Saint Thomas Aquinas is universally recognized as one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived. His writings combine the two fundamental ideals of philosophical writing: clarity and profundity. He is a master of metaphysics and technical terminology, yet so full of both theoretical and practical wisdom. He is the master of common sense. His major work, the Summa Theologica, is timeless, but particularly important today because of his synthesis of faith and reason, revelation and philosophy, and the Biblical and the classical Greco-Roman heritages. 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 Saint Thomas in print. Includes a glossary and an index.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Excellent for the novice:
This book is an excellent introduction to St. Thomas Aquinas. There are tons of footnotes that really bring home the main points in each article. This is a "must have" book for the novice philosopher.
Awesome!:
This book is exactly what I was looking for. I'm a college freshman and one of my classes is going through St. Thomas' Summa and this book is great at explaining important details.
Not what I expected...:
Sitting in a coffee shop reading a commentary on the Summa, I was approached by a St. Thomas University professor whose specialty was St. Thomas; she asked me why of all things was I reading a book on St. Thomas. I told I had enjoyed St. Augustine's City of God and how a friend with a middle name of Thomas, who's father's middle name was Thomas, and who's grandfather's middle name was Thomas told me that I should read St. Thomas if I liked Augustine so much. The professor agreed and said that St. Thomas... more info
No Better Place to Start:
On the one hand, the text of the Summa can be hard for beginners, even smart ones. On the other hand, textbooks where people tell you what other people thought suck. So Kreeft gives you the main dish, the text of the Summa itself (trimmed of some extraneous material not relevant to beginners (stop complaining specialists and fanatics!)), but with his lucid notes at the bottom of the page along with helpful illustrations. The book also sports a handy glossary. So go ahead, don't be afraid, read Aquinas, but... more info
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