The Christian State

It might appear to some readers that this book is dated, both in its discussion of general principles and of their particular applications. So it is, and hence a great part of its value. For although there are numbers of people living today who were alive when this book first went to press, there has nevertheless been a sufficient sea-change in our attitudes as to render it an eye-opener for most Catholics. For we too have been affected by the intellectual atmosphere in which we live, and to be reminded of the fundamental truths upon which political systems are based is necessary if we are to think as Catholics. Above all, this book should help us clear our minds of erroneous theories and help us to trace our ideas and doctrines back to first principles, a task that is always beneficial and not always easy. -From the foreword by Thomas Storck The Christian State by Fr. A. Osgniach forms part of that long, rich procession of Catholic books on the nature of the state. The subject matter is political science; the core is the individual; the viewpoint is Catholic. The book corrects the wrong notion many people have about the state by correcting their wrong notions about the individual. States arose for the welfare of individuals. The only true concept of an individual, the author points out, is that concept held by great Catholic philosophers of all time. Applying the combined fruits of the philosophical geniuses of St. Thomas Aquinas, Suarez, and others, The Christian State points out clearly and forcefully that in considering the relation of the state to the individual, utmost care should be taken that the individual is taken in the fullest sense of the term. It should be the individual with body and soul, not the individual who would be worthy of nothing more than being a cog in the state machine. It should be the individual with his various relations to creation, his fellowman, and to his Creator. In the last analysis, one should always keep in mind the axiom that "the state is created for time; the individual is created for all eternity." With this standard, the author proceeds to investigate the various forms of modern states. He demonstrates whether these states or the philosophy that underlies them measures up to this standard or not. In that way, The Christian State contains a clear comparison between the correct and the incorrect opinion. -Hector L. Hofilena, Ateneo Law Journal (1952)