Medieval Christianity: Thomas Aquinas

Jean Pierre Torrell reviews, clarifies, and frequently modifies previous scholarly conclusions on Aquinas's life and works. He presents the person of Thomas Aquinas in his complete familial, social, and intellectual context, summarizes the known events and circumstances of Aquinas's life, discusses the contents of his works, and provides a catalogue of those works in an appendix. The last months of Aquinas's life and his death receive a fresh review based on careful examination of the events, his relations with his family, and his personal holiness. Thomas's daring originality is brought out clearly in the final two chapters, which describe the controversies in the years immediately after his death, the condemnations and rehabilitation of a few of his positions, and the process leading to canonization.

Thomas Aquinas lived at a time when the Christian West had recently become acquainted with the riches of Greek and Islamic philosophy.Aristotelianism seemed a "naturalistic menace" to Christian faith.But Aquinas developed the legacy of ancient thought in a remarkable way,which embodies the thirteenth-century ideal of a unified interpretation of reality.In it,philosophy and theology play their distinct parts in harmony,not opposition.With his usual lucidity Professor Copleston explains Aquinas' philosophical ideas so that they can be understood by those unacquainted with medieval thought.But this book is not a summary of received opinions;Professor Copleston's exposition is original and of interest to the professional philosopher or theologian.He relates Aquinas ideas to current philosophical discussion wherever possible in a lasting and unrivalled pesentation of the range and essence of Aquinas' philosophy,of leading scholastic notions,and of the development of Thomism in modern times.

This unique book combines selected essential philosophical passages from Thomas' Summa with footnotes and explanations by Kreeft,a popular Thomist teacher and writer.Kreeft selected those passages from Thomas that are intrinsically important,non-technical enough to be intelligible to modern readers,and most likely to be used in a class or by independent readers who want to study the Summa on their own.Kreeft's detailed footnotes explain difficult or technical passages and call attention to points of particular significance for the modern reader.This book is the most intelligent,clear,and useful access to St.Thomas in print.Includes a glossary and an index.

The greatest of the medieval philosophers, Thomas Aquinas sought to reconcile Christian doctrine with the classical philosophy of Aristotle and Plato. As controversial in his time as he is influential today, Aquinas is perhaps best known for his "Five Ways", a collection of ingenious--but often misunderstood--arguments for the existence of God. In this multifaceted introduction to the renowned thinker, Edward Feser shows how Aquinas's works are as relevant today as when they were written. Defending his ideas from modern misrepresentation, Feser introduces the great Saint's views on metaphysics, ethics, psychology, and philosophy of religion. Arguing that Aquinas's thought avoids many of the pitfalls of contemporary philosophy, this comprehensive volume will captivate both the seasoned "Thomist" and the absolute novice.

The well-known Italian semiotician and novelist Umberto Eco discloses in this book to English-speaking readers the unsuspected richness, breadth, complexity, and originality of the aesthetic theories advanced by the influential medieval thinker Thomas Aquinas.Inheriting his basic ideas and conceptions of art and beauty from the classical world,Aquinas transformed or modified these ideas in the light of Christian theology and of developments in metaphysics and optics during the thirteenth century.

Although St.Thomas Aquinas was one of the Church's most intellectually powerful theologians, few know that he also wrote a great deal that's well within the reach of ordinary believers. In fact,as you'll find in these pages, St.Thomas had a remarkable ability to communicate the Faith-including both its most complex and its simplest elements-in plain language. Here you'll find his deeply insightful, strightforward, and clear explanations of the Apostles Creed, the Commandments, and the Sacraments - as well as of the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary. In other words, this book will give you a basic course in the Catholic Faith, taught by the Church's greatest theologian.

Two years before he died, St.Thomas Aquinas - probably the greatest teacher the Church has ever known - was asked by his assistant, Brother Reginald, to write a simple summary of the Faith of the Catholic Church for those who lacked the time or the stamina to tackle his massive Summa Theologica. In response, the great saint quickly set down - in language that non-scholars can understand - his peerless insights into the major topics of theology: the Trinity, Divine Providence, the Incarnation of Christ, the Last Judgement, and much more. Here, then, is not only St. Thomas's concise statement of the key elements of his thought, but a handy reference source for the essential truths of the Catholic Faith.

In the "Summa theologiae",Aquinas attempts to set forth the whole of Christian theology in summary form.It was written,he says,for"the instruction of beginners",but few Christians today have the time or inclination to reach for the five thick volumes that comprise the standard English-language edition.
In "Holy Teaching",Frederick Bauerschmidt presents some choice selections from the "Summa theologiae" along with commentary that unpacks the selections and places them in context.
"Holy Teaching" is an ideal introduction to the work of Aquinas that will give students,pastors,and interested laypeople a greater appreciation for our common Christian inheritance.

In this volume John Wippel has collected a number of his essays dealing with Aquinas's metaphysical thought. The volume begins with a presentation and critical evaluation of certain twentieth-century attempts to describe the philosophical thought of Thomas Aquinas as a "Christian philosophy". The book is then divided into two major parts, with Part I devoted to Aquinas's usage of Avicenna in explaining the interrelationship between first philosophy and the other theoretical sciences, Aquinas's different reasons for naming metaphysics "first philosophy" and his appeal to a distinctive kind of intellectual operation-separation-in order to account for our discovery of being as being, or the subject of metaphysics. The chapters in Part II are directed to Thomas's argumentation for real distinction between essence and existence in created beings both as this is presented in the "De ente et essentia" and in many of his other writings. Throughout the volume every effort has been made to present Aquinas's positions clearly and accurately. In many instances this leads Dr. Wippel to consider and evaluate other readings of Aquinas's metaphysical thought in the course of developing his own interpretations.

Since 1979 the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies has invited a senior medievalist to give the annual Etienne Gilson Lecture,established in honour of the Institute's founder.Among the distinguished contributors to the series are fellows of the Institute,past and present,as well as scholars from Canada,Europe,and the United States:Marcia Colish,Giles Constable,William Courtenay,Paul Dutton, Edouard Jeauneau, F.Donald Logan,Jams K.McConica,Karl F.Morrison,M.Michele Mulchahey, John D.North,Francis Oakley,Joseph Owens,Kenneth Schmitz,and Brian Stock.
This volume,which marks the seventy fifth anniversary of scholarly publishing at the Pontifical Institute and the thirtieth anniversary of Gilson's death,reprints the lectures devoted to Thomas Aquinas,and is introduced by James P. Rreilly.

Sprinkled amid the basic topics of St.Thomas's thought-knowledge of God,the virtues,good and evil,and the soul-are overlooked aspects of his philosophy such as angels,the emotions,the Old Law,and the resurrection.In "Aquinas 101",Reverend Francis Selman highlights both the standard and neglected themes from one of the Catholic Church's greatest minds.The result is an engaging,readable, and immensely useful introduction to St.Thomas Aquinas that provides a broad overview for novices and fresh material for Aquinas scholars.

"This is an in-depth study of every major aspect of Thomas Aquinas' theology. Contributors offer fresh and compelling readings of Aquinas on the Trinity, creation theology, theory of analogy, anthropology, predestination and human freedom, evil and original sin, Christology and grace, soteriology, eschatology, sacramentology, ecclesiology, moral theology, the relation between theology and philosophy, and scriptural exegesis."--Jacket.

A study of Thomas Aquinas which focuses on the evangelical, pastoral and theocentric character of his premodern theology. Healy presents Thomas as first and foremost a theologian of the Christian life, who, when he used philosophical concepts, did so in order to fulfil the task of theology.

Drawing on the tradition of the Dominican Order and over twenty-five years of classroom teaching, O'Meara makes a well-qualified guide to the faith and vision of Thomas Aquinas. Introducing readers to the cultural and theological worlds of Aquinas, O'Meara examines the Summa theologiae in terms of its purpose and multiple structures. He conducts a tour through the great themes of Christianity as presented in the Summa-themes which range the Triune divine being, to the graced person as the image of God and member of the body of Christ, to life beyond death. O'Meara complements his study with an overview of six centuries of interpretation of Aquinas, revealing how many schools and disciples have advocated and employed his thought. Providing a vivid contemporary exposition of Aquinas's theology, O'Meara reveals how it mirrored the creative directions of Thomas's personality as well as the times in which he lived, and also incorporated the cultural and scientific insights available to him.O'Meara also discusses how Aquinas's themes can contribute to meaningful study of contemporary theology, particularly in relation to psychology, art, and a theology of world religious.

In the intellectual tradition of the Christian faith,few thinkers have had a more profound effect upon both the nature of theology and the materials with which it deals than Thomas Aquinas.A knowledge of his major work the Summa Theologiae is,therefore,necessary for the student of theology,as well as for anyone concerned with the western intellectual tradition.This,together with the immensity, lenght,and difficulty of the Summa,make a Reader's Guide valuable,even crucial,to a student's first exposure to the work.To address the needs of undergraduates,Stephen Loughlin presents the basic principles that underlie the Summa Theologiae both asa whole and with respect to its three parts,and the varying treatises found within them.