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Predestination: The Meaning of Predestination in Scripture and the Church
In Predestination, the great Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange gives a masterful theological exposition of the classic Thomistic teaching on this, the most difficult of all theological tracts, showing the reconciliation - as far as it can be understood this side of the Beatific Vision - of the various elements of the Church's teaching on Predestination. Impr. 382 pgs, PB
410 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1936
18 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
About the author
Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange
96 books148 followersRéginald Marie Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. (February 21, 1877, Auch, France – February 15, 1964, Rome) was a Catholic theologian and, among Thomists of the scholastic tradition, is generally thought to be the greatest Catholic Thomist of the 20th century. He taught at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, commonly known as the Angelicum, in Rome from 1909 to 1960.
Father Garrigou-Lagrange initially attracted attention when he wrote against the theological movement later called Modernism. He is also said to be the drafter or "ghostwriter" of Pope Pius XII's 1950 encyclical Humani Generis, subtitled "Concerning Some False Opinions Threatening to Undermine the Foundations of Catholic Doctrine."
He is best known for his spiritual theology. His magnum opus in the field is The Three Ages of the Interior Life, in which he propounded the thesis that infused contemplation and the resulting mystical life are in the normal way of holiness of Christian perfection.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald...
Father Garrigou-Lagrange initially attracted attention when he wrote against the theological movement later called Modernism. He is also said to be the drafter or "ghostwriter" of Pope Pius XII's 1950 encyclical Humani Generis, subtitled "Concerning Some False Opinions Threatening to Undermine the Foundations of Catholic Doctrine."
He is best known for his spiritual theology. His magnum opus in the field is The Three Ages of the Interior Life, in which he propounded the thesis that infused contemplation and the resulting mystical life are in the normal way of holiness of Christian perfection.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald...
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July 8, 2025
God determining, or God determined, there is no other alternative. This is the famous dilemma Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange sets before his reader throughout the entirety of his masterful work, "Predestination." Either God is He who is Pure Act, the First Cause of all being and action (since action follows being), or the creature determines itself, which means God's foreknowledge of the creature's act is determined by the creature, implying a passive potency in the Divine nature.
Before moving into the primarily theses and lines of argument in Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange's book, I will begin by noting only a few slight drawbacks that are outweighed a hundredfold by the brilliance of this work.
First, if one does not have some basic familiarity with the thought of the Angelic Doctor on motion, God's foreknowledge, and human freedom, this book will be a difficult read. It will not be impossible to read this work, and the beginner may consult those questions and articles of Saint Thomas' works cited by Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange as one reads the book, but it will be a difficult read.
Second, although the subtitle is "The Meaning of Predestination in Scripture and the Church," and for good reason, as Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange depends quite heavily on the Scriptural foundations of predestination and the authority of the Church Councils including the Council of Trent and the Second Council of Orange, the author is not seeking to defend a "merely" Catholic exposition on predestination. As will be evident from the work, there is not one universal Catholic position on predestination, but various articulations on the doctrine from various schools including the Thomists, the Molinists, the Congruists, the Scotists, and the Augustinians. Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange extols and defends the view of the Thomist tradition against all these schools and the heresies of Pelagianism, semi-Pelagianism, Jansenism, and Calvinism. However, a deep study or nuances position on these other schools and heretical positions is not conducted by Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange (as this is not the chief aim), so one may consult other works on these other positions with profit.
Third, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange is a repetitive writer. Many lines of argument will be repeated quite frequently, along with the same prooftexts from Scripture, the Magisterium, Saint Thomas, and other interlocutors. However, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange is aware of this repetitive style, noting the intention behind it on p. 353, fn. 2.
Now we can address (only a few) of the great insights one will take away from reading the work of this Dominican master.
First, this work will provide a comprehensive overview of the Thomistic tradition's articulation of the mysteries of predestination and reprobation, while at the same time consistently showing how the Thomistic tradition's articulation of predestination rests firmly in the principles and thought of the school's master, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and more importantly, in God's revelation in Sacred Scripture and the Church.
Second, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange succinctly captures the tension of two revealed doctrines. God desires that all shall be saved and one thing would not be greater than another if God did not love it more. This second principle, known as the principle of predilection, follows from the metaphysical principle that God's love is the cause of all goodness. Thus, if one thing is said to be more good, it is because God loves it more. This is true both in the natural and supernatural orders. Thus, if two men are put in similar circumstances, and one man sins while the other perseveres, the man who perseveres does so because he has received a greater Divine help, without which he would be unable to persevere, because persevering in good is itself a good, and all goodness comes from God as from a First Cause. This tension is reconciled according to the principles of Saint Thomas, without the mystery of predestination itself ever being placed at risk of being reduced to a rationalistic explanation (see pps. 336-337 on the proper mystery in predestination and its relationship to infused contemplation).
Third, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange nods at the spiritual fruits of the Thomistic articulation of predestination throughout the text. Far from being a source of despair, the Thomistic articulation of predestination provides the surest foundation for the theological virtue of hope, since the formal object of hope is God and the divine assistance. As such, the Thomistic understanding of predestination excludes all pride, for what good does one have that does not come from God. "What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?" (1 Cor. 4:7).
Fourth, regarding Molinism, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange will prioritize three arguments: (1) the affirmation of the universality of the principle of predilection, (2) the scientia media results in both a passive potency in the Divine knowledge and leads to a determinism of circumstances/fatalism, and (3) posits a definition of human freedom that contradicts both experience what could be known a priori. On this last point, the reason Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange assigns to the Molinist's incorrect definition of liberty is because they do not follow the proper order of procedure in defining a faculty according to its formal object which specifies the faculty and its acts. The Molinist never specifies the object of the free will. Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange notes well, however, that the primary problem with Molinism, in contradistinction with all of the other Catholic theories of predestination, is that it denies the intrinsic efficaciousness of grace, and argues that grace is only extrinsically efficacious, and becomes efficacious through a determination to the good by the created will. The rejection of physical premotion is a secondary issue that is not of principle concern to the Thomist, although the Thomist will defend it. As the author writes,
"It is of importance to note here that the doctrine of intrinsically efficacious grace, which is admitted almost all theologians who reject the scientia media, means far more for the Thomists than their explanation of predetermining physical premotion. Likewise, provided it is within the power of our will to move our hand as it pleases, it is of little consequence for us to know by means of what nerve centers it does so. Among the Thomists, Billuart pointed this out. He said in substance that the theologians explain in various ways the efficacy of grace: some by means of delectation [Augustinians] and moral influence [Congruists], others by physical predetermination [Thomists], though they do not apply this to natural acts, or to the material element in sin. But strictly speaking, these are philosophical questions, whereas grace efficacious of itself in virtue of God's omnipotent will, independently of the creature's consent and the scientia media, this we defend as a theological conclusion that is connected with the principles of the faith and proximate to the faith (proximately definable). If we exclude the Molinists, this opinion is held by almost all the schools" (p. 311).
This leads us to our last point regarding physical premotion. Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange defends this doctrine both in its substance, and also as being according to the mind of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Though Saint Thomas does not use the language of physical premotion, this terminology is taken up by Domingo Bañez in response to other theories of grace. As another author cited by Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange in the third appendix (well-worth reading) of the book states, "It is not a question of a name but of a thing. If one does not care for the name, give it up." (p. 367). Accordingly, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange defends physical premotion from false understandings of the notion, and argues that physical premotion not only best explains the intrinsic efficaciousness of grace, but does so according to the principles of Saint Thomas on motion and causality, and in a way superior to that of the Augustinians and Congruists who argue that God infallibly moves the will by way of moral causality or a victorious delectation.
Much more could be said about this superb work on the mystery of predestination. For those who are seeking to ascend the hights of this mystery on the foundation of the most solid principles in speculative theology, as far as can be done on this side of eternity, Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange is a most excellent companion and guide in this ascent, and his "Predestination" is well worth its weight in gold.
Before moving into the primarily theses and lines of argument in Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange's book, I will begin by noting only a few slight drawbacks that are outweighed a hundredfold by the brilliance of this work.
First, if one does not have some basic familiarity with the thought of the Angelic Doctor on motion, God's foreknowledge, and human freedom, this book will be a difficult read. It will not be impossible to read this work, and the beginner may consult those questions and articles of Saint Thomas' works cited by Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange as one reads the book, but it will be a difficult read.
Second, although the subtitle is "The Meaning of Predestination in Scripture and the Church," and for good reason, as Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange depends quite heavily on the Scriptural foundations of predestination and the authority of the Church Councils including the Council of Trent and the Second Council of Orange, the author is not seeking to defend a "merely" Catholic exposition on predestination. As will be evident from the work, there is not one universal Catholic position on predestination, but various articulations on the doctrine from various schools including the Thomists, the Molinists, the Congruists, the Scotists, and the Augustinians. Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange extols and defends the view of the Thomist tradition against all these schools and the heresies of Pelagianism, semi-Pelagianism, Jansenism, and Calvinism. However, a deep study or nuances position on these other schools and heretical positions is not conducted by Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange (as this is not the chief aim), so one may consult other works on these other positions with profit.
Third, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange is a repetitive writer. Many lines of argument will be repeated quite frequently, along with the same prooftexts from Scripture, the Magisterium, Saint Thomas, and other interlocutors. However, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange is aware of this repetitive style, noting the intention behind it on p. 353, fn. 2.
Now we can address (only a few) of the great insights one will take away from reading the work of this Dominican master.
First, this work will provide a comprehensive overview of the Thomistic tradition's articulation of the mysteries of predestination and reprobation, while at the same time consistently showing how the Thomistic tradition's articulation of predestination rests firmly in the principles and thought of the school's master, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and more importantly, in God's revelation in Sacred Scripture and the Church.
Second, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange succinctly captures the tension of two revealed doctrines. God desires that all shall be saved and one thing would not be greater than another if God did not love it more. This second principle, known as the principle of predilection, follows from the metaphysical principle that God's love is the cause of all goodness. Thus, if one thing is said to be more good, it is because God loves it more. This is true both in the natural and supernatural orders. Thus, if two men are put in similar circumstances, and one man sins while the other perseveres, the man who perseveres does so because he has received a greater Divine help, without which he would be unable to persevere, because persevering in good is itself a good, and all goodness comes from God as from a First Cause. This tension is reconciled according to the principles of Saint Thomas, without the mystery of predestination itself ever being placed at risk of being reduced to a rationalistic explanation (see pps. 336-337 on the proper mystery in predestination and its relationship to infused contemplation).
Third, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange nods at the spiritual fruits of the Thomistic articulation of predestination throughout the text. Far from being a source of despair, the Thomistic articulation of predestination provides the surest foundation for the theological virtue of hope, since the formal object of hope is God and the divine assistance. As such, the Thomistic understanding of predestination excludes all pride, for what good does one have that does not come from God. "What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?" (1 Cor. 4:7).
Fourth, regarding Molinism, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange will prioritize three arguments: (1) the affirmation of the universality of the principle of predilection, (2) the scientia media results in both a passive potency in the Divine knowledge and leads to a determinism of circumstances/fatalism, and (3) posits a definition of human freedom that contradicts both experience what could be known a priori. On this last point, the reason Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange assigns to the Molinist's incorrect definition of liberty is because they do not follow the proper order of procedure in defining a faculty according to its formal object which specifies the faculty and its acts. The Molinist never specifies the object of the free will. Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange notes well, however, that the primary problem with Molinism, in contradistinction with all of the other Catholic theories of predestination, is that it denies the intrinsic efficaciousness of grace, and argues that grace is only extrinsically efficacious, and becomes efficacious through a determination to the good by the created will. The rejection of physical premotion is a secondary issue that is not of principle concern to the Thomist, although the Thomist will defend it. As the author writes,
"It is of importance to note here that the doctrine of intrinsically efficacious grace, which is admitted almost all theologians who reject the scientia media, means far more for the Thomists than their explanation of predetermining physical premotion. Likewise, provided it is within the power of our will to move our hand as it pleases, it is of little consequence for us to know by means of what nerve centers it does so. Among the Thomists, Billuart pointed this out. He said in substance that the theologians explain in various ways the efficacy of grace: some by means of delectation [Augustinians] and moral influence [Congruists], others by physical predetermination [Thomists], though they do not apply this to natural acts, or to the material element in sin. But strictly speaking, these are philosophical questions, whereas grace efficacious of itself in virtue of God's omnipotent will, independently of the creature's consent and the scientia media, this we defend as a theological conclusion that is connected with the principles of the faith and proximate to the faith (proximately definable). If we exclude the Molinists, this opinion is held by almost all the schools" (p. 311).
This leads us to our last point regarding physical premotion. Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange defends this doctrine both in its substance, and also as being according to the mind of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Though Saint Thomas does not use the language of physical premotion, this terminology is taken up by Domingo Bañez in response to other theories of grace. As another author cited by Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange in the third appendix (well-worth reading) of the book states, "It is not a question of a name but of a thing. If one does not care for the name, give it up." (p. 367). Accordingly, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange defends physical premotion from false understandings of the notion, and argues that physical premotion not only best explains the intrinsic efficaciousness of grace, but does so according to the principles of Saint Thomas on motion and causality, and in a way superior to that of the Augustinians and Congruists who argue that God infallibly moves the will by way of moral causality or a victorious delectation.
Much more could be said about this superb work on the mystery of predestination. For those who are seeking to ascend the hights of this mystery on the foundation of the most solid principles in speculative theology, as far as can be done on this side of eternity, Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange is a most excellent companion and guide in this ascent, and his "Predestination" is well worth its weight in gold.
October 10, 2025
As with numerous paradoxes that are seen in the ineffable life of God (ex. 3 persons, one God in Trinity?; two natures, one person in Jesus Christ?;), predestination presents another object of contemplation in the following two seemingly contradictory premises. Fr. Gerrigou-Lagrange, a follower of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Catholic view of predestination, presents the following princples:
1) God never commands the impossible, and he gives every person sufficient grace to be saved.
-This is a tenet that the Catholic Church holds against Calvin, who would argue that God actively wills the damnation of some individuals. God's universal will to save is "universal" in the fathers and is clearly attested in Scripture (1 Tim. 2:4 - "For God wills all to be saved..."_
2) One thing would not be better unless it were loved more by God, because all goodness comes from God alone.
-This is a truth the Catholic Church holds against the errors of the Pelagians and Semi-Pelagians, who taught that human beings are capable of good actions that are distinct from God's causation and power. This is clearly attested in Ps. 16, "I have no good apart from you (God)"
How can these two truths be reconciled? Scripture affirms both principles, but it is not totally clear from the human intellect how they can both be true at the same time.
Fr. Gerrigou-Lagrange's approach is to treat predestination as an object of "supernatural contemplation":
"Their reconciliation is an impenetrable obscurity. Why is this? It is because infinite justice, infinite mercy, and sovereign liberty are reconciled only in the eminence of the Deity, in the intimate life of God, in which they are identified without destroying one another. Now St. Thomas has shown that we cannot have in this life any positive concept of the deity as such. We can know God only by what he analogically has in common with creatures; but what belongs properly to him is konwn by us only negatively or relatively." (p. 104)
While we will not fully understand this mystery on our side of Heaven, I thought this book was fantastic in the way it dealt with the history of the doctrine, its scriptural support, and most of all the way we should speak of predestination in a way that maintains authentic free will.
Any Calvinist or Jansenist theory that says God wills evil, positively predestines people to damnation, or does not will the salvation of all people should be entirely rejected and has been dogmatically declared heresy in the Council of Trent.
It is important to know that God is being itself, who works in and through every action we complete, except the defect in those acts, being sin. Thus, rather than destroying our free will, God's intervention of grace actually empowers our free will and gives us the strength to choose God.
Since all people naturally desire to be happy behind every action they complete (good or bad), and God is the source and fulfillment of this happiness we desire, God's intervention of grace simply gives us the power to choose what we really want, which is God Himself.
1) God never commands the impossible, and he gives every person sufficient grace to be saved.
-This is a tenet that the Catholic Church holds against Calvin, who would argue that God actively wills the damnation of some individuals. God's universal will to save is "universal" in the fathers and is clearly attested in Scripture (1 Tim. 2:4 - "For God wills all to be saved..."_
2) One thing would not be better unless it were loved more by God, because all goodness comes from God alone.
-This is a truth the Catholic Church holds against the errors of the Pelagians and Semi-Pelagians, who taught that human beings are capable of good actions that are distinct from God's causation and power. This is clearly attested in Ps. 16, "I have no good apart from you (God)"
How can these two truths be reconciled? Scripture affirms both principles, but it is not totally clear from the human intellect how they can both be true at the same time.
Fr. Gerrigou-Lagrange's approach is to treat predestination as an object of "supernatural contemplation":
"Their reconciliation is an impenetrable obscurity. Why is this? It is because infinite justice, infinite mercy, and sovereign liberty are reconciled only in the eminence of the Deity, in the intimate life of God, in which they are identified without destroying one another. Now St. Thomas has shown that we cannot have in this life any positive concept of the deity as such. We can know God only by what he analogically has in common with creatures; but what belongs properly to him is konwn by us only negatively or relatively." (p. 104)
While we will not fully understand this mystery on our side of Heaven, I thought this book was fantastic in the way it dealt with the history of the doctrine, its scriptural support, and most of all the way we should speak of predestination in a way that maintains authentic free will.
Any Calvinist or Jansenist theory that says God wills evil, positively predestines people to damnation, or does not will the salvation of all people should be entirely rejected and has been dogmatically declared heresy in the Council of Trent.
It is important to know that God is being itself, who works in and through every action we complete, except the defect in those acts, being sin. Thus, rather than destroying our free will, God's intervention of grace actually empowers our free will and gives us the strength to choose God.
Since all people naturally desire to be happy behind every action they complete (good or bad), and God is the source and fulfillment of this happiness we desire, God's intervention of grace simply gives us the power to choose what we really want, which is God Himself.
July 8, 2017
This book is a challenge to read, but like other writings Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange does his best to lay out more clearly what is the Catholic understanding of Predestination, first by showing up and debunking the extremes then by a process of arguing within the Catholic fold and from there giving exaltation to the Thomistic understanding of God's Will and the created free will of man, and where Grace and Sin fit into these Wills. Fortunately, Father recognizes that in this life we are like at the base of mountain and the peak is obscure to us until we behold God face-to-face, he makes it clear that the dynamic tension between Divine Mercy, Justice and Freedom will only be more clearly reconciled in the next life and after a certain amount of intellectual argumentations does ask that this not be reduced to mere speculations but to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit who will enlighten us on this mystery. As always Father does a superb job of unabashedly repeating the same scripture sources as well as certain philosophical axioms to make clear how without these we could not understand predestination more clearly in this life.
August 27, 2025
If anyone is looking for a thorough and comprehensive introduction to the topic of predestination, this book is the one to read. The book starts off with the general declarations made by the church against the Pelagians and then Predestinarians, then touches into the view made by St. Augustine. Following he goes into a comprehensive view of St. Thomas, and then discusses and compares the views with those of Molina, Scotus, and the views of the Protestant churches. He then devotes the last 3rd of the book into doing a comprehensive dive on St. Thomas views beyond a broad overview. A very good book for anyone interested in learning about this hard topic!
March 14, 2023
Highly recommend if you have a strong background in Aquinas. This is a totally comprehensive treatment of Catholic predestination but not an introductory text. I read this with a friend for a book study and we spent many weeks on this. Can't wait to read more Lagrange.
August 14, 2023
A master wordsmith and Thomistic theologian. Definitely a steep climb but worth the view and then some.
December 29, 2015
A difficult book. I may have to read it again few times to get more out of it. This is by far the best treatment on predestination I have ever read. It states clearly the different schools of thought within Catholicism. It also shows the errors of various heresies.
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