Commentary on the Gospel of John: Chapters 1–21
Overview
Thomas Aquinas possessed excellent knowledge of the commentaries of Origen, John Chrysostom, and Augustine. On the basis of this foundation, he produced his own commentary on the Gospel of John as part of his task as a Master of the Sacred Page. Considered a landmark theological introduction to the Fourth Gospel, these lectures were delivered to Dominican friars when Aquinas was at the height of his theological powers, when he was also composing the Summa Theologiae. For numerous reasons, the Summa has received far more attention over the centuries than has his Commentary on the Gospel of John. However, scholars today recognize Aquinas’ biblical commentaries as central sources for understanding his theological vision and for appreciating the scope of his Summa Theologiae.
The first English translation of Aquinas’ Commentary on the Gospel of John by Fabian Larcher and James Weisheipl, now long out of print, is available to scholars and students once again with this edition. Published in three volumes simultaneously, it includes a new introduction and notes pointing readers to the links between Aquinas’ biblical commentary and his Summa Theologiae. When a verse from the Gospel of John is directly quoted in the Summa Theologiae, the editors note this in the commentary. Aquinas’ patristic sources, including Origen and Augustine, are carefully identified and referenced to the Patriologia Latina and Patrologia Graeca. The commentary’s connections with Aquinas’ Catena Aurea are also identified.
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
This volume is part of Thomas Aquinas in Translation (8 vols.). Take a look at the whole set.
- Presents the first English translation of Aquinas’ Commentary on the Gospel of John
- Includes helpful introductions and notes
- Offers the best critical texts of of Aquinas’ Commentary
- Includes indexes of, and cross-references between, Aquinas’ writings and other primary texts
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 19
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 21
Top Highlights
“He says, to the first, Indeed, he will show even greater works than these. As if to say: You are astonished and affected by the power of the Son in his healing of the sick man, but the Father will show even greater works than these, as in raising the dead, such that you will be amazed.” (Volume 1, Page 277)
“It should be noted that the Evangelist significantly uses the word ‘was,’ when he says, He was in the world, showing that from the beginning of creation he was always in the world, causing and preserving all things; because if God for even a moment were to withhold his power from the things he established, all would return to nothing and cease to be.” (Volume 1, Page 57)
“John the Evangelist, as already indicated, makes it his principal object to show the divinity of the Incarnate Word. Accordingly, his Gospel is divided into two parts. In the first he states the divinity of Christ; in the second he shows it by the things Christ did in the flesh (2:1).” (Volume 1, Page 12)
“The role of Christ’s mother was to superintend the miracle; the role of Christ to perform it; and the disciples were to bear witness to it.” (Volume 1, Page 135)
“And thus the first explanation asserts the causality of the Word; the second explanation affirms the consubstantiality of the Word with the Father, who utters the Word; and the third explanation affirms the co-eternity of the Word.” (Volume 1, Page 19)
While the most significant aspect of the publication is Aquinas’ text itself, the introduction and notes provide excellent aides to the reader and enrich the text. Daniel Keating and Matthew Levering contribute a clear and helpful introduction to the translation, providing brief but very useful explanatory notes about early writers and controversies.
—David M. Gallagher, consulting scholar at the James Madison Program, Princeton University
- Title: Commentary on the Gospel of John: Chapters 1–21
- Author: Thomas Aquinas
- Publisher: Catholic University of America
- Print Publication Date: 2010
- Logos Release Date: 2014
- Pages: 943
- Era: era:medieval
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Bible. N.T. John 1-21 › Commentaries
- ISBNs: 9780813217239, 9780813217338, 9780813217345, 0813217237, 0813217334, 0813217342
- Resource ID: LLS:CMMGSPLJHNBKS
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T19:24:40Z
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.”