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Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought
Political Writings
Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780521375955
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) is an extremely influential figure in the history of Western thought and the Catholic church. In this major addition to the Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought series, Robert Dyson has translated texts by Aquinas that reflect the complete range of his thinking, and clearly show his development of a Christian version of the philosophy of Aristotle. His translations are supported by brief biographies, notes for further reading and a concise critical introduction.
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) is an extremely influential figure in the history of Western thought and the Catholic church. In this major addition to the Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought series, Robert Dyson has translated texts by Aquinas that reflect the complete range of his thinking, and clearly show his development of a Christian version of the philosophy of Aristotle. His translations are supported by brief biographies, notes for further reading and a concise critical introduction.
351 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1274
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176 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Aquinas
2,546 books1,134 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 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 20, 2023
Technically, I didn't finish this book, but I think I've suffered through enough of Aquinas that I deserve to count it.
July 21, 2016
This volume collects a number of important works upon which the Western natural law tradition is based and which attempt to justify the fundamental organization of political and religious authority in the Middle Ages. It covers important topics such as just war theory, begins to articulate a right to resist unjust rulers, and sketches the contours of the "separate spheres" which defined the boundaries of Church and State in Medieval Christendom. Worth reading, if not terribly exciting.
September 1, 2021
Has the answers before he asks the questions. Written in a manner that allows for no original thought, just dogma.
June 13, 2017
Good stuff.
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August 11, 2025* دربارهی پادشاهی، توماس آکوئینی، نشر کرگدن
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews