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An Introduction to the Metaphysics of St. Thomas Aquinas
An Introduction to the Metaphysics of St. Thomas Aquinas is an accessible Aquinas and a solid entry into his work. The format is manageable, and the scope, appropriately limited. James F. Anderson's skillful collection and lucid translation makes the pleasure of reading Aquinas available as it has not been before.
116 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1953
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About the author
Thomas Aquinas
2,533 books1,097 followersPhilosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican friar and theologian of Italy and the most influential thinker of the medieval period, combined doctrine of Aristotle and elements of Neoplatonism, a system that Plotinus and his successors developed and based on that of Plato, within a context of Christian thought; his works include the
Summa contra gentiles
(1259-1264) and the
Summa theologiae
or theologica (1266-1273).
Saint Albertus Magnus taught Saint Thomas Aquinas.
People ably note this priest, sometimes styled of Aquin or Aquino, as a scholastic. The Roman Catholic tradition honors him as a "doctor of the Church."
Aquinas 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 obtained for centuries. This crisis flared just as people founded universities. Thomas after early studies at Montecassino moved to the University of Naples, where he met members of the new Dominican order. At Naples too, Thomas first extended contact with the new learning. He joined the Dominican order and then went north to study with Albertus Magnus, author of a paraphrase of the Aristotelian corpus. Thomas completed his studies at the University of Paris, formed out 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 interpretations of Averroës of Aristotle and the Franciscan tendency to reject Greek philosophy. The result, a new modus vivendi between faith and philosophy, survived until the rise of the new physics. The Catholic Church over the centuries regularly and consistently reaffirmed the central importance of work of Thomas for understanding its teachings concerning the Christian revelation, and his close textual commentaries on Aristotle represent a cultural resource, now receiving increased recognition.
Saint Albertus Magnus taught Saint Thomas Aquinas.
People ably note this priest, sometimes styled of Aquin or Aquino, as a scholastic. The Roman Catholic tradition honors him as a "doctor of the Church."
Aquinas 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 obtained for centuries. This crisis flared just as people founded universities. Thomas after early studies at Montecassino moved to the University of Naples, where he met members of the new Dominican order. At Naples too, Thomas first extended contact with the new learning. He joined the Dominican order and then went north to study with Albertus Magnus, author of a paraphrase of the Aristotelian corpus. Thomas completed his studies at the University of Paris, formed out 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 interpretations of Averroës of Aristotle and the Franciscan tendency to reject Greek philosophy. The result, a new modus vivendi between faith and philosophy, survived until the rise of the new physics. The Catholic Church over the centuries regularly and consistently reaffirmed the central importance of work of Thomas for understanding its teachings concerning the Christian revelation, and his close textual commentaries on Aristotle represent a cultural resource, now receiving increased recognition.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 4, 2015
This slim volume is a series of excerpts from Aquinas addressing a number of metaphysical topics. The editing is well done and presents a good, concise summary of Aquinas' views. I simply find most of the topics and his thoughts on them to be quite boring.
The one exception being the discussion of Beauty. Much there was of interest to me, though that section drew heavily upon Pseud-Dionysius, whom I've never read. Here's the great paragraph that opens the chapter on Beauty in this volume:
"Nothing exists which does not participate in beauty and goodness, since each thing is beautiful and good according to its proper form. . . . Created beauty is nothing other than a likeness of the divine beauty participated in things."
The one exception being the discussion of Beauty. Much there was of interest to me, though that section drew heavily upon Pseud-Dionysius, whom I've never read. Here's the great paragraph that opens the chapter on Beauty in this volume:
"Nothing exists which does not participate in beauty and goodness, since each thing is beautiful and good according to its proper form. . . . Created beauty is nothing other than a likeness of the divine beauty participated in things."
April 29, 2018
An utterly unnecessary book.
February 19, 2012
Dense reading, highly academic. STA infused Platonic dualism into Christian theology by relying so heavily on Greek philosophers in his study of metaphysics, even after the early church fathers aggressively rebuked the view as non-biblical. I did enjoy the chapters on goodness, truth, and beauty.
March 7, 2013
An important and excellent book. I would have been aided by a teacher guiding me through the text, but I still found much beauty and value in this introduction to Aquinas' metaphysics. The ending pages about man's end are worth the price of admission.
July 16, 2011
Good book on the medieval foundations that were laid for modern scientific discovery.
April 5, 2017
Enjoyable and interesting read.
March 21, 2013
Excellent!!!
Read
November 5, 2016This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2025
Aquinas: “The necessity of this science of metaphysics, which contemplates being and its essential attributes, is manifest; such things ought not to remain unknown because it is upon them that knowledge of other things depends, for on the knowledge of common or universal things hinges the knowledge of proper or individual things.”
“God is the end of each thing, and hence each thing, to the greatest extent possible to it, intends to be united to God as its last end. But a thing is more closely united to God by attaining in some way to His very substance (and this occurs when it has some cognition of that substance) than by simply attaining some likeness of Him. Therefore the intellectual substance tends to the knowledge of God as its last end.”
“The desire to know the causes of the things they see is naturally present in all men; and so through wondering at the things they saw, whose causes were hidden from them, men first began to philosophize, and when they had discovered the cause they were at rest. Nor does inquiry cease until the first cause is attained: ‘Then do we deem ourselves to know perfectly, when we know the first cause.’ Therefore man naturally desires as his last end to know the first cause. But God is the first cause of all things. Therefore man's last end is to know God.”
This is an excellent and brilliant work. The translator has collected extensive selections from Aquinas’s writings that capture well his metaphysical thought, and put them together in a work as an introduction to Aquinas’s philosophical thought—straight from the ox’s mouth. I loved this work, even if it is very technical at times and very difficult for me to understand certain parts. Indeed, some sections were simply over my head. Aquinas’s ability to anticipate and respond to objections, as well as his extensive knowledge of sources and authorities is just astounding. His genius is truly remarkable. He is definitely not the most engaging writer, but I enjoyed getting to learn about his metaphysics and how he sees this divine science as ultimately oriented towards man’s highest good and happiness: knowledge of God. My favorite chapter is the chapter of Aquinas’s treatment on the transcendental of beauty. Indeed, Aquinas contended for four transcendentals: the one, the true, the good, and the beautiful. Aquinas goes to great pains to establish each of these. For Thomas, metaphysics is the study of being as being.
There were many parts of this book as Aquinas discussed God’s movement towards all things, as well as our orientation towards God, when I thought about Paul’s teaching that “from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” Both Maximus and Aquinas have taught me greatly about how all things in creation are intended to relate to God.
“God is the end of each thing, and hence each thing, to the greatest extent possible to it, intends to be united to God as its last end. But a thing is more closely united to God by attaining in some way to His very substance (and this occurs when it has some cognition of that substance) than by simply attaining some likeness of Him. Therefore the intellectual substance tends to the knowledge of God as its last end.”
“The desire to know the causes of the things they see is naturally present in all men; and so through wondering at the things they saw, whose causes were hidden from them, men first began to philosophize, and when they had discovered the cause they were at rest. Nor does inquiry cease until the first cause is attained: ‘Then do we deem ourselves to know perfectly, when we know the first cause.’ Therefore man naturally desires as his last end to know the first cause. But God is the first cause of all things. Therefore man's last end is to know God.”
This is an excellent and brilliant work. The translator has collected extensive selections from Aquinas’s writings that capture well his metaphysical thought, and put them together in a work as an introduction to Aquinas’s philosophical thought—straight from the ox’s mouth. I loved this work, even if it is very technical at times and very difficult for me to understand certain parts. Indeed, some sections were simply over my head. Aquinas’s ability to anticipate and respond to objections, as well as his extensive knowledge of sources and authorities is just astounding. His genius is truly remarkable. He is definitely not the most engaging writer, but I enjoyed getting to learn about his metaphysics and how he sees this divine science as ultimately oriented towards man’s highest good and happiness: knowledge of God. My favorite chapter is the chapter of Aquinas’s treatment on the transcendental of beauty. Indeed, Aquinas contended for four transcendentals: the one, the true, the good, and the beautiful. Aquinas goes to great pains to establish each of these. For Thomas, metaphysics is the study of being as being.
There were many parts of this book as Aquinas discussed God’s movement towards all things, as well as our orientation towards God, when I thought about Paul’s teaching that “from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” Both Maximus and Aquinas have taught me greatly about how all things in creation are intended to relate to God.
September 19, 2025
I personally love philosophy, talking, debating, writing about it. Yet, this book was the hardest thing I have ever read. AND THAT INCLUDES GREEK. The book’s introduction has warning to not read alone unless a professional. Well I took that as a challenge and read it anyway. Took me a whole month to read only 100 pages… I’m proud of myself for completing the book but would probably recommend it to no one.
Some positives:
1: I felt really smart when I finally understood what St. Aquinas was trying to tell me, but mostly felt dumb lol
2: There is some good stuff on what it means to exist and the ordering if existence
3: The best chapter was about Beauty. I had never heard beauty “philosophized” and it was really cool. I will probably write an article on it.
All in all, worst rating I think I’ve ever given. Could you say I was warned? Yes, does that change my rating? No. The translated should have had a more accessible instead of direct translation.
Some positives:
1: I felt really smart when I finally understood what St. Aquinas was trying to tell me, but mostly felt dumb lol
2: There is some good stuff on what it means to exist and the ordering if existence
3: The best chapter was about Beauty. I had never heard beauty “philosophized” and it was really cool. I will probably write an article on it.
All in all, worst rating I think I’ve ever given. Could you say I was warned? Yes, does that change my rating? No. The translated should have had a more accessible instead of direct translation.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews