Commentary

[in chronological order]

Thomas Aquinas: A Portrait

- Denys Turner. Thomas Aquinas: A Portrait. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013.
Leaving so few traces of himself behind, Thomas Aquinas seems to defy the efforts of the biographer. Highly visible as a public teacher, preacher, and theologian, he nevertheless has remained nearly invisible as man and saint. What can be discovered about… More

Aquinas and the Nicomachean Ethics

- T. Hoffmann, J. Müller, and M. Perkams. Aquinas and the Nicomachean Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Discusses Aquinas’s reception of Aristotle’s work, exploring how Aquinas adopts, corrects or transforms key themes from Aristotle’s ethics

The Natural Law Theory of Thomas Aquinas

- Thomas D. D’Andrea, "The Natural Law Theory of Thomas Aquinas," Natural Law, Natural Rights, and American Constitutionalism -- a project of the Witherspoon Institute.
Thomas D. D’Andrea considers Aquinas’ theory of natural law at the Witherspoon Institute’s Natural Law, Natural Rights, and American Constitutionalism site. Excerpt: Thomas Aquinas is generally regarded as the West’s pre-eminent theorist… More

The Creative Retrieval of Saint Thomas Aquinas: Essays in Thomistic Philosophy, New and Old

- W. Norris Clarke. The Creative Retrieval of Saint Thomas Aquinas: Essays in Thomistic Philosophy, New and Old. New York: Fordham University Press, 2009.
W. Norris Clarke has chosen the fifteen essays in this collection, five of which appear here for the first time, as the most significant of the more than seventy he has written over the course of a long career. Clarke is known for his development of a… More

Aquinas: A Beginner’s Guide

- Edward Feser. Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide. Oxford: Oneworld, 2009.
One of the most influential philosophers and theologians in history, St Thomas Aquinas was the father of modern philosophy of religion, and is infamous for his “proofs” for God’s existence. In this cogent introduction to the great… More

Thomas Aquinas: A Very Short Introduction

- Fergus Kerr. Thomas Aquinas: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Summary: Thomas Aquinas is one of the giants of medieval philosophy, a thinker who had – and who still has – a profound influence on Western thought. Aquinas was a controversial figure in his time who was often engaged in fierce theological… More

Aquinas on Friendship

- D. Schwartz. Aquinas on Friendship. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2007.
Daniel Schwartz examines the views on friendship of the great medieval philosopher Thomas Aquinas. For Aquinas friendship is the ideal type of relationship that rational beings should cultivate. Schwartz argues that Aquinas fundamentally revises some of the… More

Major Works

Political Writings

- The Political Writings trans. Dyson, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
From the publisher: “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… More

Summa Theologica

- Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 1265 - 1274.
The Summa Theologica is Thomas Aquinas’s magnum opus and one of the most influential works in Western philosophy and Christian theology. Written as a comprehensive guide for theology students, it systematically presents Aquinas’s understanding of God,… More

Multimedia

Aquinas on Studiousness

- Audio. Dr. Matthew Levering. Lecture delivered as part of the St. Thomas Aquinas Lecture Series, Christendom College, February 2017.
Christendom College hosts a distinguished speaker each year on or around the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas (January 28) to speak on a philosophical or theological topic.

Being a Disciple of St. Thomas Aquinas in the Pursuit of Wisdom

- Audio recording. Dewan, Rev. Lawrence. Lecture delivered as part of the St. Thomas Aquinas Lecture Series, Christendom College, 2011.
Christendom College hosts a distinguished speaker each year on or around the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas (January 28) to speak on a philosophical or theological topic.

The Church’s “Common Doctor”: Thomas Aquinas and the Contemporary Catholic University

- Miller, J. Michael. "The Church's 'Common Doctor': Thomas Aquinas and the Contemporary Catholic University." Lecture delivered to the University of St. Thomas, 2010.
Archbishop Miller discusses the encouragement that is found in recent papal documents, including those of Benedict XVI, for the study of St. Thomas Aquinas in seminaries and universities and the importance of such study at this critical juncture in the… More

The Apologetics of Thomas Aquinas

- Audio recording. Dulles, Avery. Lecture delivered to the University of St. Thomas, 2006.
St. Thomas was not directly engaged in disputes with non-Christians, but in his Summa contra Gentiles he gives principles to be used for such disputes. The lecture will summarize the main elements of his method of establishing the credibility of the Christian… More

Other Works

Treatise on Law

- Thomas Aquinas. Treatise on Law. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2000.

Commentary on Aristotle’s On Generation and Corruption

- Commentary on Aristotle's On Generation and Corruption
First Sentence: “We have explained under what conditions ‘combination’, ‘contact’, and ‘action-passion’ are attributable to the things which undergo natural change.”