The Cambridge Companion to Aquinas

by Norman Kretzmann, Eleonore Stump

Overview

Among the great philosophers of the Middle Ages Aquinas is unique in pursuing two apparently disparate projects. On the one hand he developed a philosophical understanding of Christian doctrine in a fully integrated system encompassing all natural and supernatural reality. On the other hand, he was convinced that Aristotle's philosophy afforded the best available philosophical component of such a system. In a relatively brief career Aquinas developed these projects in great detail and with an astonishing degree of success. In this volume ten leading scholars introduce all the important aspects of Aquinas' thought, ranging from its historical background and dependence on Greek, Islamic, and Jewish philosophy and theology, through the metaphysics, epistemology and ethics, to the philosophical approach to Biblical commentary. New readers and nonspecialists will find this the most convenient, accessible guide to Aquinas currently in print. Advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Aquinas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521437691
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/28/1993
Series:	Cambridge Companions to Philosophy
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	314
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.94(h) x 0.83(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Aquinas's philosophy in its historical setting Jan A. Aertsen; 2. Aristotle and Aquinas Joseph Owens; 3. Aquinas and Islamic and Jewish thinkers David B. Burrell; 4. Metaphysics John F. Wippel; 5. Philosophy of mind Norman Kretzmann; 6. Theory of knowledge Scott MacDonald; 7. Ethics Ralph McInerny; 8. Law and politics Paul E. Sigmund; 9. Theology and philosophy Mark D. Jordan; 10. Biblical commentary and philosophy Eleonore Stump.

Editorial Reviews

"...a splendid piece of work that does just what the series seems intended to do. It also fills a notable gap. There is nothing to compare with it currently in print in English....All of the authors...are well known and respected for their knowledge of Aquinas's writings and for their ability to comment on them. And all of them have produced good and solid essays for this volume—essays that will help beginners (not to mention the so-called 'professionals') to get a handle on Aquinas....Anyone looking for surveys on the topics on which they write will not, I think, find anything in print that is as concise, readable, comprehensive, intelligent, and accurate as what they offer in this volume." Brian Davies, Philosophical Review

"This excellent collection of essays on the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas constitutes another very fine volume in the Cambridge Companion series....The Cambridge Companion to Aquinas ably fulfills this commitment to students and nonspecialists with essays by the leading scholars of the philosophy of Aquinas, written in a manner easily accessible to novices but without sacrificing scholarly sophistication. These essays will also be of genuine interest to specialists who will find in its pages careful and original expositions of Aquinas's thought, informed by the latest scholarship, and engaged in the latest interpretive debates....All in all, this book is first-rate and deserves to be a standard reference work for the philosophy of Aquinas. It is highly recommended for all students of Aquinas's thought regardless of level of expertise." Andrew J. Dell'Olio, Faith and Philosophy

From the Publisher