Aquinas on God: The 'Divine Science' of the Summa Theologiae (Ashgate Studies in the History of Philosophical Theology) [Paperback]

Rudi Te Velde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2006 | ISBN-10: 0754607550 | ISBN-13: 978-0754607557

"Aquinas on God" presents an accessible exploration of Thomas Aquinas' conception of God. Focusing on the "Summa Theologiae", the work containing Aquinas' most systematic and complete exposition of the Christian doctrine of God, Rudi te Velde acquaints the reader with Aquinas' theological understanding of God and the metaphysical principles and propositions which underlie his project. Aquinas' conception of God is not dealt with as an isolated metaphysical doctrine, but from the perspective of Aquinas' broad theological view which underlies the scheme of the Summa. Readers interested in Aquinas, historical theology, metaphysics, and metaphysical discourse on God in the Christian tradition will find this new contribution to the studies of Aquinas invaluable.

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About the Author

Rudi te Velde is Radboud Professor in the Relationship between Philosophy and Christianity at the University of Amsterdam, and Lecturer at the Department of Theology, University of Tilburg, The Netherlands.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Ashgate Pub Co (April 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0754607550
• ISBN-13: 978-0754607557
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #496,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough exposition of Aquinas Doctrine of God, September 14, 2007

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C. Taylor "The Pastor" (Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Aquinas on God: The 'Divine Science' of the Summa Theologiae (Ashgate Studies in the History of Philosophical Theology) (Paperback)

Prior to my class with Dr. Reinhard Huetter (a formidable theologian in his own right), I had only encountered Thomas Aquinas in out of context snippets. That's not to say that I had negative perceptions of Thomas, only slightly off base. Velde's text was a secondary source to the main text, Thomas Aquinas' "The Treatise of the Divine Nature" from his "Summa Theologiae"(see below).

Velde briefly familiarizes the reader with major alternative interpretations of Aquinas without amassing a detail overload. He then proceeds to clearly demonstrate his own reading of Aquinas. Velde emphasizes the long history of ripping pieces of Aquinas' work out of its theological context to make it do strictly philosophical work. Velde reasserts the theological context of ALL the arguments in the Summa, especially Aquinas' "treatise" on God.

This book is dense and not for the faint of heart! I would suggest some prior engagement with Aristotle's "Metaphysics," if only briefly. You might also want to look at Torrell's brief introduction to Aquinas (see below).

This text is definitely a must for anyone who wishes to engage Aquinas beyond surface level; thus, any who wish to do theology should read this since a good theologian will familiarize herself with Thomas Aquinas!

Aquinas's Summa: Background, Structure, & Reception
The Theology Of Thomas Aquinas
The Treatise On The Divine Nature: Summa Theologiae I 1-13 (The Hackett Aquinas)