A Comparative Analysis of the Actus Fidei in Neo-Scholastic and Transcendental Thomism: An Investigation of the Theologies of Johann Brunsmann, SVD and Pierre Rousselot, SJ

One of the most fascinating areas of fundamental theology is the actus fidei—the act of faith. It is here that grace, freedom, and reason come together in a very unique way. The Neo-Scholastics essentially approached this issue by breaking the process down into two steps: the act of credibility (reason) followed by the act of credentity (grace). The early twentieth century priest and theologian, Pierre Rousselot, SJ, radically departs from this approach in what would contribute to the beginning of Transcendental Thomism—an intellectual movement that would drastically change the character of Catholic theology. A century after Rousselot, many contemporary students of Catholic theology are never introduced to the logical rigor and precise analysis of Neo-Scholastic thought. Consequently, we offer a comparative analysis of the two approaches to the act of faith to manifest the strengths and weaknesses of the two systems.

Keywords: Act of Faith, Thomism, Neo-Scholasticism, Transcendentalism, Vatican II.