Gregory Of Valencia On Explicit Faith

Gregory of Valencia, S.J., Commentariorum theologicorum, Tome 3, Disputation 1, Q. 2, Punct. 4, 1595, p. 301: “[Durandus says]… if someone neither has nor in a human manner can have any knowledge of the faith of Christ – and nevertheless lives morally well insofar as he can through his natural powers and (as I think should be added) through some prevenient and exciting grace (which is lacking to no one) – then God, either through Himself or through another, whether man or angel, would inform such a man about the faith of Christ, so that first of all he can be justified through it, and indeed attain the first and second salvation [i.e. first justification and ultimate salvation]: because without doubt no one can be saved without this faith… Likewise it is our assertion based on the mind of many other theologians, who plainly seem to think that explicit faith in Christ is now necessary in every way for the faithful, in which way it was not necessary for the common faithful before the coming of Christ; and therefore [is now necessary] by a necessity both of precept and of means, inasmuch as in neither of these modes was this faith necessary to the common faithful before the coming of Christ.”

Gregory of Valencia, S.J., Commentariorum theologicorum, Tome 3, Disputation 1, Q. 10, Punct. 1, 1595, p. 368: “… the contrary position is to be maintained, namely that for those who have heard nothing concerning the faith infidelity per se is not a sin, although, as [Saint] Thomas rightly says in this place: they are damned on account of other sins.”