Moral Theology: Its Method and Masters
Jean-Pierre Gury
Drawn from the authors' own words; every quotation links to its place.
S.J. · Jesuit · 1801–1866
On this site: Compendium of Moral Theology of Fr. John Peter Gury, S.J., with the Notes of Antonio Ballerini, S.J.
In the Index: Gury, J. P. (S. J.)
His Moral System
Probabilism
- “It is licit to follow an opinion truly and solidly probable, with the safer one, equally probable or even truly more probable, left aside” — Gury-Ballerini, Article II. On the Efficacy of Probability for Forming Conscience, n. 59
Lineage
- “An ardent follower of Busenbaum and of St. Alphonsus Ligouri” — Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), Jean-Pierre Gury
What Our Authors Say of Him
- “Perhaps there do not exist moral works in the nineteenth century so widely circulated” — Prümmer, Catalogue of authors
- “for example the very celebrated compendium of Gury, by the very catechetical form of questions and answers seemed to profess a less adult age of science” — Vermeersch, n. 21
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.
| Probabilist | |
|---|---|
| Counted among them by 2 of our authors | Noldin, Summa I, n. 233; Tanquerey, Fundamental Moral Theology, n. 397 |
| “Almost all theologians of the Society of Jesus adhere to Probabilism”Prümmer: almost all the theologians of the Society of Jesus adhere to probabilism, he among them | Prümmer, Manuale I, n. 342 |
| “nor does it in any way lead to Tutiorism, as Gury and other Probabilists wish”Prümmer: with other probabilists he holds that the system of compensation leads to tutiorism | Prümmer, Manuale I, n. 344 |
| “Thus Lacroix and other Probabilist authors of the eighteenth century almost commonly, and also Gury in the later editions of his Compendium, and Ballerini”Konings: a simple probabilist, he allowed the less probable opinion for liberty even against an evidently more probable one | Konings, Compendium, n. 62 |
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.
| “to speak only of the dead, Gury-Ballerini, S.J., Bishop Simar, Cardinal d'Annibale, Aertnys, C.SS.R., Cl. Marc, C.SS.R., Lehmkuhl, S.J., and Genicot, S.J., rightly excel”Among the excellent manuals and scholastic moralists of the nineteenth century | Vermeersch, Theologia moralis I, n. 21In nearly the same words: Koch-Preuss, Handbook I, history of moral theology |
| “the very celebrated compendium of Gury, by the very catechetical form of questions and answers seemed to profess a less adult age of science”His Compendium and Cases | Vermeersch, Theologia moralis I, n. 21In nearly the same words: Tanquerey, Fundamental Moral Theology, n. 51; Koch-Preuss, Handbook I, history of moral theology |
| “whose most excellent method is approved by almost all both Professors and students of moral theology”Konings on following Gury’s method, which he had acknowledged in his Notice | Konings, Compendium, Apologetic Preface (4th ed.) |
| “For to the former it seems more probable, and to the latter probable, that a book already published in type by that very fact becomes of common right”Konings: Gury holds it more probable that a published book becomes common property, which settles the charge of plagiarism in his favor | Konings, Compendium, Apologetic Preface (4th ed.) |
| “Because St. Alphonsus in the cited place has absolutely nothing about those six months”Konings shows Gury citing St. Alphonsus for what is not in him (six months’ residence for the banns) | Konings, Compendium, Apologetic Preface (4th ed.) |
In the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)
“Jean-Pierre Gury”, vol. 7, by Joseph Salsmans. Public domain; transcription from Wikisource.
Moral theologian; b. at Mailleroncourt, Haute-Saône, 23 January, 1801; d. at Merc ur, Haute Loire, 18 April, 1866; entered the Society of Jesus at Montrouge, 22 August, 1824; he taught moral theology for thirty-five years at the seminary of Vals, France, 1834-47 and 1848-66, and for one year at Rome, 1847-48. It was in 1850, after his return from Rome necessitated by the events of 1848, that the first edition of his "Compendium theologiæ moralis" appeared, which at the time of the author's death had reached the seventeenth edition, to mention neither the German translation of Wesselack (Ratisbon, 1858), not the imitations and adaptations published in Belgium, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Germany. In the last-named country the annotated edition of Professor Seitz itself already reached the fifth edition in 1874 (Ratisbon). Deserving of note is the specially annotated edition of A. Ballerini and D. Palmieri (Prato, 15th ed., 1907); the edition of Dumas (5thed., Lyons, 1890); the abridged edition of Sabetti-Barret (New York and Cincinnati, 1902, 16th ed.); the edition adapted to Spain and Latin America by Ferreres (Barcelona, 4th ed., 1909); finally the "Compendium ad mentis P. Gury" by Bulot (Tournay and Paris, 1908). In 1862, Gury published his "Casus conscientiæ in præcipuas quæstiones theologiæ moralis". Of this work the following editions have appeared: Dumas, 8th ed., Lyons, 1891; Ferreres, for the second time in 1908 (Barcelona); and a German edition at Ratisbon (7th ed., 1886).
The brevity of the compendium led inevitably to a lack of scientific solidarity. For the uses of his classes at Vals, Gury lithographed a more scientific manual which was unhappily never published. His mind was essentially practical, orderly and clear. His method was to proceed by question and answer, taking in the exposition of principles and their conclusions, and finally adding the discussion of more special points. He also knew how to blend happily in his lessons solidity and variety, a quality that gained for him the appointment to the chair of moral theology at the Roman College from Father General Roothaan. Opportunity for actual contact with souls was afforded him by numerous confessions, which he heard during retreats and missions conducted by him in vacations. An ardent follower of Busenbaum and of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, he contributed largely towards the extirpation of Jansenism, and is accounted besides one of the restorers of the old casuistic method, a fact that made him worthy of personifying the "Jesuit Moral" in the eyes of some, who, especially in Germany, attacked his doctrine.
De Backer-Sommervogel, Bibl. Des écrivains de la Comp. De Jésus; Duhr, Jesuiten-Fabeln, 3rd ed., 446 sqq.; Hurter, Nomenclator; Noldin in Kirchenlex.; Etudes religieuses (Paris, 1867); Kirchliches Handlexikon; Literarischer Handweiser (1867), c. 244; (1875), c. 74-8, 107-11, 207-13; Desjardins, Vie du R.P. J.P. Gury (Paris, 1867).
J. SALSMANS