Thomas Aquinas - A Very Short Introduction

Much of the interest in reading texts from an earlier age lies in working out how familiar and yet how foreign their preoccupations and ways of thinking are. A Christian thinker who died in 1274, and whose works were entirely composed in Latin, is at several removes from most of us these days. Good translations and secondary literature help to make Thomas Aquinas accessible. Recently scholars have begun to insist on the importance of studying his biblical commentaries. He held a post, after all, as magister in sacra pagina: professor of sacred Scripture as we might say. The fact of the matter remains, however, even in scholarly circles, that the Summa Theologiae is by far the most discussed of his works. Without much compunction, then, I have centred this introduction on the Summa, in a necessarily highly selective reading (it runs to over 1,500,000 words); yet highlighting issues and insights that are distinctive of Thomas’s approach, if often provocative and sometimes unacceptable to a modern reader. Since he divided the Summa in three, I have devoted a chapter to each of these parts: much is left aside, of course, but most of the salient matters are touched on, enough (I hope) to enable the reader to scale an admittedly pretty formidable work. Thomas belonged to a very different culture and society from ours. His writings are far more deeply embedded in his life, upbringing, and career than a first glance might suggest. I have tried to bring this out in the first two chapters. Then, in the 750 years since his heyday, his thought has given rise to much controversy, beginning even before his death. In the last chapter I offer summary accounts of a handful of these debates – which are by no means all safely concluded. Footnoting references, signalling quotations, and so on were no part of a 13th century scholar’s duty. He could recycle his own and his predecessors’ work without a qualm. He knew nothing of copyright and plagiarism, which are 17th century inventions. That cannot be my excuse. The authors whom I list in the further reading section will, I hope, forgive my plundering their work in what is, I am sure they will agree, a good cause. Nobody has ever written about Thomas Aquinas who did not want his or her enthusiasm communicated, even at the cost of anonymity, to enable others to discover his work. Preface ix Reference system xi List of illustrations xiii 1 Life and times 1 2 Works 20 3 Summa Theologiae: First Part 31 4 Summa Theologiae: Second Part 66 5 Summa Theologiae: Third Part 87 6 Aftermath: Thomism 102 Further reading 121 Index 125