St. Thomas Aquinas?

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I’d like to start reading some St. Thomas Aquinas. I know, that’s a big undertaking. Anyway, has anybody (I’m sure many have) read Aquinas that could perhaps give me some guidance on where to start? Perhaps even some guidance on how to read his works?

Thanks. 🙂
 
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InSearchOfGod:
I’d like to start reading some St. Thomas Aquinas. I know, that’s a big undertaking. Anyway, has anybody (I’m sure many have) read Aquinas that could perhaps give me some guidance on where to start? Perhaps even some guidance on how to read his works?

Thanks. 🙂
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I have not read anything by him yet personally, but hubby tried to read Summa Theologica (or however you spell it, lol). It was a bit tough to start with… so I know he is really looking forward to reading “Summa of the Summa”. I believe it is by Peter Kreeft.

I am sure many people here will be able to give you great advice…

Malia
 
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InSearchOfGod:
I’d like to start reading some St. Thomas Aquinas. I know, that’s a big undertaking. Anyway, has anybody (I’m sure many have) read Aquinas that could perhaps give me some guidance on where to start? Perhaps even some guidance on how to read his works?

Thanks. 🙂
Click to expand...
I would suggest you start by reading the Catena Auria. That is his easiest work to read. I would not start with the Summa until you have done some work in understanding basic Objective Philosophical Principles. I would highly suggest reading the book “The One and the Many” by Norris Clark after which you would be equiped to read the Summa Theologica and then Summa Contra Gentilis and then Summa Contra Averoeses. His most interesting works are his lectures from the University of Paris but that is a much more difficult study. The three major summas and the Catena Auria will keep you occupied for a few years.

As pertains to the various books on the Summa it has been my experiences that they are nice suppliments to the Summa Theologica itself but none do justice to the actual Summa. I would also read the Encyclical Aeterni Patris to get an understanding of the weight in which St. Thomas’ work is held in the Church. All of our Sacramental theology is pretty much based upon a single Theory posited by St. Thomas.
 
For some supplemens or introductions, there is “Aquinas’s Shorter Summa: Saint Thomas’s Own Concise Version of His Summa Theologica”. There is also Summa of the Summa by Peter Kreeft. And there is A First Glance at St. Thomas Aquinas: A Handbook for Peeping Thomists (Paperback)
by Ralph M. McInerny

** **However, there has been some modern criticism of St. Thomas:

For example,

newadvent.org/summa/301103.htm

Heretics “ deserve not only to be separated from the Church by excommunication, but also to be severed from the world by death.”

And

“On the part of the Church, however, there is mercy which looks to the conversion of the wanderer, wherefore she condemns not at once, but “after the first and second admonition,” as the Apostle directs: after that, if he is yet stubborn, the Church no longer hoping for his conversion, looks to the salvation of others, by excommunicating him and separating him from the Church, and furthermore delivers him to the secular tribunal to be exterminated thereby from the world by death.”

Generally, I don’t think that most Catholics today would favor the extermination of Protestants by death.

Also

newadvent.org/summa/109201.htm

he held that “So by such a kind of subjection woman is naturally subject to man, because in man the discretion of reason predominates.”

Also he held that a master may strike his slave:

newadvent.org/summa/306502.htm

“And since the child is subject to the power of the parent, and the slave to the power of his master, a parent can lawfully strike his child, and a master his slave that instruction may be enforced by correction.
 
Oh, I love Aquinas but I don’t have my collection infront of me.

Read Norris Clarke (good one to whoever gave that ) but there are a number of other great books on Aquinas and his philosophy.

Frederick Copleston’s Aquinas is great and not too heavy. Also Vols 2-3 of The History of Philosophy, and Medieval Philosophy

Etienne Gilson’s Reason and Revelation in the Middle Ages is light and short. The Christian Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy, Thomism, Christianity and Philosophy are all longer and much heavier.

Josef Peiper’s book on Aquinas is good historical background.

Maritain’s Aquinas was terrible (didn’t really talk about Aquinas at all) but his Introduction to Philosophy was quite good. Also extremely heavy are Degree’s of Knowledge and his book on Bergsonianism and Thomism (the name escapes me).

The best book according to both Peiper and Gilson on Aquinas was Chesterton’s The Dumb Ox.

MD Chenu has a good book on the Theology of Aquinas (specifically about the meditative aspects much like Norris Clarke’s The One and the Many)

Anderson has a collection on the Metaphysics of Aquinas and Anton Pegis has a collection of the Summa Theologica (much better than Kreeft)

Books which touch on Aquinas are Dom David Knowle’s Evolution of Medieval Thought, and the previous ones by Copleston. Maritain’s Introduction to Philosophy and Preface to Metaphysics both are essentially about Thomism but in a wider sense.

Other authors to look for are Garrigou-Lagrange (old and very conservative), Sertillanges, Marechal (the founder of neothomism), Bernard Lonergan and I am sure I will think of some others through the night.

Adam
 
Peace be with you.

It is a great undertaking to study the Summa alone or before you understand something of philosophy and the Philosophers that St. Thomas quotes in his responses.
I would recomend that you study with a group that has a spiritual adviser to lead it. I had notice a change in the way our group was comming up with their own personal interpritations to the responses after our Priest moved on. The Summa is a great work and will teach you how ask questions and search out the origins of things. Be prepared to ask a lot of questions and truly seek the answers of our Church Fathers as well as keeping in mind the what did Jesus say about that attitude.
I know that at times we got a kick out of how they treated woman in his day. We would say yeah tell that one to my wife.

For anyone interested in an easy book to read to get fun start in the way to understand the hystory of a few Philosophers and how we try to rationalise to fit our life read the book (Sophies World) by Jostein Guarder.
It’s a good novel even if you do not want to study.

Ron
 
If you haven’t bought the Summa Theologica yet, make sure that you buy the English Domenican Translation. It was translated by the Fathers of the English Domenican Province. It’s the best translation in english and you can buy it at www.christianbook.com
 
I have spoken to many about heresy being a capital offense and you would be amazed with how many people do agree with St. Thomas. After all it is a far worse crime to destroy the soul with heresy than to destroy the body with murder.

But this is just an aside. Remember Thomas in those cases is only speaking about formal heretics and not material heretics and most people these days are only material heretics. Formal heretics are few and far between.
 
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