Serious question: Has anyone here read the entire Summa Theologica?

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The thought just crossed my mind of how massive the book is. Has anyone here read it in its entirety? Did you manage to deepen your knowledge and understanding of God?
 
Slogging my way through the abridged summa. The whole summa? Isn’t that like a bookshelf-length volume of books? Not sure I could do it!
 
I have read a considerable amount of Aquinas in college, but not the whole Summa. I doubt it would be of spiritual value for most people, only to those with a scholarly or philosophical bent. Knowing about God and natural law, and knowing God are different things. While I appreciate Aquinas and philosophy, generally speaking, studying it and reading it did not make me feel closer to God(with some certain exceptions).

Philosophy had tremendous value in forming and educating my conscience, and I would not trade my experiences.

If you really want to explore Aquinas, I would recommend reading Aristotle, Augustine, Plato, Pre-socratics(Heraclitus and others), and Averroes.

Aristotle is foundational as much of Aquinas’ thought was modeled on Aristotle as transferred through Averroes. Plato is very in his influence on the Catholic philosophy prior to Aquinas, such as Augustine. Sorry if you already know all this/have this background. 😉
 
Humupower said:
Are you considering reading the whole thing?
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No; the number of pages was an instant put-off. And you’re right. Reading the entire book can be considered a form of intellectual vanity. I’m not planning on becoming a philosopher or theologian, so I don’t really see any need to read it in it’s entirety.
 
“I can do no more. Such secrets have been revealed to me that all I have written now appears to be of little value.”
-Saint Thomas Aquinas
 
Well, I hope to, but I’m still working my way through Aristotle and the other prerequisites. It definitely isn’t for everyone, but for the ultra-inquisitive types like myself, philosophy is very fulfilling.
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
The thought just crossed my mind of how massive the book is. Has anyone here read it in its entirety? Did you manage to deepen your knowledge and understanding of God?
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I am on my third time around…

:whistle:

(The above comments do not represent necessarily the actual actions of the above mentioned person. Anything to the contrary not withstanding )
 
Catholic1954 said:
I’m sure the introduction would put me to sleep. :sleep:
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Haha, I think that’s what would happen to me as well. In fact, it happens to me with a lot of books I read. I often miss out the Preface or Introduction. I’m currently reading “Stabilizing an Unstable Economy” by economist Hyman Minsky and I found the preface so unwieldy and verbose. Skipped.

Some have referred to St. Thomas Aquinas as the “writer’s writer”, and I think that label is very apt.
 
Robert_Sock said:
“I can do no more. Such secrets have been revealed to me that all I have written now appears to be of little value.”
-Saint Thomas Aquinas
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The famous “straw” allusion. How ironic - and poignant, really - that St. Thomas came to this conclusion at the end of his life.

In answer to the question - I tried to read the Summa, but found it so dry (like straw, go figure) that I quit after five or six pages and turned instead to a contemporary expounding of the Summa that brought this massive work down to earth and made its contents more digestible.
 
Robert_Sock said:
“I can do no more. Such secrets have been revealed to me that all I have written now appears to be of little value.”
-Saint Thomas Aquinas
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“This [intellectual excellence] indeed is but a temporal object, and a transitory possession; but so are other things in themselves which we make much of and pursue. The moralist will tell us that man, in all his functions, is but a flower which blossoms and fades, except so far as a higher principle breathes upon him, and makes him and what he is immortal. Body and mind are carried on into an eternal state of being by the gifts of Divine Munificence; but at first they do but fail in a failing world; and if the powers of intellect decay, the powers of the body have decayed before them, and, as an Hospital or an Almshouse, though its end be ephemeral, may be sanctified to the service of religion, so surely may a University, even were it nothing more than I have as yet described it. We attain to heaven by using this world well, though it is to pass away; we perfect our nature, not by undoing it, but by adding to it what is more than nature, and directing it towards aims higher than its own.”
Cardinal Newman, The Idea of a University, Discourse 5, 10.
 
Bookcat said:
I am on my third time around…

:whistle:
(The above comments do not represent necessarily the actual actions of the above mentioned person. Anything to the contrary not withstanding )
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Go you!😃
Have you read his Commentary on Boethius’ De Trinitate? Good stuff.
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
The thought just crossed my mind of how massive the book is. Has anyone here read it in its entirety? Did you manage to deepen your knowledge and understanding of God?
Click to expand...
I’m actually working through it -I’ve finished an 1000 page book a couple of times, so I’m sure it would be humanly possible to read a 4000 page book at least once.

Some parts really do deepen your knowledge of God but other parts are more difficult and almost seem to defy all understanding (the Trinity, and essays that assume knowledge of medieval physics,).

So I’ve decided to thumb through some aristotelian physics lectures -actually its pretty simple.

However if you’ve ever even looked through cicero, or plato, taken a logic course, or read even the federalist papers then you’ll be quite prepared for the gist of most of the ethical, political, and metaphysical writings included in the Summa (and these make up a lot of the book). I’m just trying to say, don’t be afraid when going into the Summa I think it is very brief and straightforward considering the immensity of the topic.
 
I tried once a few years ago, and got as far as question 30-something, to the best of my recollection.

I’m considering attempting it again (hence today’s visit to this and similar threads), and am looking for advice regarding the best online-version. I also found that there’s a cheap version for the Kindle, which just might finally get me to buy one of those things.

Anyway, EWTN has one, NewAdvent.org has one, and a web search showed several others. Does anyone have an opinion on which online version is the “best” for some reason(s) (such as cross-references, links to the Bible or the Catechism, commentary, or something else)?

I also read that there’s a guy in some university working on a new translation, but I’m sure it would be something I’d have to purchase, and I’m trying to be a good steward of the monetary resources God has blessed me with (okay, I’m cheap).
 
I have not read it in its entirety as of yet. I have read several sections, however, which were pertinent to issues that I’ve seen come up regarding St. Thomas Aquinas and the doctrine he held. It is always quite revealing.

I know you can buy the hardcover volumes at www.amazon.com for around $155.00, but that’s pretty hard to swing for most.

I personally read the one at www.newadvent.org/summa , but I would suggest that if a person came up with any sort of contradiction or discrepancy between what is written there and Catholic doctrine to cross-check it with another translation. I like the one on NewAdvent.org because it is devoid of personal commentary. I don’t really care what some anonymous author believes St. Thomas was trying to say, I’d rather read the work for myself. 🙂

– Nicole
 
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