This theological compendium by Thomas Aquinas serves as a foundational text in Roman Catholicism, encapsulating the entirety of known doctrine regarding God and humanity's relationship with the divine. It is renowned for presenting five distinct proofs of God's existence, which include three cosmological arguments, a moral argument, and a teleological argument. Written between 1265 and 1273, it represents a significant milestone in the history of theology, influencing both religious thought and philosophical discourse.
"The Summa Theologica is the best-known work of Italian philosopher, scholar, and Dominican friar SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS (1225 1274), widely considered the Catholic Church s greatest theologian. Famously consulted (immediately after the Bible) on religious questions at the Council of Trent, Aquinas s masterpiece has been considered a summary of official Church philosophy ever since. Aquinas considers approximately 10,000 questions on Church doctrine covering the roles and nature of God, man, and Jesus, then lays out objections to Church teachings and systematically confronts each, using Biblical verses, theologians, and philosophers to bolster his arguments. In Volume II, Aquinas addresses: happiness good and evil love and hatred hope and despair anger virtue sin and grace and much more. This massive work of scholarship, spanning five volumes, addresses just about every possible query or argument that any believer or atheist could have, and remains essential, more than seven hundred years after it was written, for clergy, religious historians, and serious students of Catholic thought."
The book focuses on the republishing of classic works from the early 1900s and earlier, which have become rare and costly. It emphasizes the commitment to making these timeless texts accessible through affordable, high-quality modern editions that preserve the original content and artwork.
Exploring the use of casting lots to discern divine will, this translation of Thomas Aquinas's letter, written around 1270, offers insights into when such practices are appropriate versus mere superstition. It addresses the historical context of Aquinas's thoughts on decision-making, particularly regarding the appointment of a bishop. The book includes an introduction to Aquinas's life and eight essays that provide varied perspectives on the text, making it an accessible entry point into the philosophy of one of history's most influential thinkers.
El "Compendium" es una importante síntesis de las soluciones más propias de Santo Tomás a los problemas de teología y filosofía. Da pie a pensar así el hecho de que es uno de los últimos escritos del autor. Se expone en ella una armonización de la fe y la razón según las coordenadas aristotélicas y una hermenéutica del cristianismo tal como era entendido en el siglo XIII a través de las tesis por él desarrolladas, tesis como las vías para la demostración de la existencia de Dios, las relaciones de las Personas de la Trinidad, la eternidad del mundo, la unicidad sustancial del hombre, la teoría de la libertad, el alma intelectual, con especial atención al entendimiento agente, tan de moda entre los averroístas. Que estos y otros temas fueran tratados en esta obra del final de su vida indica que bien pudiera tratarse en unos casos de una revisión y en otros de un afianzamiento de sus doctrinas.
Contains writings by two 13th-century Dominicans, both Doctors of the Church, St. Albert the Great (1200-1280), patron saint of natural scientists, and the 'common doctor,' St. Thomas Aquinas (1226-1274), both famous for their contributions to philosophy and theology.
A shortened version of Kreeft's much larger Summa of the Summa, which in turn was a shortened version of the Summa Theologica. The reason for the double shortening is pretty obvious: the original runs some 4000 pages! (The Summa of the Summa was just over 500.) The Summa is certainly the greatest, most ambitious, most rational book of theology ever written. In it, there is also much philosophy, which is selected, excerpted, arranged, introduced, and explained in footnotes here by Kreeft, a popular Thomist teacher and writer. St. Thomas Aquinas is universally recognized as one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived. His writings combine the two fundamental ideals of philosophical writing: clarity and profundity. He is a master of metaphysics and technical terminology, yet so full of both theoretical and practical wisdom. He is the master of common sense. The Summa Theologica is timeless, but particularly important today because of his synthesis of faith and reason, revelation and philosophy, and the Biblical and the classical Greco-Roman heritages. This little book is designed for beginners, either for classroom use or individually. It contains the most famous and influential passages of St. Thomas' philosophy with copious aids to understanding them.
This volume is a significant contribution to the Cambridge Texts series, showcasing the works of Thomas Aquinas, a pivotal figure in medieval philosophy and theology. It offers readers access to Aquinas's profound insights and arguments, reflecting his influence on Western thought. The collection is essential for those interested in philosophy, theology, and the historical context of Aquinas's ideas, providing a comprehensive look at his contributions to these fields.
The selections not only include St. Thomas Aquinas’s views on government, law, war, property, and sexual ethics, but also provide the theological, epistemological, and psychological background for his political and ethical thought, including the Five Proofs on the existence of God and Aquinas’s theories of knowledge, the soul, the purpose of man, and the order of the universe. Throughout the book,footnotes explain technical terms and historical, biblical, and classical references."Backgrounds and Sources" follows the text, with selections from the writings of Aristotle, St. Augustine, and Dionysius the Areopagite."Interpretations" traces Aquinas’s influence on medieval thought, on Roman Catholicism during the Renaissance, on early modern political thought (Richard Hooker and Francisco Suarez), on nineteenth-and twentieth-century papal social thought, and on contemporary Christian Democratic political parties in Europe and Latin America.The volume concludes with "Contemporary Problems in Thomistic Ethics",which contains eight analyses of the influence of Aquinas's thought on modern debates on war, contraception, and abortion.A Selected Bibliography is included.
