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Thomas Aquinas on God and Evil Paperback – August 24, 2011

by Brian Davies (Author)

4 customer reviews

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Brian Davies offers the first in-depth study of Saint Thomas Aquinas's thoughts on God and evil, revealing that Aquinas's thinking about God and evil can be traced through his metaphysical philosophy, his thoughts on God and creation, and his writings about Christian revelation and the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation.

Davies first gives an introduction to Aquinas's philosophical theology, as well as a nuanced analysis of the ways in which Aquinas's writings have been considered over time. For hundreds of years scholars have argued that Aquinas's views on God and evil were original and different from those of his contemporaries. Davies shows that Aquinas's views were by modern standards very original, but that in their historical context they were more traditional than many scholars since have realized.

Davies also provides insight into what we can learn from Aquinas's philosophy. Thomas Aquinas on God and Evil is a clear and engaging guide for anyone who struggles with the relation of God and theology to the problem of evil.

Thomas Aquinas on God and Evil

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Regardless of what one thinks of Aquinas' approach to philosophy and theology, Davies provides an important and approachable (non-technical) synthesis of Aquinas' view on God and evil that should not be ignored by the contemporary student of apologetics."
--Christian Apologetics Journal

"Davies's book shows that philosophers cannot uncritically enlist Thomas Aquinas as a foot soldier in this argument about God and evil, on one side or the other." --The Thomist

"Brian Davies offers a vigorous, even brilliant, accessible overview of Thomas Aquinas on God, good, and evil. A leading expert on Aquinas, Davies has produced a book that will engage scholars as well as students and educated readers. This is a bold contribution to the literature on the problem of evil, the philosophy of religion, and the history of ideas."
-- Charles Taliaferro, Professor of Philosophy, St. Olaf College

"this is an excellent book by an undisputed mater of the material...highly recommended."--CHOICE

"This is a tremendous little text. It is eminently readable and substantive, clear and efficient but not superficial....this friendly volume would be an excellent read for anyone - philosopher, theologian, the fabled interested lay reader - looking for a inviting primer on the towering doctor of the Roman church."--Philosophy and Theism

"This is a game-changing book."--American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly

About the Author

Brian Davies is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Fordham University in New York. He is the author of The Thought of Thomas Aquinas, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion, and many other books.

Product details

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (August 24, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0199790906
ISBN-13: 978-0199790906
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 0.4 x 6.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,267,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #422 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Good & Evil
- #4029 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > History
- #22285 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Theology

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Good Introduction to God and Evil

May 5, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The reason I found this book helpful is because it does a pretty good job presenting Davies' interpretation of Saint Thomas Aquinas' view on God and evil, although I have not studied Aquinas' view any further than casually reading his book, Summa Theologica Book One. Davies thinks that Aquinas' approach to God and evil is the correct one. Davies examines and explains both what Aquinas meant to say and what he did not mean to say. Davies compares Aquinas' view on things such as good and bad, existence and essence, and occurring naturally and occurring accidentally. "For something to have essence, Aquinas thinks, it actually has to exist." He helps the reader to understand certain terms Aquinas uses such as esse, actually existing without being the source of its being actual. The word 'malum' is used when making reference to evil or badness. Malum ponenae refers to evil suffered, and malum culpae refers to evil done, both of which are not directly caused by God. In my opinion, the book falls short on examining different types of bad, evil, and suffering, or rather, perhaps Aquinas fell short on examining various cases of bad, evil, and suffering. There is a type of suffering for righteousness that is done with all strength and joy, which is not explored at all. The concept of 'satan' and the 'devil' is not mentioned at all, which is quite odd when trying to talk about evil. It sounds as though Aquinas is extremely cautious not to belittle evil and what to do about it. However, in my opinion, we can't dance around evil or avoid tackling it head on. The emphasis is more on how God exists in spite of there being evil in the world, and that God does not cause evil directly, and that God is still the highest good. For anyone who wants a lot of good facts about God and evil, or anyone who wants to get a taste for Aquinas' view on the matter, this book is pretty good.

Author Brian Davies provides a large amount of interesting notes in the back 1/3 of the book. It is a good mix of sources, definitions, analysis, and opinions. This book is a good introduction to God and evil, but not necessarily how to handle it or what to do about it.

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Brian Davies writes an excellent exposition of Aquinas' thinking on this subject

January 14, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Brian Davies writes an excellent exposition of Aquinas' thinking on this subject, compiling quotes from a variety of sources. It is written for a lay person who is neither an Aquinas scholar nor a theologian, and incorporates Davies' dry sense of humor. An excellent read for one wishing to learn more on the subject whether a novice or steeped in Aquinas' thought.

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?

Clear, accessible account of Aquinas’s thinking on God and evil

November 13, 2014

Format: Hardcover

Davies book is a clearly written, economical explication of Aquinas’s thoughts on God and evil. He takes up passages and arguments from all over Aquinas’s corpus and gathers them together into a systematic account. It’s very accessible and packs a lot into a short book (it’s about 130 pages, not including the footnotes).

His goal is, I think, in large part to show how Aquinas might have addressed what is commonly called “the problem of evil”, that is “how can God–who is thought to be good, loving, omnipotent, omniscient, etc.–allow evil in the world?” As Davies presents it, Aquinas offers a convincing argument for why the existence of evil is not incompatible with the existence of a good, loving God.

He first has to spend some time clarifying and developing the philosophical machinery Aquinas uses (e.g. what is being, good, evil, cause, what can we know about God?) before addressing the major questions about God and evil. In doing so, he covers a lot of territory, making this a good introduction not just to Aquinas on God and evil but to Aquinas’s thought in general.

Davies says in the preface that he wants to “offer an account of Aquinas’s teachings on the topic of God and evil while trying to place him in the context of contemporary discussions”. It’s an account which is very different from those espoused in most contemporary discussions, and one well worth reading.

0Comment 5 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Dave Bühler, PhD

... Davies as it is a lucid introduction to Thomas' brilliant explication of God

August 20, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I have chosen to use this book by Brian Davies as it is a lucid introduction to Thomas' brilliant explication of God, Good, an Evil as part of my course on "The Philosophy of Good & Evil" [PHL 480] in the School of Contuing Education, Providence College, R.I. during the Fall Semester, 2017. I am excited about relying upon this study because it unveils just enough of Scholatic Theology for non-theolgians, while keewpin with Aquijas' own focus on a philosophical approach to both Good and Evil.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

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