Customer Reviews

The Summa Theologiae Of St. Thomas Aquinas: Latin-English Edition, Prima Pars, Q. 1-64

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

While cheap (and often shoddy) English translations of the Summa have been widely available for ages, the reader looking for a bilingual edition of the work had to be prepared to take out a mortgage to finance the purchase. Those days are over, thank goodness. This first volume of NovAntiqua's production (questions 1-64 of the Prima Pars, unabridged!) is affordable; looks and feels great; has the English and Latin in side-by-side columns on each page; and, perhaps best of all for the student, features the translation done by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province--the best (in both my opinion and the opinion of everyone I've ever discussed the matter with) English translation of the Summa out there.

The notes and commentary that accompanied earlier editions of the Dominican translation are gone, but something had to be missing in a volume this cheap. That said, the essentials are here for the student of Thomas and they could not be better presented.

This new dual language edition of St Thomas's Summa Theologiae has the excellent and literal English Dominican Fathers' translation side by side on the page with the Latin text. It is a real boon for students and for others who wish to read St Thomas in his original Latin, but need the occasional help of a good, exact, literal translation. The two very inexpensive paper bound volumes so far published cover the First Part (Prima Pars) of the Summa. I hope the publishers continue with their venture and release at intervals the remaining parts of St Thomas's masterpiece in this format.

There aren't enough stars to sufficiently rate the content of the Summa Theologiae of St Thomas Aquinas. However, the format upon which it is printed can vary in the carrying out of its final cause properly. This edition, though containing the proper Latin and English (as far as I can tell), is a little cumbersome. It is a tome to say the least. Also, there is not much room for writing notes, and there aren't any footnotes (as is common with the Dominican Fathers' translation).

But it has all the neccessary information in it if you are looking to study Thomas and enhance your Latin.