The Human Wisdom of St Thomas: A Breviary of Philosophy from the Works of St Thomas Aquinas

by Josef Pieper

Josef Pieper has attached no commentary to the texts brought together in this breviary of the philosophy of St. Thomas, preferring that the reader should encounter them, "on his own". His work has been one of selection, in which he has sought to assemble such passages as will provide an introduction to the form and design of the whole Thomistic system. Yet he has so ordered his texts as to impress upon the reader a special feature of St. Thomas's thought, what he calls its double St. Thomas sees the whole scheme of reality ordered and penetrable by reason; yet the mystery of Being itself "The effort of human thought has not been able to track down the essence of a single gnat." Josef Pieper, one of the most highly regarded Thomistic philosophers of the twentieth century, wrote numerous philosophical works including  The Basis of Culture, Guide to Thomas Aquinas, Only the Lover Sings  and many more.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Catholic

110 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Josef Pieper was a German Catholic philosopher and an important figure in the resurgence of interest in the thought of Thomas Aquinas in early-to-mid 20th-century philosophy. Among his most notable works are The Four Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance; Leisure, the Basis of Culture; and Guide to Thomas Aquinas (published in England as Introduction to Thomas Aquinas).

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not really Josef Piper, but an arrangement of passages from Thomas Aquinas into a topical structure. I'm a bit skeptical about such works, but I found this one to be amazing from the beginning as Pieper manage to get some of the best out from Aquinas to make him shine, even for a casual reader. There are some topics that are more of interest to me, as other topics for others, so not all are equally dragging my focus, but the parts that were I read several times to make sure I got what the passage was saying. It is a great introduction to Aquinas directly from Aquinas, and Pieper lets Aquinas speak from himself.

[Almachius · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plan was to read, chew and meditate on one paragraph a day, giving me a year or two of little Aquinasisms, but Pieper's breviary is addictive. Every statement is a variation on 1 + 1 = 2, which seems boring on the face of it, but Pieper lines them up like a trail of breadcrumbs, and I'm hungry for truth. Are you?

[Conor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little compilation of Thomas Aquinas' great wisdom. There is something on every page that spurs deeper thought. Josef Pieper has done a wonderful job bringing gems and nuggets to the reader. This is a very beautiful and good book. A good way to be introduced to Thomas -- it isn't too intimidating and very readable.

The one thing I thought as reading this -- and I know that I am going to show that I know just enough to make me look stupid -- is that I cannot understand how the Neo-Thomists maintain their strict split between nature and grace. There were ample passages in this little compilation that seem to confirm Henri De Lubac's reading of Thomas.

[Emerson John Tiu Ng · Rating 5 out of 5]

...a book of quotes derived from Summa Theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas...