Catholic Treasury Network

The Sixteen Tracts

Catholic theology divides naturally into sixteen major tracts. Apologetics opens the sequence, establishing the rational grounds for accepting Divine Revelation at all; the dogmatic tracts that follow take Pohle-Preuss as their systematic spine, with Glenn's Tour of the Summa as the bridge to Aquinas, and the major encyclicals and conciliar documents in context.

Tract I
Apologetics

The rational preamble to Faith — Revelation's possibility, the motives of credibility, the testimony of Christ, and the nature and grounds of Faith itself. Drawn from Walshe's Principles of Catholic Apologetics and Wilhelm-Scannell's Manual, Vol. I.

43 chapters
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Tract II
God: His Existence & Attributes
Pohle Vol. I · Summa I, QQ. 2–26

God's existence and attributes — the proofs from reason, divine simplicity, perfection, and unity.

19 chapters 26 Tour 7 docs
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Tract III
The Blessed Trinity
Pohle Vol. II · Summa I, QQ. 27–43

One God in three Persons — processions, relations, and missions.

29 chapters 17 Tour
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Tract IV
Creation & the Supernatural Order
Pohle Vol. III · Summa I, QQ. 44–119

God as Creator; the angels; man's body and soul; original justice and original sin.

30 chapters 76 Tour 2 docs
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Tract V
Christology
Pohle Vol. IV · Summa III, QQ. 1–26

The Person of Christ — the Incarnation, hypostatic union, two natures.

36 chapters 25 Tour 3 docs
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Tract VI
Soteriology
Pohle Vol. V · Summa III, QQ. 46–52

The work of Christ — redemption, satisfaction, merit.

15 chapters 29 Tour
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Tract VII
Mariology
Pohle Vol. VI

Divine motherhood, perpetual virginity, Immaculate Conception, Assumption.

12 chapters 4 Tour 3 docs
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Tract VIII
Grace
Pohle Vol. VII · Summa I-II, QQ. 109–114

Actual grace, sanctifying grace, justification, and merit — the supernatural life of the soul.

25 chapters 1 W&S 14 Tour 2 docs
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Tract IX
The Sacraments in General, Baptism, and Confirmation
Pohle Vol. VIII · Summa III, QQ. 60–72

The general theology of the sacraments — matter, form, causality, effects — followed by Baptism and Confirmation.

17 chapters
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Tract X
The Holy Eucharist
Pohle Vol. IX · Summa III, QQ. 73–83

The Real Presence, transubstantiation, and the Mass as the perpetual re-presentation of the Sacrifice of the Cross.

14 chapters
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Tract XI
Penance
Pohle Vol. X · Summa III (Suppl.), QQ. 1–28

Contrition, confession, satisfaction, and the power of the keys.

18 chapters
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Tract XII
Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony
Pohle Vol. XI · Summa III (Suppl.), QQ. 29–68

Extreme Unction for the sick and dying, Holy Orders for the Church's ministers, and Matrimony for the Christian family.

21 chapters
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Tract XIII
Moral Theology
Summa I-II & II-II

Conscience, law, sin, the virtues and vices, the Decalogue.

277 Tour 5 docs
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Tract XIV
Ecclesiology
Wilhelm-Scannell Vol. 2

The Church — her nature, marks, authority, infallibility, and the papal primacy.

7 Tour 6 docs
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Tract XV
Eschatology
Pohle Vol. XII · Summa Suppl., QQ. 69–99

Death, judgement, heaven, hell, purgatory, the resurrection of the body.

11 chapters 32 Tour 2 docs
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Tract XVI
Spiritual Theology
Tanquerey

The purgative, illuminative, and unitive ways; prayer; perfection.

4 Tour 1 doc
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