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(See the Thomistic Bibliography for 76 new works by or about Thomas Aquinas!)

Works by St. Thomas Aquinas

Summa Theologiae - Aquinas' great masterpiece and most mature synthesis of his philosophical and theological thought. The Summa is generally recognized as a landmark in Western Thought and an essential reference for all Thomistic thought. Its three parts are organized around God in Himself, and as source of creation; God as the end of human action, and the nature of morality; and Christ and His Church as the means of attaining human fulfillment.

Summa of the Summa:
The Essential Philosophical
Passages of St. Thomas Aquinas'
Summa Theologica
Edited and Explained for Beginners
by Peter J. Kreeft

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

Summa Theologiae:
A Concise Translation

On the Truth of the Catholic Faith or Summa Contra Gentiles
Aquinas' other great theological sythesis, it generally has more detailed treatments of philosophical issues. According to Dominican tradition, Raymond of Penyafort, former Master General of the Order, asked Thomas to write the Contra Gentiles as a handbook for Dominican missionaries working to convert the philosophically sophisticated inhabitants of 13th century Moorish Spain, but it is likely that he also had in mind the immanent controversy at Paris over the theories of the Moslem philosopher Averroes.

"The object of my intent is to make known, in my own small way, the truth that the Catholic Faith professes, by setting aside the errors that are opposed to it" (Bk. I, c. 2). "This, then, being the manner of proceeding which we intend to follow, our first effort will be to make known the truth which faith professes and reason investigates" (Bk. I, c. 9).

An Aquinas Reader An excellent anthology of shorter passages from Aquinas' works edited by Mary T. Clark. With emphasis on philosophical themes, the passages are arranged topically and brief introductions to help those new to Thomas' thought become familiar with his doctrine. Many of the passages are taken from less well-known works and are the only published English translations. The Reader gives an excellent view of the breadth and depth of Thomas' thought in a compact volume.

Selected Philosophical Writings

The Pocket Aquinas

An Introduction to the Metaphysics of St. Thomas Aquinas

The Political Ideas of St. Thomas Aquinas

Works about St. Thomas Aquinas

Aquinas, by Frederick C. Coppleston.	St. Thomas Aquinas: The Dumb Ox, by G. K. Chesterton.	St. Thomas Aquinas, by Ralph M. McInerny.
Guide to St. Thomas Aquinas, by Josef Pieper.	Saint Thomas Aquinas, by Jean-Pierre Torrell.	Friar Thomas D'Aquino : His Life, Thought, and Works., by James A. Weisheipl.

Unmixing the Intellect
Aristotle on Cognitive Powers and Bodily Organs
by Joseph M. Magee (Greenwood Press, 2003)

This work provides a detailed analysis of Aristotle's views on the senses and the intellect according to their internal consistency and in the light of his recent interpreters (functionalist, cognitivist and supervenience theorists). Click here for a more detailed synopsis.

Of special interest to students of Thomas Aquinas is the author's explication of Thomas' teaching on the "spiritual" nature of sensation within the context of Aristotle's philosophy. It also provides a critical evaluation of Thomas' argument (which he claims is Aristotle's) that the intellect cannot be a material power since it receives the forms of all bodies.

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