I answer that, The excellence of the gifts can be measured in two ways:  first, simply, viz. by comparison to their proper acts as proceeding from their principles; secondly, relatively, viz. by comparison to their matter.  If we consider the excellence of the gifts simply, they follow the same rule as the virtues, as to their comparison one with another; because the gifts perfect man for all the acts of the soul’s powers, even as the virtues do, as stated above (A. 4).  Hence, as the intellectual virtues have the precedence of the moral virtues, and among the intellectual virtues, the contemplative are preferable to the active, viz. wisdom, understanding and science to prudence and art (yet so that wisdom stands before understanding, and understanding before science, and prudence and synesis before eubulia):  so also among the gifts, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and counsel are more excellent than piety, fortitude, and fear; and among the latter, piety excels fortitude, and fortitude fear, even as justice surpasses fortitude, and fortitude temperance.  But in regard to their matter, fortitude and counsel precede knowledge and piety:  because fortitude and counsel are concerned with difficult matters, whereas piety and knowledge regard ordinary matters.  Consequently the excellence of the gifts corresponds with the order in which they are enumerated; but so far as wisdom and understanding are given the preference to the others, their excellence is considered simply, while, so far, as counsel and fortitude are preferred to knowledge and piety, it is considered with regard to their matter.

Reply Obj. 1:  Fear is chiefly required as being the foundation, so to speak, of the perfection of the other gifts, for “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 110:10; Ecclus. 1:16), and not as though it were more excellent than the others.  Because, in the order of generation, man departs from evil on account of fear (Prov. 16:16), before doing good works, and which result from the other gifts.

Reply Obj. 2:  In the words quoted from the Apostle, piety is not compared with all God’s gifts, but only with “bodily exercise,” of which he had said it “is profitable to little.”

Reply Obj. 3:  Although knowledge stands before counsel by reason of its judgment, yet counsel is more excellent by reason of its matter:  for counsel is only concerned with matters of difficulty (Ethic. iii, 3), whereas the judgment of knowledge embraces all matters.

Reply Obj. 4:  The directive gifts which pertain to the reason are more excellent than the executive gifts, if we consider them in relation to their acts as proceeding from their powers, because reason transcends the appetite as a rule transcends the thing ruled.  But on the part of the matter, counsel is united to fortitude as the directive power to the executive, and so is knowledge united to piety:  because counsel and fortitude are concerned with matters of difficulty, while knowledge and piety are concerned with ordinary matters.  Hence counsel together with fortitude, by reason of their matter, are given the preference to knowledge and piety. ________________________