Discovering Aquinas

by Aidan Nichols

Overview

Thomas Aquinas is one of the great figures in western thought, whose ideas continue to excert a powerful influence on theologians, contemporary writers and thinkers of very different backgrounds and traditions. This book is a lively and authoritative introduction to Aquinas, his life and thought and shows why many see him as a vital partner in contemporary debate about the future of Christianity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780232524598
Publisher:	Darton Longman & Todd Ltd
Publication date:	04/15/2002
Pages:	226
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.48(d)

About the Author

Prior of Blackfriars in Cambridge, England, he is aleading Roman Catholic writer and theologian. His otherbooks include Christendom Awake: On Reenergizing theChurch in Culture."

Table of Contents

	Preface	vii
Part 1	The Man
1.	Thomas in his Time	3
Part 2	The Doctrine
2.	Revelation	21
3.	God and Creation	37
4.	The Trinity	60
5.	The Trinity in Man	74
6.	Angelology	82
7.	Grace and the Virtues	91
8.	Christ, Church, Sacraments	110
Part 3	The Aftermath
9.	Thomas in History	129
Part 4	The Tools
10.	Thomas and the Practice of Philosophy	147
11.	Thomas and the Idea of Theology	167
	Conclusion	181
	Bibliography	185
	Notes	195
	Index of Names	212

Editorial Reviews

The prior of Blackfriars Abbey in Cambridge, England, and a prolific author on theological subjects, Nichols (Beyond the Blue Glass: Catholic Essays on Faith and Culture) here organizes Thomas Aquinas's dense and at times opaque thought, as expressed in his monumental and daunting Summa Theologiae, in new ways that will be most helpful to the contemporary reader. Nichols treats Aquinas's doctrines, including his teachings on revelation, creation, the Trinity, angels, grace, and the sacraments, with great clarity and persuasiveness. His feeling for the biographical and historical elements-Aquinas's place in his own time and thereafter-is not profound, and students of the period should look elsewhere to set Aquinas (1225-74) in his era. But Nichols provides perhaps the clearest exposition of Aquinas's thought available to the beginning Thomist. Highly recommended. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal