Commentary on the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans

by Thomas Aquinas

Although Thomas Aquinas's influence over philosophy endures to this day, the medieval genius did not consider himself a philosopher, but a Scripture scholar. The Aquinas Institute's hardcover Latin-English editions of Aquinas's commentaries on the Letters of St. Paul make many of these commentaries available in English for the first time.The bilingual format makes the work of this intellectual giant accessible to a broader audience than ever before in history. Aquinas's commentaries on the Pauline letters is a great gift for pastors, seminarians, or anyone who seeks a deeper intellectual reflection on Scripture.

Genres: Theology

440 pages, Leather Bound

First published September 12, 2012

About the author

Philosophy 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.

Reviews

[Matt Pitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to learn more about the theology of Aquinas and so as I preached through Romans for about two years this commentary was one of two that I read regularly. Of course I did not agree with him at every point, but I found I disagreed with him less than you might expect. He was quotable and helpful. And I appreciated the brevity, clarity, and the well-ordered structure of his comments.

Also, these volumes published by the Aquinas Institute are exceptionally well done. Each section contains the Latin, Greek, and English text of the passage of Scripture in addition to Aquinas' comments in both Latin and English.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite some odd stuff here and there, Thomas Aquinas' Commentary on Romans is generally very good. Given his lack of linguistic knowledge, you do not get the same degree of exegesis that you would in a John Calvin or a Charles Hodge, but Aquinas still has many great insights into Paul's teaching.

[John Stults · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good
Good example of scholasticism approach
I did rather like the use of referenced as l most totally scripture used in the text but not as footnotes.
Parts are dated bug I enjoyed the read and learned a lot
Well worth reading