The Order of Charity According to Bonaventure

One of the important questions concerning the theological virtue of charity is the order of charity. It is a simple problem of the succession in the expression of charity in relation to various people. It is obvious that we are obliged to love all people, but they have a different grade of perfection and dignity. It is also impossible to express our charity to all people in the same way and in the same intensity, because our time, strengths and means are limited. This is why the question of order in our expression of charity is so important. The beginning of our considerations on the order of charity deal with the celebrated verse from Gal 6:10, which explicitly provides a preference to people of the same religion. The idea of the order of charity was a standard part of various commentaries and tracts on the theological virtue of charity of the first Christian centuries. This paper is focused on a commentary on this question in the writings of a very important representative of High Medieval Scholasticism St. Bonaventure. His concept is continuously compared with some other important authors of this era, the Dominicans Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas and the Franciscan John Duns Scotus.

Keywords: Charity, the Order of Charity, Bonaventure, Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, Scholasticism