Commentary on the Book of Causes
Overview
The Book of Causes, highly influential in the medieval university, was commonly, but incorrectly, understood to be the completion of Aristotle’s metaphysics. It was Thomas Aquinas who first judged it to have been abstracted from Proclus’ Elements of Theology, presumably by an unknown Arabic author, who added to it ideas of his own.
The Book of Causes is of particular interest because themes that appear in it are echoed in the metaphysics of Aquinas: its treatment of being (esse) as proceeding from the First Creating Cause; the triadic scheme of being, living, and knowing; and the general scheme of participation in which “all is in all.” Thus, the Book of Causes provides a historical backdrop for understanding and appreciating Aquinas’ development of these themes in his metaphysics.
Thomas’ Commentary on the Book of Causes, composed during the first half of 1272, is a distinct philosophical work in its own right. It provides an extended view of his approach to Neoplatonic thought and functions as a guide to his metaphysics. Though long neglected and, until now, never translated into English, it deserves an equal place alongside his commentaries on Aristotle and Boethius.
In addition to the extensive annotation, bibliography, and thorough introduction, this translation is accompanied by two valuable appendixes. The first provides a translation of another version of proposition 29 of the Book of Causes, which was not known to St. Thomas. The second lists citations of the Book of Causes found in the works of St. Thomas and cross-references these to a list showing the works, and the exact location within them, where the citations can be found.
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This volume is part of Thomas Aquinas in Translation (8 vols.). Take a look at the whole set.
- Presents the first English translations of Aquinas’ Book of Causes
- Includes helpful introductions and notes
- Provides a historical backdrop for Aquinas’ commentary on metaphysics
- Title: Commentary on the Book of Causes
- Author: Thomas Aquinas
- Publisher: Catholic University of America
- Print Publication Date: 1996
- Logos Release Date: 2014
- Pages: 193
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Liber de causis; God › Early works to 1800; Causation › Early works to 1800; Creation › Early works to 1800; Ontology › Early works to 1800; Intellect › Early works to 1800; Soul › Early works to 1800; Neoplatonism › Early works to 1800
- ISBNs: 0813208432, 0813208440, 9780813208435, 9780813208442
- Resource ID: LLS:COMMBOOKCAUSES
- Resource Type: Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T19:28:12Z
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.”