Paul Gondreau was a guest speaker for the Thomistic Institute Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. Gondreau is a Sacred Theological Doctor and Professor of Theology at Providence College located in Rhode Island.

His lecture was titled “A Vengeful God: How to Understand the Old Testament” and focused on reconciling the idea of a Vengeful God of the Old Testament with the understanding of God as love, mercy and grace. There were approximately 70 people in attendance at the lecture.
Gondreau first tackled the idea that these were two separate God’s, that Jesus Christ revealed the loving God during his life. He pointed out old testament passages that describe God as slow to anger and rich in mercy.

Gondreau explained the principle of accommodation and the Great Pauline Insight.

Gondreau explained that the principle of accommodation means, “God accepts his people ‘where they’re at’ and doesn’t demand too much of them.”

The Pauline Insight is that God accommodates the human stage and moves them toward developing morality.

He transitioned to a section titled “The Great Thomist Insight: From the Physical and Earthly to the Spiritual and Eternal.”

He explained the views of Philosopher Thomas Aquinas who said that the old testament worked as a physical expression of spiritual life.

He explained that God’s wrath was a hatred of sin and intolerance of such offenses. The rules and laws God put into place in the Old Testament moved the Isrealites to have a higher moral standard than their surrounding neighbors.