Guide to Thomas Aquinas [Paperback]

Josef Pieper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1991

One of the great philosophers of the 20th Century, Josef Pieper, gives a penetrating introduction and guide to the life and works of perhaps the greatest philosopher ever, St. Thomas Aquinas. Pieper provides a biography of Aquinas, an overview of the 13th century he lived in, and a wonderful synthesis of his vast writings.

Pieper shows how Aquinas reconciled the pragmatic thought of Aristotle with the Church, proving that realistic knowledge need not preclude belief in the spiritual realities of religion. According to Pieper, the marriage of faith and reason proposed by Aquinas in his great synthesis of a "theologically founded worldliness" was not merely one solution among many, but the great principle expressing the essence of the Christian West. Pieper reveals his extraordinary command of original sources and excellent secondary materials as he illuminates the thought of the great intellectual Doctor of the Church.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press; Subsequent edition (April 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898703190
• ISBN-13: 978-0898703191
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #192,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Study, July 31, 2001

By 

Mark Amorose (Concord, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guide to Thomas Aquinas (Paperback)

This book is one of the essential studies of St. Thomas's life and thought. It is especially valuable because it preserves some of the profound insights of two other Thomists whose books have either never been translated into English (Grabmann) or are, alas, out-of-print (Chenu). Pieper's treatment of St. Thomas's (and Aristotle's) use of language is absolutely essential reading for beginning students of Aquinas who have not read the more thorough treatments (by Chenu and Blanche - now largely forgotten) upon which it is based. Pieper also captures better than most biographers the importance of Thomas's decision to embrace both of the apparently opposed movements of his day, the back-to-the-Bible movement of the mendicant orders and, the modern, scientific movement of Aristotelianism.

There are a few points on which I think Pieper is wrong, most importantly on the question of Thomas's "Aristotelianism." In his justifiable attempt to show that Thomas is not an unqualified Aristotelian, Pieper goes too far the other direction and leaves the reader with the impression that Thomas was a defender of Plato. Especially troubling is Pieper's citation of passages from Thomas's Commentaries on Aristotle's De Anima and Metaphysics, which he, Pieper, claims defend Plato against Aristotle's criticisms: I cannot figure out how Pieper could construe the cited passages in such a way. Also, Pieper's criticism of the Inquistion, the Dominican order's role in it, and Thomas's defense of it seems surprisingly naive coming from an author steeped in the history of the Church. But these are relatively minor flaws in an otherwise worthy study of St. Thomas.

My rating of other books on St. Thomas: (1) Josef Pieper, The Silence of St. Thomas. ***** One of the very best books on St. Thomas Aquinas; see my ... review. (2) G.K. Chesterton, St. Thomas Aquinas: the Dumb Ox. ***** A justly acclaimed popular account of the life and work of St. Thomas; a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience for student and general reader alike. (3) Marie-Dominique Chenu O.P., Toward Understanding St. Thomas. ***** THE indispensible work for every serious student; sadly, out-of-print. (4) Ralph McInerny, St. Thomas Aquinas. **** A scholarly introduction to Thomas's philosophical thought, which emphasizes Aquinas's indebteness to Aristotle and Boethius. (5) Jean-Pierre Torrell O.P., St. Thomas Aquinas: the Person and his Work. **** Currently the standard scholarly biography.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A sound look at Thomas's life and cultural background., March 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Guide to Thomas Aquinas (Paperback)

Pieper is an excellent writer and has done extensive research on Thomas Aquinas. Even though the book does not give an in-depth discussion of Thomas's philosophy, it does give an excellent account of Thomas's life and the cultural background of the Medieval period which Aquinas both embodied and transcended. It does, however, go over the most basic concepts of Thomas's philosophy (the five ways, for example).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I finally understand something about Thomas Aquinas!, September 22, 2006

By 

Hunter Smith (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guide to Thomas Aquinas (Paperback)

Josef Pieper does a wonderful job of making Thomas Aquinas understandable. He does it by broadly covering several important aspects: the first is framing the time in which he lived from a historical point of view, second he presents some biographical facts about Thomas and who is was as a man, thirdly he presents the situation of the Church and the Dominicans at the time, and then he masterfully blends in the most important concepts that Thomas Aquinas contributed to the world. He doesn't go into too much depth on his theology or philosopy - this would kill the average reader like me. But his does provide enough details to start your intellect moving forward which is wonderful. It left me with the feeling I've learned a lot, yet and now thirsty for more which is very rare in a book. I would not guess this is a book for a high level theology/philosophy student unless he was in a level 101 class. That being said it's full of wonderful insights. I would say this is for an advanced lay person who is really starting to learn more about his spiritual life and also more about what has structured church thinking for centuries. A 'must have' for an advanced Catholic library in your home. Also, this is a book recommend in James Schall's "Another Sort of Learning" which is another wonderful book.