I have recently obtained the Summa Theologica. Is there any specific way to read the Summa? Not asking about the layout of each article as I already know that. But is it structured so that you can start at the first article and read to the last article? Or should I start somewhere else?
I'm reading Aquinas' Summa Theologica [first part, fourth article]*
The question he poses is whether the existence of God is different from the essence of God.
Is my understanding correct?
The essence of God = the existence of God (or, to put it another way, they are the same). God's existence, if different from its essence, must be caused by something, but the only thing it can be caused by is God.
His justification is basically the Second Way.
- https://biblehub.com/library/aquinas/summa_theologica/whether_essence_and_existence_are.htm
St. Thomas Aquinas was one of the most renowned philosophers of the Western world and Doctors of the Catholic Church. His most famous work being the Latin, Summa Theological
What was the quality of Aquinasβs Latin? Are his works comprehensible to students of Classical Latin?
So I'm a fan of Thomas's writings and I have actually read some like the Compendium of Theology(which I plan to read again). I also have his other works as well.
I terms of the major ones, the Summa Theologica and the Summa Contra Gentiles which one do you think should be read first if you had a pick? Both seem to go over similar topics though the Summa Theologica is much longer than the Contra Gentiles.
Hello, I am interested in getting the summa theologica and reading it. However I read some of it in high school and it was very difficult to grasp. I wanted to know if anyone had any recommendations for a companion or study guide to go along with it
I tried posting on r/Catholicism but didnβt get much help.
If this isnβt the right subreddit, where would be the right place to ask?
If you purchase a copy of the Summa or read it here: https://www.newadvent.org/summa/ you will see that it was translated by "Fathers of the English Dominican Province".
Pulling from this (restricted access) article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1741-2005.2011.01454.x/abstract
" The revival of interest in Saint Thomas Aquinas is thriving, measured by the flood of publications. Now the translation by Fathers of the English Dominican Province of the Summa Theologica has come back into its own, as the standard version, not least because it is out of copyright.
...
This literal translation by βFathers of the English Dominican Provinceβ was done solely and entirely by one man: Father Laurence Shapcote (1864β1947).
...
In 1910 the Province decided to have the Summa translated. Fr Laurence brought out the first volumes before he left England, but the bulk of the work was done in South Africa. In addition he also translated the Summa Contra Gentes (4 volumes, 1923 β1929), and the Quaestiones Disputatae de Potentia (3 volumes, 1932β34).
...
Laurence Shapcote never wrote anything: there is no way of telling what his own βThomismβ was. It is a century since he started work. He did not respond to suggestions that he should unmask his anonymity. Readers who are thankful for this literal translation would surely be all the more grateful if they knew that it was done by Laurence Shapcote alone, in very austere conditions, on the Rand and in Natal, doggedly translating his way through the major works of St Thomas. "
Is there such a book? Journal of Discourses? If anyone has recommendations for readings in this vein, itβd be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
What I know about God is infinitely less than what I donβt know about an infinite God. All I can do is to stand in awe and wonder in the stillness of the moment, and to take a deep breath and know God is.
And when I do move, to see as Christ sees, to act justly, to love mercy, and to hold my opinions and hopes lightly, for who knows what tomorrow will bring, but always offer myself to the ever flowing goodness of God, which is Love - in this moment.
I'm all ears. By "good" I mean "no modernist commentary".
Hello, I am interested in getting the summa theologica and reading it. However I read some of it in high school and it was very difficult to grasp. I wanted to know if anyone had any recommendations for a companion or study guide to go along with it
I tried posting on r/Catholicism but didnβt get much help.
If this isnβt the right subreddit, where would be the right place to ask?
Hello, I am interested in getting the summa theologica and reading it. However I read some of it in high school and it was very difficult to grasp. I wanted to know if anyone had any recommendations for a companion or study guide to go along with it
