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Aquinas's Shorter Summa: Saint Thomas's Own Concise Version of His Summa Theologica

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I am an admirer of Thomas Aquinas, even though I am not Roman Catholic. He is powerful enough to cross the denominational bridges, and that is quite a compliment! This book is the Angelic Doctor's last written work. In fact, he died in the midst of writing the book, so it is incomplete, which is our loss. A mind like his comes once in a Millennium, so we are all worse off to not have more of his writings.

This book was intended to be a literal "hand book," a one -volume summation of Aquinas' rather bulky Summa Theologica. It follows a deceptively simple format of three parts: Faith, Hope, and Charity. At first blush, this seems to roughly correspond to II-II of the Summa. However, Aquinas restated his arguments for God's existence, and covers in a nutshell the main points of the entire I-I and I-II of the Summa.

It is a rare thing to find someone who can sum up a complex idea, or a string of complex ideas and concepts, but "The Dumb Ox" characteristically pulls it off. I wish more public speakers and politicians could develop this talent, since we get off on so many intellectual rabbit trails, and miss the great Yellow Brick Road. He does have a point to what he says, and he does stick on topic. Hence, his enduring power.

The translation is an easy read, and nothing really spectacular jumps out pro or con. As is stated in the introduction, this translation was to be a crutch, and the true student is encouraged to go to the original Latin for any hair-splitting nuances and so forth. The standard numeration is followed, so we can easily compare the translations. I hate translators/publishers who play God and reinvent the wheel in these matters.

I feel that this book should be used in conjunction with Kreeft's "Summa of the Summa." They are about the same size, but each book has its strengths and weaknesses. "The Shorter Summa" has the benefit of being Aquinas speaking for himself, and him telling you what he thinks is important, with the only disadvantage being that it is incomplete. The "Summa of the Summa" has the benefit of Kreeft's commentary and illustrations, and is (mostly) a good summery of Thomism, but it is Kreeft's-and I say this will an infinity of charity and respect for a great man-"spin" on Aquinas. So my advice is to split the difference and to get both books.

The only real objection I have is that the picture of Aquinas is rather unusual. He looks like one of the extra-terrestrial "Greys" that Art Bell talks about. Aquinas is a genius, and a human computer, but he isn't a Vulcan, and he never made a crop circle. G. K. Chesterton speaks of a portrait of Aquinas with piercing eyes. The only clue we have is the starburst design, but it would be nice for a Chesterton scholar to try and track down this portrait, and start using it. Or at least stick with the traditional Medieval sketch that graces the covers of most of the current Aquinas Anthologies.

I need not restate the lenghty and obvious praises of previous reviewers, they did an excellent job of summing up the work on the intellectual level.

I did however find in this work answers to many of the questions so many people ask regarding judicial, political and historical issues these days and yes even a few to fill the gaps left in a lifetime of research into the basic philosophies of other great and important historical figures.

I believe that if one really wants to understand our own country and it's founding fathers and mothers and their philosophies and where their belief systems came from a study of this work would be an essential addition to many others that they used to formulate their ideals and ideologies.

Many passages from Aquinas will stay with me for the rest of my days but the two I have chosen below will be kept readily avqailable for future consideration and contemplation.

"God alone can create. Consequently the rational soul is produced by God alone."

And, "A man's happiness or beautitude consist in the vision whereby he sees God in his essence."

One could spend a lifetime just pondering and trying to live up to just these two and it would not be in vain.

This is a book journey that every American should take. It is not the most easily understandable work, unless you take the time to really read it, not just skim it's pages.

One must begin with a committment and determination to stay engaged at all times or a great deal of it's wisdom will pass before the minds eye unnoticed.

An excellent work.

This book is a wonderful way for non intellectuals to read St. Thomas Aquinas! It has all of his inspirational and theological genius in concise and easy to read sections. A must read for all Catholics and highly recommended to non-Catholics interested in learning about the foundations of Christianity.

Summa Theologica is the masterwork of an indefatigable outstanding man of.letters who, having what is reputed to be the most prodigious mind of his time, pursued the mind of God (mens Dei) as his philosophical goal. The seventh son of a wealthy family, he could have opted instead to follow (rather lamely it must be said) a militar career as his brothers did, or to take hold of a bishopric in a rich countryside in northern Italy, supported by his family wealth and pedigree, being closely akin to the most important men of his time (he was nephew to Frederick II, privy to Saint Louis, king of France, and many others potestates of his epoch). But he decided instead to be a humble Dominican friar , sloughing of all the perquisites of wealth, to be totally devoted to settling down the most intricate points in the Catholic doctrine, to be equaled only by Saint Augustine in doctrinal preeminence, his rulings being adopted as authoritative enough to be perused by popes and religious scholars inside and outside the Church for the next centuries. His access to the 500 volume library of the University of Paris, where he silently studied for many years and where he got the nickname "the Dumb Ox", due both to his body constitution as to his enormous appetite for intelectually heavy cargoes, was instrumental to his reading of ALL that had to be read at the time, being his mastering of the Greek language a plus he had against Saint Augustine, who never got familiar enough with that language, and got always a second hand view of the texts written by the founders of philosophy.

The importance Plato had for Saint Augustine, Aristotle had for Thomas Aquinas, who respectfully called him "The Philosophus" (sic) or the "Commentator" (sic). The Summa Theologica is an attempt by Aquinas to solve the most troublesome points in doctrine, a monumental task tried before by many, who attempted to conciliate the Greek Church cannons to the Roman Church rulings, to the then powerful philosophical Arabic influence, being the Arabic philosophers the first who rescued Aristotle from the ashes of Augustianism, to the efforts of Albertus Magnus - who was Aquinas' master and first tried to evolve science from Alchemy, etcetera.

Using primarily an Aristotelian toolbox and terminology, but always faithfull to the Holy Scripture - and thus entangled in a rather wry explanation of the existence of things trough creationism - being the Bible authoritative enough to him as the own word of God, Aquinas establishes a rather apt hierarchical order in the world between all being (ens) and creatures (creaturae), some of them only possesed of material substance, some immaterial (angelus), and some with intermediate properties, being both material and immaterial (man). To him, the soulless (sine animae) material being was always oriented to the soulful material being and then to the immaterial as its superior, e.g., stone to plants, plants to irrational animals and the latter to the rational ones, that is, to human beings, who by means of his intelect could reach na understanding of God trough His output (effects), that is, the created world.
Being both material and immaterial, homo naturaliter orientatur ist ad superiorem in the hierarchical order (ordo) that is, to the angels, who were the supreme creatures of God. But what is God? According to Aquinas, there is no possible answer to this question and we only know (trough his effects) that He exists (quid est) , but never know what He is (qui est), being the final contemplation of God the Supreme Good (sumum bonum) and the final goal of man. His explanation of good (bonum) as created by God and evil (malum) as a deprivation of good instead of its antipodal opposite, thus making man responsible for his acts via liber arbitrium, and thus quenching Manicheism - who affirmed that God created the immaterial beings and goodness in them, and the Devil the material ones and evil - is magistral and is worthy the effort of reading a so difficult and voluminous book. His explanation of God as an « ens » composed of three coeternal persons under in just one substance and living out of time (per se subexistente, a tempori non mensuratur) gives the reader sheer ecstasy in getting contact with one of the most prodigious philosophers of all times, no matter what the reader's creed. The sheer independence (but not indiference) of God as regarding human beings, because God loves himself preeminently (quia Dominus seipsum amat et hominis non careabat) is also notewhorthy.
To sum it up, what you have in your hand is the work of the most genial man of his time, who sent rippling waves of influence troughout the world as no other philosopher did for many centuries to come. I hope you enjoy the reading as much as I did.

Reading Aquinas is not an easy or even pleasant task. But it's a helpful one. This is his own abbreviation of his Summa, and he did not complete it before his death. But what he did finish will keep you occupied for some time. Invaluable philosophical & scholastic insights, as well as a useful case study in logic and thinking in general. While the specifics of his philosophy and theology might be debated (his overly-heavy reliance on Aristotle, for example), the skill of his thinking and writing certainly can't be.

A great way to approach Aquinas without immediately fainting from the immensity of the man's work.

"Aquinas' Shorter Summa" has been previously published as "The Compendium of Theology." You can find a complete, indexed version online, but I much prefer to settle in with a hard copy.

The Shorter Summa was authored by St. Thomas Aquinas himself in response to a request that I believe was from his secretary to provide a distillation of the Summa Theologica. St. Thomas died (at age 50) only 10 chapters into Part II, "Hope." Part I, "Faith" is therefore the main theme of this work. There was to be a third part - you guessed correctly, "Charity." The unfinished nature, however, is by no means a reason to pass this by. After finishing it, I understand why it also goes by a third published name, "Light of Faith."

Shortly after beginning I was tempted to stop and get some primers on Aristotle, basic philosophy, and theology. Instead, I decided to web search the concepts and terms I didn't understand as I went along, and in short order I felt up to the challenge. I'm glad I persisted because it was a delight to have St. Thomas as my instructor.

Each chapter builds on the teachings in previous chapters, so read them slowly. Re-read them, if need be, until the ideas crystallize, especially early on. Don't sell yourself short; it takes a bit of doing, but the reward is enormous. The teaching on the Trinity in chapters 37-50 was one of my favorite parts. Using the "light of reason" - a term itself you will understand better after St. Thomas - you will have new appreciation of why Jesus Christ is the Word of God.

Among the great services St. Thomas does in his writing is to show us how Christianity is truly a philosophy of Reason. Modernists, rationalists, and atheists who claim that religion in general and Christianity in particular is not reasonable are in truth the ones at odds with Reason. The Thomistic view is predicated on the fact of existence; it accepts creation, and the fact that there is a real world that we can experience through our senses. It also, of course, explains that there is much more beyond what our senses can experience.

The modern academic mind can't seem to get beyond "to be or not to be." Aquinas shouts to us the answer down through the centuries: "To be!"

This edition is sprinkled with helpful footnotes to cited bible verses, Church Fathers (St. Augustine prominent among them), and philosophers (Aristotle of course very prominent among these.) Cyril Vollert's translation is in very easy to understand English, and for a paperback, this volume is pretty sturdy. This was a wonderful choice for my first foray into Scholasticism and my first encounter with the Angelic Doctor.

Very good for anyone, other then Nancy Pelosi to understand the tenants of the Catholic Church.

St. Thomas Aquinas set out to write his Shorter Summa at the request of his assistant Brother Reginald. It was intended to be a summary of Aquinas' extensive Summa Theologica, yet produced in the language of laymen. It was also, therefore, intended to be a summary of the Faith of Christianity, accessible to all who could read. While it is still, at times, loftier than what many might easily grasp, the Shorter Summa is certainly shorter as well as comprehensible.

St. Thomas conveys his plan for this work in his introduction, stating "I shall treat first of faith, then of hope, and lastly of charity. This is the Apostle's arrangement which, for that matter, right reason imposes. Love cannot be rightly ordered unless the proper goal of our hope is established; nor can there be any hope if knowledge of the truth is lacking. Therefore the first thing necessary is faith, by which you may come to a knowledge of the truth. Secondly, hope is necessary, that your intention may be fixed on the right end. Thirdly, love is necessary, that your affections may be perfectly put in order." Unfortunately, Aquinas died prior to completing this work having really only begun the second part of the Shorter Summa, Hope. It would be difficult to call this work incomplete, however, as it is insightful from cover to cover. Indeed, the few chapters that Aquinas managed to complete on his section about hope might be an example of some of the most gracefully contemplative pieces of Christian theology ever written. The fact that this work is unfinished does not detract from it as it is; but only with respect to the idea of what it could have been.

The Shorter Summa should be read by all Christians, regardless of denomination. As St. Thomas Aquinas is a scholar of St. Augustine, it might also be helpful to first read Confessions (Penguin Classics), The City of God, and any other work of Augustine's that is readily available. If you have any inkling to read this work, please do, as you will not be disappointed.

I had never read St. Thomas and was affraid to start with any of his Summas, which I understand are lengthy and profound. However, I wanted to get a taste of some of the writings of whom has been considered the "Greatest Theologian of the Catholic Church". I came across this shorter version written by the very same St. Thomas, and alas!, I was not dissapointed.

The book was originally intended to cover the three Theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. This was no easy endeavor for the 50-year-old Dominican monk, who, at the request of his faithful helper and secretary, set out to write a concise version of his thoughts up to that moment, trying to keep it brief and down to the bones for the non-scholar public.

The result, this book, is one of the most easily-read catholic insights of all times, yet, rich and profound, with all the spiritual wisdom accumulated up to that time. Unfortunately, St. Thomas died half way through the task and managed to write only about Faith and (partially) about Hope.

His legacy remains one of the most important for any lay catholic -and christian- that wants to get to know more about his/her own faith.

Starting with the existence of God (the famous "5 ways of St. Thomas" for reason to find God in nature without the help of revelation), passing through the "great unknown" (the Holy Spirit) all the way to Jesus and the meaning of his message, St. Thomas (or "Aquinas", as it is known in the postmodern world), covers all the basic topics of the Blessed Trinity both from the points of view of plain Reason (man in the world) and Revelation (the word of God transmitted to us through the Bible and the tradition preserved by the Magisterium of the Church).

There are points in St. Thomas' discourse that have been further elucidated or clarified by the Church over the following 8 centuries, such as the belief in the special characteristics of the "Celestial Bodies" (the stars and planets) and other ideas inherited from the Greek tradition (such as the existence of only 4 basic elements, including fire and water).

However, most of what Aquinas wrote was and remains valid and has served as the basis for a multitude of Theologians, Catholics and non-catholics alike, to build upon and expand over time.

You may need some basic knowledge of the Christian Faith to understand some of the assertions made in the book. However, even if you have a very limited catequetical background, St. Thomas will guide you through and try to show you spiritual truths such as the existence of Evil, Divine Providence, Heaven and Hell, and other topics we hear so much about in church but know very little of, and help you to see them as what they are: Truths of a world we only understand with the eyes of faith, so important for us as the bowl of cereal you ate this morning, but with the capacity to trascend time and space into eternity.

As a late-coming student to theology and philosophy, I find St. Thomas's Concise Summa a wonderful teaching tool and resource for further understanding of the basic beliefs of Christianity. It is clear and easy to understand, and the only addtional resource I have found helpful is a dictionary of philosophical terms as I am weak in that area. Well worth your time!