توماس آکوئینی

Very Short Introductions #214

by Fergus Kerr, هادی ربیعی (Translator)

این کتاب با کاوش در مشهورترین اثر توماس آکوئینی، «جامع الهیات» روایتی جذاب و آموزنده از بافت تاریخی و تاثیر آن بر زندگی آکوئینی ارائه می‌دهد. فرگس کر همچنین با ملاحظه‌ی پیشینه‌ی تاریخی دوران آکوئینی و تحقیق در مورد برخی منازعات که به واسطه‌ی آثارش ایجاد شد. به بررسی نسبت میان فلسفه و دین در قرن سیزدهم می‌پردازد.
فرگس کر (متولد 1931) مدیر موسسه‌ی آکوئینی دانشگاه آکسفورد بوده و سال‌ها به تدریس فلسفه و الهیات پرداخته است. وی عضو افتخاری مدرسه‌ی الهیات ادینبرو و استاد افتخاری دانشگاه سنت اندروز است.

گنجینه‌ای از آثار کم‌حجم و پرمحتواست که انتشارات دانشگاه آکسفورد به قلم استادان تراز اول در رشته‌های گوناگون فراهم آورده و نشر افق آن را با خرید حق انتشار در ایران چاپ کرده است.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Theology, History, Nonfiction, Christianity, Biography

188 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Fergus Kerr OP is a Dominican friar, theologian, and philosopher known primarily for his work on Thomas Aquinas and Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Reviews

[فؤاد · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب خوبی برای آشنایی با اصلی ترین اثر توماس آکویناس، «سوما تئولوجیکا» یا جامع الهیات.
توماس ارسطوییه و فکر کنم خیلی از جاهای کتاب برای کسی که با فلسفۀ ارسطویی آشنا نباشه سخت خواهد بود. هر چند نویسنده سعی کرده زیاد وارد بحث های سخت نشه. اما باز آشنایی با فلسفۀ ارسطویی مطالعه رو می اندازه روی روال.

جامع الهیات اصلی ترین کتاب در الهیات مسیحیت کاتولیکه. و سه بخش داره:
بخش اول در مورد خدا، صفات خدا، تثلیث، و افعال خدا (مخلوقات) بحث می کنه.
بخش دوم در مورد اخلاق بحث می کنه.
بخش سوم در مورد مسیح و آیین های مسیحی بحث می کنه.
این کتاب هم سه فصل داره و هر کدوم از این سه بخش کتاب جامع الهیات رو سر فرصت بررسی می کنه و خلاصه ای از مباحث مهمش ارائه می کنه.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I know almost nothing about philosophy and even less about Catholicism. I read this because Thomas Aquinas was my result on this online personality test. So take this review for what it's worth! To the extent I understood the material, I did find it utterly fascinating.

I would say Fergus Kerr does a good job here of creating historical context. For example:
"There is no better translation for the word anima than the word 'soul' so long as we remember that neither Thomas nor Aristotle (with the word psyche) believed in a ghostly entity hidden within the human body. For Thomas, the word 'soul' means the basic principle of life in living creatures [...] Following Aristotle, Thomas argues that a soul, as the primary principle of life, is not itself a body but that which makes the body alive [...] the 'form', or the visibility as we might almost say, of the body. Neither Thomas nor Aristotle sees the soul as connected with inwardness. [...] The soul is how the creature is alive, interacting with things around. This way of existing is marked by sensitivity to the surroundings and readiness to move one way or another." And does this gradual shift in meaning not speak to our contemporary estrangement from ourselves, each other, and the world around us? There's similar discussion around virtue vs. valor, what is meant by "prayer", even what is meant by "God".

"Existing, for Thomas, is not being 'just there', as if waiting passively, inertly, in neutral, to have significance granted or imposed, or to be contextualized. 'Action issues from existence' (agere sequitur esse)."

[Illiterate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disjointed summary of Summa. Little analysis or context.

[Michal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written.

[Bojan Tunguz · Rating 5 out of 5]

St. Thomas Aquinas is one of the greatest Christian thinkers (many would argue THE greatest) of all time, and is considered by the Catholic Church to be one of the Doctors of The Church. He was an extremely prolific writer, and his collected works amount to over eight million words. His magnum opus "Summa Theologica" remains one of the most influential theological works, and has been used as the de facto theological manual for centuries in the education of clergy. Unfortunately, "Summa" itself consists of one and a half million words, organized in many tightly argued logical questions. As such it is largely inaccessible to the general readership. This "Very Short Introduction" aims to introduce St. Thomas to the more general audience, and in particular to present a very concise introduction to "Summa."

The first couple of chapters of this "Very Short Introduction" deal mostly with St. Thomas's early life and the historical circumstances during which he had lived. They aim to give us a better picture of the intellectual milieu within which did St. Thomas's ideas develop. They recount several interesting anecdotes from his early life, including the one where his family tried unsuccessfully to prevent him from joining the Dominicans by bringing a prostitute to him.

The middle chapters of this book are entirely dedicated to the "Summa." Each one of the three main parts of the "Summa" gets its own chapter. The presentation inevitably manages only to skim the surface of that monumental work, but it does touch upon all the main topics that were of concern to St. Thomas. For the most part "Summa" is discussed in a very favorable way, with the full appreciation of some of the more subtle points that it elucidated. Nonetheless the author is willing to point out some of the more strange and unacceptable arguments from the point of view of the modern reader.

Since his death, St. Thomas has suffered ups and downs of popularity. Unfortunately his name had for some time been synonymous with scholasticism, but in recent decades he has witnessed a resurgence of interest as his theology has been influential on several generations of "Neothomists." If you are unwilling to tackle St. Thomas's major works in their entirety, I would strongly suggest a couple more accessible works. Peter Kreeft's "A Shorter Summa: The Essential Philosophical Passages of Saint Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica" is a particularly useful selection of some major questions from the "Summa" as well as an introduction to the form and style of St. Thomas's writing. On the other hand there is also "A Summa of the Summa", St. Thomas's own abridgment. There are also several good Kindle English translations of the entire "Summa," and these a convenient way of browsing that entire work in an accessible electronic format.

Overall, this is a great time to learn more about St. Thomas Aquinas, and this Very Short Introduction is a wonderful first step in that direction.

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this very short introduction, Fergus Kerr, a Scottish Roman Catholic priest known for his contributions to both philosophy and theology, introduces the monumental figure of Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican scholastic and subsequent Doctor of the Church, and briefly outlines Thomas’s most influential work, his Summa Theologiae. Kerr also takes pains to succinctly introduce the prevalence of Thomistic philosophy in the modern era, from the time Pope Leo XIII reintroduced Thomism at the end of the nineteenth century up until the papal encyclicals of Pope John Paul II. As a whole, his very short introduction is a wonderful way for students of philosophy and theology to begin to understand Thomas, the environment in which he taught and wrote, and some of the most important tenets of the Summa. Quite nicely, Kerr is not afraid to delve into many of the more complex philosophical and theological nuances of Thomistic thought even in such a short introduction. While he never goes so far as to utterly confuse readers, he nevertheless refuses, for example, to only mention that Thomas discusses the metaphysical nature of God or that he was profoundly influenced by Aristotle. Instead, Kerr explains with appropriate detail how Thomas asserts that God is not to be conceived anthropomorphically or as an entity with qualities and that Thomas transforms Aristotle’s eudaimonia into a more Christian beatitudo, or perfect bliss with God. This somewhat lengthy discussion of the three parts of the Summa, however, leaves Kerr with little room to explore some of the other important texts written by Thomas like the Summa contra Gentiles and the De regno. While Kerr sometimes references other works of Thomas and elements found in his Scriptural and Aristotelian commentaries, they do not feature prominently in this very short introduction. Obviously, Kerr has limited space, and he wisely chooses to explain Thomas’s most influential ideas with some detail rather than give cursory treatment to all eight million words that Thomas wrote over the course of twenty-five years. Ultimately, one cannot fault Kerr for the way in which he organizes this introduction due to his enlightening commentary and relatively easy-to-read prose. He does a commendable job at making Thomas accessible to new students and, in case they wish to know more about one of the most prominent scholars of the medieval era, provides a detailed further reading section at the end of this very short and helpful introduction.

[jzthompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, clearly written and lively. It does rather highlight one of the major issues with these VSIs though, this is almost certainly going to be the only book on Thomas Aquinas I ever read, the author openly states that hardly anyone is actually going to go on and read the original texts... So how much have I really understood? The Aquinas that emerges from this seems like a thoroughly nice chap, informed by a positive humanistic conception of human nature and God. His relevance to the development of Human Rights law and anti-colonialism are clearly highlighted, but there are also throwaway comments that (obviously) much of Aquinas is unpalatable to modern readers. This does make me wonder to what extent we're getting a sanitised or safe Aquinas aimed at the VSI reader. Oh well, I'll probably never know.

[Daniel Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Few figures in the history of Western thought are as daunting to the modern reader as Thomas Aquinas. Fergus Kerr counters this by approaching his subject with a cheery affability, while being more-or-less frank about how alien Thomas can be to us today, though he nevertheless, in addition to a brief biography, explains the substance of the divine doctor's philosophy as clearly as is reasonably possible.

(Incidentally, I am writing this review after having already taken the leap in to reading the Summa, and am thoroughly submerged. I can only report that one should at least become acquainted with the basics of medieval though patters first.)

[Carlos Quijano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short indeed! Fergus Kerr gives a very brief survey of St. Thomas' thought as exposed in the Summa Theologiae that leads one to want to look more in depth. Of great value is his discussion of what happens after St. Thomas, a brief but not oversimplified history of Thomism. The one regret is that this book only deals with the Summa, and only briefly mentions his other writings. Then again, this is a very short introduction, and summarizing the Summa is not an easy task.

[Nathaniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative but more dense than it needs to be.

[Samuel Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too easy to make abstruse theology seem utterly dull. Just not a very good introduction to a potentially quite interesting thinker and corpus.

[l · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't understand the Summa Theologiae excerpts I had to read for jurisprudence (eheu eheu), so read this online. It helped a bit.

[Adam Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very brief overview of the important theologian.

[Kris Lundgaard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more about Thomas the Theologian than Thomas the philosopher. Although the author touches on the intellectual climate of the time, as well as the major debates, most of the book is devoted to an overview of the Religious ideas in the Summa. Mainly: the nature of god, sin, divine government, etc. and Thomas's position and defense of his ideas.

Some interesting topics and well presented but I wish the author had delved more into how Thomas worked with and responded to the prominent Jewish and Islamic philosophers of his day on philosophic issues, and on the newly available Aristotle texts being circulated in the Christian West.

For all that still a good introduction and some thought provoking sections: "One of Thomas's favorite questions is whether-given that something has happened-was how appropriate was it?" and "For Thomas, the world in which we find ourselves doesnt just exist, as brute fact, inexplicably, for no reason, or by chance. The key to his thought, more or less hidden, lies in the idea of creation, the notion that nothing exists which is not created except the creator himself."


The last statement and idea being especially interesting to me lately because of an article i read recently on JRR Tolkien's use of Thomistic ideas in his worlds. That for Tolkien the idea of creation was the act of divinity and in his books creation and sub creation(elves, created by Illuvatar, and then sub creating great works of art and architecture, etc) and the perversion of creation the ultimate evil, melkor twisting original creation to evil ends. Whether Tolkien borrows more ideas or has a unique spin on them i plan to discover as i read more of Thomistic philosophy.

The ending of the book did an excellent job of showing the afterlife of Thomas's works. Specifically how he was used as The Philosopher of the Catholic Church once Carteisanism and modern philosophy began to show up, and the debates that followed.

[Peter Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please give my review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/review/R2MAUPO...

This book lived up to its promise - it was a brief read that introduced the reader to St. Thomas Aquinas, his thinking and his influence on history.

I have been part of a group reading our way through the Summa Theologiae for approximately twenty years. We meet twice a month to read aloud and discuss each question in the Summa. After all this time, we are at the tale end of Part II of Book II, about ready to take on the virtue of temperance.

This book has answered something that has puzzled me over the years. The true theological part of the Summa was over fairly quickly in Book I. Both parts have involved a fascinating and helpful discussion of how man forms judgments, and is affected by passions, and can develop the habits of virtues, or fall into their corresponding vices. This is so incredibly practical that I'm constantly amazed by how modern psychology isn't more Thomistic.

But I have to wonder, where is the theology in this?

This book gave me the answer, namely, according to the author, the Summa has a trinitarian structure. The first part is about God, the third part is about the man who was the incarnation of God, and the second part is about how those of us who are formed in the image of God can move toward God.

That is obviously the answer, but it took a helicopter survey to show me the map when I had been chopping my way through the trees every week.

The author's discussion of Aquinas' life and legacy is good. The discussion of the contents of the Summa is cursory, but useful. Anything longer would defeat the purpose of this book as a "very short introduction."

[Benji · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because I wanted to understand Christianity more deeply and maybe even to appreciate it more. I don't think this was the right book for that though. I understand that Thomas Aquinas is an immensely important figure in Christian thought, but after reading this short introduction I'm left not fully understanding why.

I do feel like I have a better handle on what Thomas Aquinas was about though. It's interesting to get submerged in the theological thought and practice of the time, even if much of it does not seem that relevant today.

I'm not sure if the book is that well written, it may be a consequence of the subject matter, but some sentences were difficult to read and understand and it was not always clear whether the author was speaking their own views or those of Thomas Aquinas. I did find the consideration of the modern reader and the explorations of context and the changing meaning of words insightful.

All in all I learned some interesting things about theology at the time and one thing I found very interesting was how Aristotle came to the Christian world from the Classical world via the Islamic world. However, I suspect that only a very niche audience would be interested in this book.

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting overview of Thomas Aquinas’ work. It begins with a brief biography and then proceeds to analyze Aquinas’ most influential work, the Summa Theologiae. The last chapter briefly analyzes Thomas’ influence after his death in philosophy and theology. Most of us will never read Thomas’ massive grimoire. So, a work like this, that draws out some of its key elements, is practical. I do think, however, there are passages that assume too much discursive knowledge.

[Mikolaj Laczynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a good book which tackles the connection between philosophy and theology which is the absolute cornerstone of Thomism. Kerr writes in an academic fashion which might be difficult to grasp by non-scholars or newcomers to scholasticism and ancient philosophy. Overall, this small book manages to encapsulate the primary elements of the great mind of Thomas Aquinas. I would not recommend this book as ones first introduction to Thomism.

[Laurent Dv · Rating 5 out of 5]

L'introduction à la fois la plus courte et claire à la pensée de Thomas d'Aquin (119 pages en comptant des illustrations - photos, tableaux -). Comme dans toute introduction classique on trouve une biographie, la liste des oeuvres de Thomas puis un survol synthétique de sa Somme théologique (son oeuvre la plus connue) et enfin un survol de l'histoire du thomisme depuis la mort de Thomas jusqu'aux accusations de panthéisme envers le thomisme du théologien protestant libéral Adolf Harnack.

[Matt Gold · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went in expecting more history (e.g. the intellectual climate of the time and significance of Aquinas's reconciling Aristotelian philosophy with Christian doctrine) and less theology. A more accurate title might have been "Summa Theologica: A Very Short Introduction". The theology is not for me, and pretty difficult to follow without some context. This book is clearly targeted for those already somewhat invested in theology. Fair enough, I guess.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt my reading was not as close as it should have been, but came away learning more about Thomas Aquinas and while I would still be hesitant to chime in on any conversation regarding him I have a better sense of things, so that I would be confident diving into primary sources or more advanced secondary sources.

[Sir Raymond of Ivanhoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I changed my review from 3, to 4 stars—giving the author the benefit of the doubt that it was I who didn't understand some things. I was following along pretty well until the post-Thomas material, which was really hard for me to understand. I feel like I have a decent grasp of Thomas’ philosophy/theology from this book.

[Pat Phelps · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part of the Oxford - A Very Short Introduction book series. It is indeed a very short book, and not really detailed at all. If you want a very brief introduction to Thomas, then this volume might be helpful. If you are looking for something maybe in the middle, or more advanced, I would forego this volume in favor of something else.

“Take up and Read” - Saint Augustine

[David Williamson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly just "cliffnotes" for Summa Theologica - there's very little comparing Aquinas to medieval theologians in general, his influences, or summarising his overarching philosophies. Instead, the book mostly just summarises sections of ST.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

readable but quick

[John Tobler iii · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent intro to Thomas. I

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good summary, but I’d recommend either Ed Feser’s or Frederick Copleston’s primers on Aquinas over this one.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Love the style, the philosophy and the theology blended in this narrative. This is a work I will recommend to my friends to read

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The exercise of will is more like consenting to the good that one most deeply desires, rather than imposing oneself on something indifferent or recalcitrant."