St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) was without question the greatest theologian in the history of the Catholic Church, and the Summa Theologica (1271–1274) his masterpiece — one of the most influential theological books ever written. The goal here is to make the thought and reasoning of that compendium of the Angelic Doctor more accessible and able to be referenced quickly.
Dave Armstrong’s overwhelming emphasis in collecting excerpts is on theology itself — with far less on the topics of spirituality, ethics, and other areas. Sometimes even those of us who love Aquinas have neither the time nor desire to barrel through the 3,500-page Summa to find his answer on a given question. St. Thomas’s classical style is a wonderful method and a fabulous teaching device, but a lot of people would also like to see concise, easily obtainable “answers” from Aquinas: in a more catechetical format.
214 topics, alphabetically indexed, drawn from the English Dominican Province translation now in the public domain. A true labor of love, offered to readers who love the Summa but live in the present century.
Inside this book
- 214 alphabetically indexed topics — from “Angels” through “Works, Good (in Grace)”
- The seven sacraments, the Eucharist, justification, sanctification, and the Trinity in Aquinas’s own words
- Mary’s perpetual virginity, sanctification in the womb, and veneration — direct from the *Summa*
- Aquinas on the Five Ways, the Filioque, predestination, free will, and middle knowledge
- Drawn from the public-domain English Dominican Province translation (Benziger Brothers, 1947)
