De la Taille on the Grace of Union

Abstract

The grace of union is the hypostatic union conceived as grace for the humanity of Christ and so for the whole human race. It consists of two elements, one uncreated, the person of the divine Word, the other created and situated in the sacred humanity. This article concentrates on the created grace, because its exact nature has always been controverted. Aquinas had his own theology of the created grace of union, which in developed form was endorsed by French Jesuit Maurice de la Taille in his 1929 essay. Since then there has been little significant further development. Nor has there been any attempt to update de la Taille’s theology in the light of later knowledge. With the aid of Felix Malmberg’s critique of de la Taille for invoking sanctifying (habitual) grace among the consequences of the union, this article takes up both challenges.