Summa Theologica (Latin)
Overview
Thomas Aquinas stands among the most important thinkers in the history of Christianity, and his famous Summa Theologica represents the pinnacle of medieval theology and perhaps the most influential theological work in the history of Western Christianity. In the volumes of his writings we find the forerunners of every intellectual development in the eight centuries that followed, and the depth of his understanding of the nature and being of God has left a lasting mark on the enterprise of Christian theological reflection ever since.
For those who wish to work directly with the original language, Logos offers the Latin text of the Summa Theologica. With the Logos Latin and English editions of the Summa Theologica, you can use the power of your digital library to read the original language and the translation side-by-side.
In this massive tome, Aquinas outlines the reasons and meaning of all of Christian theology. As a theologian, Aquinas articulates the goals, purpose, and enterprise of theology, and gives theology a prominent place in scholarship, calling theology “the queen of sciences.” As a scholastic, Aquinas sought to understand Christian theology in light of the rediscovery of Aristotle’s works in the twelfth century, and redefined the relationship between revelation and reason, science and theology, and faith and philosophy for the next eight centuries. As a philosopher, Aquinas developed principles of just war and natural law, and outlined an argument for God’s existence from contingency—the intellectual forerunner to the modern Argument from Design. As an aesthetic, Aquinas articulated a vision of God’s beauty, and his aesthetic influence can be felt in the writings of literary figures as diverse as Dante Alighieri, James Joyce, and Umberto Eco.
Top Highlights
“Cum igitur gratia non tollat naturam, sed perficiat,” (source)
“Damasc. dicit (lib. 1. Orth. Fid. cap. 11.); Spiritum Sanctum ex Patre dicimus, et Spiritum Patris nominamus: ex Filio autem Spiritum Sanctum non dicimus, Spiritum vero Filii nominamus; ergo Spiritus Sanctus non procedit a Filio.” (source)
“quod est signum rei sacrae, inquantum est sanctificans homines.” (source)
“quia gratia perficit naturam secundum modum naturae” (source)
“Spiritus Sanctus distinguitur personaliter a Filio in hoc, quod origo unius distinguitur ab origine alterius: sed ipsa differentia originis est per hoc. quod Filius est solum a Patre, Spiritus Sanctus vero a Patre, et Filio: non enim aliter processiones distinguerentur, sicut supra ostensum est. (in corp. art. et q. 27.).” (source)
- Title: Summa Theologica (Latin)
- Author: Thomas Aquinas
- Edition: Editio altera Romana
- Publisher: Forzani et Sodalis
- Print Publication Date: 1894
- Logos Release Date: 2009
- Era: era:medieval
- Language: Latin
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Catholic Church › Doctrines--Early works to 1800; Theology, doctrinal › Early works to 1800
- Resource ID: LLS:SUMMALAT
- Resource Type: Systematic Theology
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:59:00Z
Thomas Aquinas (1225–7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church. An immensely influential philosopher, theologian, and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism, he is also known within the latter as the Doctor Angelicus and the Doctor Communis. He was the foremost classical proponent of natural theology and he argued that reason is found in God. His influence on Western thought is considerable, and much of modern philosophy developed or opposed his ideas, particularly in the areas of ethics, natural law, metaphysics, and political theory.
Unlike many currents in the Church of the time, Aquinas embraced the philosophy of Aristotle—whom he called “the Philosopher”—and attempted to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with the principles of Christianity.
His best-known works are the Disputed Questions on Truth (1256–1259), the Summa contra Gentiles (1259–1265), and the unfinished but massively influential Summa Theologica (1265–1274). His commentaries on Scripture and on Aristotle also form an important part of his body of work. Furthermore, Thomas is distinguished for his eucharistic hymns, which form a part of the Church’s liturgy. The Catholic Church honors Thomas Aquinas as a saint and regards him as the model teacher for those studying for the priesthood, and indeed the highest expression of both natural reason and speculative theology. In modern times, under papal directives, the study of his works was long used as a core of the required program of study for those seeking ordination as priests or deacons, as well as for those in religious formation and for other students of the sacred disciplines (philosophy, Catholic theology, church history, liturgy, and canon law).
Thomas Aquinas is considered one of the Catholic Church’s greatest theologians and philosophers. Pope Benedict XV declared: “This (Dominican) Order . . . acquired new luster when the Church declared the teaching of Thomas to be her own and that Doctor, honored with the special praises of the Pontiffs, the master and patron of Catholic schools.”