In this contribution on conscience, I shall be largely limiting my discourse to the etymological term itself ‘conscientia’, or the ‘application of knowledge to activity’ (Summa Theologiae, I-II, 19, 5–6). That is, I will not be saying much about the correlative term synderesis although I will be making some reference to the connection between synderesis and conscientia at the end of my paper. Synderesis, of course, is the divine spark or the basic notion of ‘good’ which is ‘written’ or ‘implanted’ in us. Peter Lombard, in his Sentences quotes Jerome's interpretation of the eagle in the vision in Ezekiel 1, 4–14 as that ‘which the Greeks call synteresis (synderesis): that spark of conscience which was not even extinguished in the breast of Cain after he was turned out of paradise, and by which we discern that we sin, when we are overcome by pleasures or frenzy and meanwhile are misled by an imitation of reason’.

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