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Product Description
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) saw religion as part of the natural human propensity to worship. His ability to recognize the naturalness of this phenomenon and simultaneously to go beyond it, to explore spiritual revelation, makes his work fresh and highly readable today. While drawing on a strong distinction between theology and philosophy, Aquinas interleaved them intricately in his writings, which range from an examination of the structures of thought to the concept of God as the end of all things. This accessible new translation chooses substantial passages not only from the indispensable Summa Theologicae, but from many other works, fully illustrating the breadth and progression of Aquinas's philosophy.
About the Author
Timothy McDermott is also the author of St Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologicae: A Concise Translation (1989).
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
- So said Mr Casaubon in 'Middlemarch' about Aquinas. And it's true to the extent that these excerpts are about the most fundamental questions of metaphysics, and that they are written in a dense, aphoristic style that makes few concessions to the reader. On the other hand, what I found here is not the simple-minded apologist or scholastic logic chopper of legend; but a razor-sharp intellect dealing with problems in philosophy of religion which are still very much on peoples' minds today. Is it self-evident God exists? Or can we prove he exists? Or can we in fact know anything definite about him?
Not a religious work per se, then, but a very challenging analytical one. McDermott's modern translation tries to ensure that it isn't harder work than needs be, but if you buy this you'd better be sure you're ready to put in a real shift.
I have two criticisms of it as an anthology. Physically it is of very poor quality; I hope it isn't representative of the Oxford World Classics range nowadays. And it contains only brief selections from Aquinas' best-known work, Summa Theologicae, which I think will be contrary to most buyers' expectation. But considering McDermott had to try and represent the eight and a half million words of Aquinas' writings, he can perhaps be forgiven for that.
Not a religious work per se, then, but a very challenging analytical one. McDermott's modern translation tries to ensure that it isn't harder work than needs be, but if you buy this you'd better be sure you're ready to put in a real shift.
I have two criticisms of it as an anthology. Physically it is of very poor quality; I hope it isn't representative of the Oxford World Classics range nowadays. And it contains only brief selections from Aquinas' best-known work, Summa Theologicae, which I think will be contrary to most buyers' expectation. But considering McDermott had to try and represent the eight and a half million words of Aquinas' writings, he can perhaps be forgiven for that.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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4 reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
great Aquinas starting point
16 Jan 2003
Format:Paperback
This book packs a lot of material. As an anthology, as the other reviewer has ably mentioned, this is wonderful. This book would be extremely useful to the student of Christian theology (Roman Catholic or Protestant) or to the student of historical philosophy. If you are studying the works of Aquinas for history, a few words of caution. A lot of his philosophy is based on Aristotle. If you do not understand basic Aristotle, this can be painful at times. "Actualize" and "potential" and sufficient causes, etc. will appear a lot. If you are unfamiliar with what this terminology means, you will have slow going. This is just a problem with some philosophy. Kant, another member of the big-5 team of greatest philosophers, also suffers from a language barrier to modern readers. But like Kant, you can still get a lot out of it.
The editor of this book has put in a lot of useful and wonderful theology of Aquinas. This is good b/c not many people believe in his metaphysics anymore. So his theology may have more modern usefullness. Given his influence over Western Christianity and Roman Catholicism in particular, Aquinas is definitely worth the read. One of the small gems (and unexpected) was a part of Aquinas' commentary on I Cor. 15. Sections on the Problem of Evil are in here as well. I was surprised, but glad, to see that the editor left in a section on the problem of using language to describe God. This was a typical 20th century problem. It's good to see that there aren't many new philosophical problems.
If you are just getting into Aquinas (and you have some background in philosophy) this is a good place to start. If you are interested in theology, there is much in here for you as well. Given the structure of the book, you do not have to read straight through.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
A model anthology
15 Jan 2002
Format:Paperback
McDermott has provided the general reader with an excellent introduction to the substance of Aquinas's thought. Selections are taken from several works, not just the Summa Theologiae, and are arranged in an orderly manner that contributes much to the usefulness of this book. The first section discusses the division of the sciences; the second, ontology; the third, titled "The Ladder of Being," covers such topics as life and the soul, the senses, the mind, and the will. Following this come three large sections on God, filling more than half of the book. Each of the many passages begins with brief headnotes giving the origin of the passage, the philosophical genre to which it belongs, and translation notes on principal Latin terms. McDermott includes very little commentary of his own--Aquinas speaks for himself. The text is laid out very clearly with the judicious use of italics, brackets, and boldface type, all serving to clarify how Aquinas structured his arguments.
Recommended to anyone interested in Aquinas, but do not expect a condensed version of the Summa.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
St. Thomas for Beginners
21 Aug 2004
Format:Paperback
The best way to know the thought of a great thinker is to read what he wrote rather than what others wrote about what they think he wrote. For St. Thomas, to learn about the world is to take a peek into the mind of God. The collection of texts in this book give a great sense of what he thought about our world, its structure and our place in it. Just enough to whet your appetite for more.
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