The Cambridge Companion to Aquinas (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy) [Paperback]

Norman Kretzmann (Editor), Eleonore Stump (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521437695 | ISBN-13: 978-0521437691 | Publication Date: May 28, 1993

Among the great philosophers of the Middle Ages Aquinas is unique in pursuing two apparently disparate projects. On the one hand he developed a philosophical understanding of Christian doctrine in a fully integrated system encompassing all natural and supernatural reality. On the other hand, he was convinced that Aristotle's philosophy afforded the best available philosophical component of such a system. In a relatively brief career Aquinas developed these projects in great detail and with an astonishing degree of success. In this volume ten leading scholars introduce all the important aspects of Aquinas' thought, ranging from its historical background and dependence on Greek, Islamic, and Jewish philosophy and theology, through the metaphysics, epistemology and ethics, to the philosophical approach to Biblical commentary. New readers and nonspecialists will find this the most convenient, accessible guide to Aquinas currently in print. Advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Aquinas.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a splendid piece of work that does just what the series seems intended to do. It also fills a notable gap. There is nothing to compare with it currently in print in English....All of the authors...are well known and respected for their knowledge of Aquinas's writings and for their ability to comment on them. And all of them have produced good and solid essays for this volume--essays that will help beginners (not to mention the so-called 'professionals') to get a handle on Aquinas....Anyone looking for surveys on the topics on which they write will not, I think, find anything in print that is as concise, readable, comprehensive, intelligent, and accurate as what they offer in this volume." Brian Davies, Philosophical Review

"This excellent collection of essays on the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas constitutes another very fine volume in the Cambridge Companion series....The Cambridge Companion to Aquinas ably fulfills this commitment to students and nonspecialists with essays by the leading scholars of the philosophy of Aquinas, written in a manner easily accessible to novices but without sacrificing scholarly sophistication. These essays will also be of genuine interest to specialists who will find in its pages careful and original expositions of Aquinas's thought, informed by the latest scholarship, and engaged in the latest interpretive debates....All in all, this book is first-rate and deserves to be a standard reference work for the philosophy of Aquinas. It is highly recommended for all students of Aquinas's thought regardless of level of expertise." Andrew J. Dell'Olio, Faith and Philosophy

Book Description

Ten leading scholars introduce the important aspects of Aquinas' thought, ranging from its historical background and dependence on Greek, Islamic, and Jewish philosophy and theology, through metaphysics, epistemology and ethics, to the philosophical approach to Biblical commentary.

Product Details

• Paperback: 314 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (May 28, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521437695
• ISBN-13: 978-0521437691
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #726,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent work, December 15, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cambridge Companion to Aquinas (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy) (Paperback)

St. Thomas Aquinas was not a man short of words. The depth of his thinking, and the sheer volume of his texts, makes his thinking both profound and difficult. But most of all, the aspiring student of Thomas' work may be afraid to face the daunting task of diving into the vast ocean of Thomas' words.

For them, this volume is exactly what they need.

By gathering up some of the top Aquinas scholars in the field, this volume presents the major topics of Aquinas' work in a lucid, considered, and (most importantly) easily understood way. While certainly not comprehensive (that is not its aim, and after all, the book would be another 500 pages at least), any potential Thomist scholar would be greatly served by this volume. Not only do the various authors give the reader a general overview of Thomas' thought and development, they also introduce some of the disputes going on within academic Thomistic studies. As such, this volume is a good starting point for those interested in Aquinas, be it an academic interest or an desire to learn about the life and thought of a Doctor of the Church.

Admittedly, one should not try and delve into this book with no previous background into Thomas' thought. It does presume some level of familiarity with the terminology Aquinas gained from Aristotle, as well as from the Church Fathers and others. Given this, a general background in philosophy and/or patristic/scholastic theology should suffice for most of the work.

If you want to understand Aquinas, but are just starting out, you should have this book on your shelf. Highly Recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to Aquinas, January 19, 2008

By 

Greg (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cambridge Companion to Aquinas (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy) (Paperback)

Aquinas stands along with Augustine, Duns Scotus and Ockam as the greatest Christian theologian-philosophers of the medieval period. Yet quite often Aquinas's thought is overlooked in most philosophy courses which skip from Plato and Aristotle to Descartes. This volume helps remedy the situation by giving a rigorous and up to date precis of Aquinas's philosophical thought, from his metaphysics, theory of mind and cognition, ethics, and his relation to theology. The volume is edited with contributions from Stump and Kretzmann, who themselves are leading experts on medieval philosophy.

This book is a must have for any serious student of Aquinas and medieval philosophy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It will help you out, May 7, 2007

By 

Eduardo Zachia (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cambridge Companion to Aquinas (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy) (Paperback)

This is a nice piece. It gathers fine articles written by well-known scholars of Thomas Aquinas. The themes are very well chosen inasmuch as they go thru all the most important aspects of the philosophy of this great thinker. It gives you, at the same time, a just idea of the relation of Thomas' thought with that of Aristotle an also its independence, its uniqueness. It makes you want to dive into Thomas Aquinas' system. Don't hesitate: just buy it.