“ What food is to a man's wellbeing, such is sexual intercourse to the welfare of the human race. ”
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica (1274). copy citation
| Author | Thomas Aquinas |
|---|---|
| Source | Summa Theologica |
| Topic | food welfare |
| Date | 1274 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18755/pg18755-images.html |
Context
“Obj. 3: Further, the common good takes precedence of the private good, according to the Philosopher (Ethic. i, 2) . Now marriage is directed to the common good: for Augustine says (De Bono Conjug. xvi) : "What food is to a man's wellbeing, such is sexual intercourse to the welfare of the human race." On the other hand, virginity is ordered to the individual good, namely in order to avoid what the Apostle calls the "tribulation of the flesh," to which married people are subject (1 Cor. 7:28) . Therefore virginity is not greater than conjugal continence.”
source
