'St. Thomas would
find the contemporary fragmentation of theological inquiry "very odd"
and "would be repelled by the cacophony of competing truth claims advanced
by point-of-view theologians claiming hegemonic expertise in one or another
theological discipline" [Romanus Cessario, A Short History of Thomism,
p.9]. Interestingly, this fragmentation has recently been on display in the
academic reviews, even the sympathetic ones, of Joseph Ratzinger's Jesus
of Nazareth (Doubleday, 2007). Reviewers strain to classify this remarkable
work, which combines, in the manner of the Summa Theologiae, scriptural
exegesis, rabbinic and patristic commentaries on various parts of Scripture,
insight into Jewish, Greek, and Roman history and culture, the history of Catholic
doctrine, metaphysics, moral theory, philosophical anthropology, and the fruits
of thousands of hours of mental and contemplative prayer. "After all,"
they protest in effect, "no one can be an up-to-date expert in all the
relevant sub-disciplines, and so this must be some sort of 'popular' or 'catechetical'
tract rather than a serious work of theology."
'Something has surely gone amiss when the very idea of an integrated theoretical
and practical wisdom baffles many of the 'scientific' theologians of our day.
And, mutatis mutandis, the same sort of fragmentation and loss of direction
afflict philosophy, too, as a contemporary academic discipline. In fact, to
my mind one of the most destructive effects of academic fragmentation among
Catholic thinkers is the sharp dichotomy many presuppose between being a philosopher
and being a theologian and between the academic disciplines of philosophy and
systematic theology. In short, we need St. Thomas now more than ever, both for
his teaching and for his method.' -- Alfred
J. Freddoso
![Maritain and America [2002 conference: Princeton University]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0966922689.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)
![Human Person [2003 conference: University of Chicago]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0966922670.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)
![Beauty, Art, and the Polis [1997 conference: Boston College]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/096692262X.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)
The Renewal of Civilization [2004 conference: Emory University]
Truth Matters [2001 conference: Boca Raton, Florida]
Faith, Scholarship, and Culture in the 21st Century [2000 conference: University of Notre Dame]
Jacques Maritain and the Many Ways of Knowing [1999 conference: Berkeley, California]
Reassessing the Liberal State [1998 conference: USAF Academy]
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Mediæval Philosophical Texts in Translation: Recent Titles
Thomas Aquinas in Translation Series from CUA
Ralph McInerny on Charles De Koninck: Man of Faith, Philosopher of Science
An Introduction to Metaphysics by Ralph McInerny
Philosophy of Nature by William A. Wallace
Introduction to Human Nature by Thomas S. Hibbs
River Forest Aquinas Institute of Philosophy and Theology
Thomas
Aquinas in English translation: A Bibliography
Thomas kept his Latin simple and straightforward, wanting nothing
to come between his readers and truth. Consequently, learning enough Latin to
consult his works in the original takes far less time and effort than learning
to read Cicero or Livy or Vergil. You can do it, and on-line resources can help.
If not, here's a bibliography of English translations.
THE
THEOLOGY OF THOMAS AQUINAS: BIBLIOGRAPHY
This recent, select bibliography appears in Thomas O'Meara, O.P.,
THE THEOLOGY OF THOMAS AQUINAS (University of Notre Dame Press, 1997).
The
University of Notre Dame
Thomistic Institute
2004 St. Thomas Aquinas and the Natural Law
2003 Ethics Without God?
1999 Fides et Ratio
1998 Science, Philosophy, and Theology
1997 Science, Philosophy, and Theology
Jacques
Maritain
Jacques Maritain (1882-1973), French philosopher and political
thinker, was one of the principal exponents of Thomism in the twentieth century
and an influential interpreter of the thought of St Thomas Aquinas.
Ralph
McInerny on Saint Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) lived at a critical juncture of western
culture when the arrival of the Aristotelian corpus in Latin translation reopened
the question of the relation between faith and reason, calling into question
the modus vivendi that had obtained for centuries. This crisis flared up just
as universities were being founded. Thomas, after early studies at Montecassino,
moved on to the University of Naples, where he met members of the new Dominican
Order. It was at Naples too that Thomas had his first extended contact with
the new learning. When he joined the Dominican Order he went north to study
with Albertus Magnus, author of a paraphrase of the Aristotelian corpus. Thomas
completed his studies at the University of Paris, which had been formed out
of the monastic schools on the Left Bank and the cathedral school at Notre Dame.
In two stints as a regent master Thomas defended the mendicant orders and, of
greater historical importance, countered both the Averroistic interpretations
of Aristotle and the Franciscan tendency to reject Greek philosophy. The result
was a new modus vivendi between faith and philosophy which survived until the
rise of the new physics. Thomas's theological writings became regulative of
the Catholic Church and his close textual commentaries on Aristotle represent
a cultural resource which is now receiving increased recognition.
James
Schall reviews THE THOUGHT OF THOMAS AQUINAS by Brian Davies, O.P.
Every couple of semesters, I teach a course on St. Thomas. One
must simply assume that neither undergraduate nor graduate students have the
slightest preparation for reading and appreciating St. Thomas. They have hardly
any clue about what they are missing, why it has been removed from their academic
curriculum, or how to go about repairing the damage. It is, I confess, always
a delight, once the semester gets going and we have read some beginnings, to
see students brighten up, to begin themselves to be amazed at this extraordinary
Dominican who died before he was fifty but who left us so much that we hardly
can imagine how he was possible, let alone how he was so lucid.
Aquinas's
commentaries on Scripture
Done years ago by Fr. Fabian Larcher, of St. Thomas Aquinas's
biblical commentaries on Hebrews, Colossians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians,
and Ephesians. Until a couple years ago, these unpublished translations - good
but left unpublished because they are not critical editions (i.e. with footnotes,
using the most critically up-to-date Latin text etc.) - existed only in typescripts
kept in a box by Fr. Pierre Conway OP of the Dominican House in Washington D.C.
He gave the typescripts to the Aquinas Center on the promise that they would
be converted into digital format and worked toward publication.
The
Aquinas Translation Project
A web-based project which seeks to provide scholars, religious
and any interested individuals with translations of St. Thomas Aquinas's works
not readily available in English. The co-ordinator of the Project is Dr. Stephen
Loughlin, an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at DeSales University, Center
Valley, Pennsylvannia, USA. Among their present efforts is Aquinas's Commentary
on the Psalms.
James A. Weisheipl, O.P., "The Revival of Thomism: An Historical Survey"
Grant me, O
merciful God, that I might ardently love,
prudently ponder,
rightly acknowledge,
and perfectly fulfill all that is pleasing to you,
for the praise and glory of your name.
- St. Thomas Aquinas
REALITY—A
Synthesis Of Thomistic Thought
by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O. P.
The
Twenty-Four Fundamental Theses Of Official Catholic Philosophy
By
P. Lumbreras, O.P., S.T.Lr., Ph.D.
Logical reconstruction of the proof from motion for God's existence
Two Roles for Catholic Philosophers: by Alfred J. Freddoso
Introduction to Catholic Theology
Studies in Natural Law
Thomas G. Weinandy, "Does God Suffer?", First Things (Nov 2001)