 1705. He entered the Society of Jesus 3 March, 1643, and taught philosophy and theology at Salamanca from 1655 to 1665, and from 1676 to 1687, the intervening years having been devoted to preaching. When about to set out for Africa to converts the Mussulmans in 1687, he was sent as an elector to the thirteenth general congregation, by which he was chosen general, 6 July, 1687. As an ardent adversary of probabilism González had frequently asked his superiors to have some Jesuit write against the doctrine. He himself had composed a work in which he defended probabiliorism, assigning, however, an exaggerated importance to the subjective estimation of the degree of probability. The general revisors of the Society unanimously rendered an unfavorable opinion on the work, and accordingly, in 1674, Father-General Oliva refused permission for its publication. González received encouragement from Innocent XI, who had become pope in 1676, and by his order, the Holy Office issued a decree, in 1680, ordering the superiors of the Society to allow their subjects to defend probabiliorism, a permission that had never been denied. As general of the Society, González felt himself obliged to fight probabilism among his subjects. In 1691, he had printed at Dillingen a modified edition of his former work, but, owing to the efforts of his assistants, this book was never published. Innocent XII ordered a new examination of it to be made, and with many corrections it finally appeared, in 1694, under the title "Fundamentum theologiæ moralis — de recto usu opiniorum probilium" at Rome (three editions), Antwerp, Dillingen, Paris, Cologne, etc., and again at Antwerp in 1695. Migne has reproduced it in his "Cursus Theologiæ", XI. Bossuet said that nothing more formidable has ever been written against probabilism, and St. Alphonsus Ligouri found in it an exaggeration of rigorist tendencies.
We also have from the pen of González some apologetic works: "Selectarum disputationum tomi quattuor" (Salamanca, 1680) in which are found chapters against the Thomists, Jansenius, and some doctors of Louvain; treatises on the Immaculate Conception, and on papal infallibility. This last, directed against the Assembly of the Clergy of France in 1682, and printed by the order of Innocent XI, was afterwards suppressed by Alexander VIII, who feared new difficulties with the French court. The work appeared, in résumé only, in Barcelona, in 1691.
De Backer and Sommervogel, Bibl. des éscrivains de la comp. de Jésus; Concina, Aparatus ad theologiam christianam (Rome, 1751), II; Vindiciæ sociatatis Jesu usque doctrinæ purgatio (Venice, 1769); Dollinger and Reusch, Gesch. der Moralstreitigkeiten in der roem. kath. Kirche (Nördlingen, 1889), I, 120-273; II, 49-219; Hurter, Nomenclator; Matignon, Etudes religieuses (Paris, 1866); Patuzzi, Lettere teologico-morali, VI (Trent, 1756); Reusch, Index der verbotenen Bücher (Bonn, 1885), pp. 506-10; Preussicher Jahrbucher (Berline 1888), Eine Krisis in Jesuitenorden; Streber in Kirchenlex; Bihlmeyer in Kirchl. Handlex. For controversies on the decree of Innocent IX on probabilism, see chiefly Brucker, (Etudes religieuses, 1901-02) who quotes the official communication of the only authentic text given by the Holy Office in 1902. Ter Haar, Innocent XI de probabilismo decreti historia et vindiciæ (Tournay and Paris, 1904); Lehmkuhl, Probabilisimus vindicatus (Freiburg, 1906); see also, Arndt, in Analect. Eccl., 1902; Cathrein in Theol. prakt. Quartalschrift, 1905; Franz in Zeitschr. f. kath. theol., 1905; Mandonnet in Revue Thomiste, 1901-2.
J. SALSMANS