Medieval Theology

Article based on a presentation given at the Thomas Latinus - Thomas Graecus. Thomas Aquinas and His Reception in Byzantium International Conference held at the Hellenic Library of Athens (Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center) in Dec. 15-16 2017, co-organized by The Hellenic Institute, Royal Holloway, University of London.

The Ordo Virtutum, Hildegard von Bingen’s twelfth-century music-drama, is one of the first known examples of a large-scale composition by a named composer in the Western canon. Not only does the Ordo’s expansive duration set it apart from its precursors, but also its complex imagery and non-biblical narrative have raised various questions concerning its context and genre. As a poetic meditation on the fall of a soul, the Ordo deploys an array of personified virtues and musical forces over the course of its eighty-seven chants. In this ambitious analysis of the entire work, Michael C. Gardiner for the first time examines how classical Neoplatonic hierarchies are established in the music-drama and considers how they are mediated and subverted through a series of concentric absorptions (absorptions related to medieval Platonism and its various theological developments) which lie at the core of the work’s musical design and text. This is achieved primarily through Gardiner’s musical network model, which implicates mode into a networked system of nodes, and draws upon parallels with the medieval interpretation of Platonic ontology and Hildegard’s correlative realization through sound, song, and voice.

Thomas Aquinas argues that God can be identified with the truth as such.  He holds that ‘God is truth’ is an analogical claim that asserts, first, that God exemplifies truth to the highest possible degree and, second, that God is the cause of all truth. To understand his arguments fully, one must also understand his claim that created truth “participates in” or “imitates” divine truth.  Creatures participate in or imitate God just by virtue of being created. Thus, these claims simply reiterate that God causes all created truth by causing all created being. Aquinas’s claim that God is truth may seem nonsensical to contemporary readers, but properly understood, it is quite modest, and poses few intellectual obstacles beyond those posed by classical theism itself.

In der Geisteskultur des Mittelalters existierten vielfältige Vorstellungen einer Überlegenheit kollektiver über individuelle Konzepte des Gütergebrauchs und -besitzes, die Befürwortern von Kollektivökonomien und kommunistischen Ordnungsmodellen in der Neuzeit immer wieder als positive Bezugspunkte dienten. Im folgenden Beitrag wird aus mediävistischer Perspektive geprüft, ob das mittelalterliche Ideengut tatsächlich in eine logische Verbindung zu Modellen moderner Share Economy gebracht werden kann. Hierzu werden zunächst die philosophischen, juridischen und religiösen Traditionslinien zusammengeführt, in deren Bahnen sich das Denken über Gütergemeinschaft im Mittelalter bewegte. Darauf aufbauend, rückt anschließend der englische Philosoph und Theologe John Wyclif in den Fokus. Ende des 14. Jahrhunderts entwickelte dieser eine differenzierte Lehre des dominium, in deren Rahmen er sich für eine Gütergemeinschaft der Gesamtkirche aussprach. Um die Kohärenz der Wyclif’schen Güterlehre sowie ihre Kompatibilität mit den Prinzipien von Share Economy ermessen zu können, wird sie gezielt mit den Regeln erfolgreichen Commonings nach E. Ostrom konfrontiert, aus denen eine Vielzahl gegenwärtiger Allmende-Konzepte ihr Regularium bezieht. Auf diese Weise werden substantielle Unterschiede, aber auch überraschende Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen mittelalterlichen und postmodernen Ideen des Commoning erkennbar.

Front matter and Preface to Touching, Devotional Practices, and Visionary Experience in the Late Middle Ages. This preface explore relations between touching and affective piety and the relation between affect as a cultural force and the senses. Juxtaposing the artwork of Gonzalez Torres to the definitions and applications of affective piety, frames the content of the edited volume.

The fourth edition of The Christian Theological Tradition provides students with essential theological knowledge of key persons and events of the Bible and the Christian faith, and of Christianity’s multifaceted encounter with Western culture.

Historically arranged, the textbook addresses major theological themes such as revelation, God, Jesus Christ, Creation, salvation, and the church. The textbook deals with the entire Christian tradition from an orientation that is both Catholic and ecumenical, with the fourth edition including expanded coverage of modern Protestant Christianity. The Christian Theological Tradition has been thoroughly revised and updated with nine new or rewritten chapters, including:

• A new section on the reception of the Second Vatican Council, including the pontificate of Pope Francis
• A new treatment of contemporary developments in liberation and environmental theology
• A new examination of the relationship between science and Christianity
• An entirely rewritten treatment of Islam that focuses on the ways in which the Christian tradition has historically understood and responded to Islam
• A new discussion of the “New Atheism,” with theological responses to this influential movement.
• New textboxes on aspects of religious life, such as liturgy, prayer, art, moral teaching, and social institutions, appropriate to given chapters.

With the assistance of images and maps, key words, and recommended reading, this textbook outlines the methods for Christian theology and demonstrates the relevance of the Christian theological tradition for our contemporary world.

This is an ideal resource for students of theology, biblical studies, or religious studies, and anyone wanting an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the Christian theological tradition.

Niniejsza praca ma na celu przedstawienie teorii mitotwórczej J. R. R. Tolkiena, z perspektywy jej wymiaru duchowego. Od czasów antycznych teorie, tudzież filozofie, opierały się na myśleniu abstrakcyjnym i miały za zadanie wyjaśnienie ówczesnemu człowiekowi otaczającej go rzeczywistości. Nie inaczej było z Tolkienowską teorią, na potrzebę której ukuł swój termin Mitopoeia. „Duchowy wymiar Tolkienowskiej Teorii Mitotwórczej” – tłumacząc tytuł tej pracy na język Polski – przekłada się na wiele sfer życia Tolkiena. Pierwsza z tych płaszczyzn, to przypisywany mu przez niektórych krytyków program filozoficzny. Na tym wymiarze skupia się pierwszy rozdział tej pracy: „The Philosophical Disenchantment.” Jednak jak sugeruje tytuł, stanowi on zaledwie tło wszelkich dalszych poszukiwań, gdyż oferuje badaczom Tolkienowskiej myśli jedynie jej racjonalizację i demitologizację. Życiowa pasja Tolkiena, filologia komparatywna, daje wystarczające zrozumienie jego fenomenu, a przynajmniej zdaniem kilku krytyków. Niezaprzeczalnie stanowiła ona inspirację, a zarazem była narzędziem, którego Tolkien użył podług swej ogromnej wiedzy z zakresu językoznawstwa. Pomimo, iż w tej pracy „Comparative Philology” jest omawiana w drugiej kolejności, to właśnie ta dyscyplina była źródłem znajomości filozofii u Tolkiena. Podążając krokami Tolkieniany nie można jednak na tym poprzestać. Trzeci wymiar, jakże metafizyczny i filozoficzny w swych założeniach i implikacjach to odkrycie Owena Barfielda, znajomego Tolkiena. Barfield odkrył Teorię „Jedności Semantycznej,” co Tolkienowi przyszło łatwo przyjąć do wiadomości: język jako narzędzie może również być transcendentny, ze względu na swe początki. Dla Tolkiena była to jedna z tych rzeczy, która pozwoliła mu uwierzyć w smoki. „Philological Philosophy: Let There Be Dragons” – jest zatem łącznikiem między dwoma światami. Jednakże Tolkien nie był byle fantastą, oderwanym od ziemi. Teoria Barfielda, obudziła w nim nadzieję. Pomimo to, tak jak każdy rozsądny i racjonalny człowiek Tolkien musiał dowiedzieć się, „czy to prawda.” Potrzebował czegoś, aby idee odnieść do nie tyle rzeczywistego doświadczenia, ile prawdy. Prawda, bowiem wyzwala. Mimo nieustannego negowania jego wiary, to właśnie ona umożliwiła mu dalsze rozważanie tych teorii. I nie da się inaczej wytłumaczyć jego mitotwórstwa, jak przez uznanie jego wiary. Miłości do Boga, która była tak głęboka, że aż sięgała wiedzy teologicznej. Tego, między innymi, tyczy ostatni rozdział tej pracy: „Myth Becomes Truth.”
Liczba stron: 51

""Thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Latin Bibles survive in hundreds of manuscripts, one of the most popular books of the Middle Ages. Their innovative layout and organization established the norm for Bibles for centuries to come. This volume is the first study of these Bibles as a cohesive group. Multi- and inter-disciplinary analyses in art history, liturgy, exegesis, preaching and manuscript studies, reveal the nature and evolution of layout and addenda. They follow these Bibles as they were used by monks and friars, preachers and merchants. By addressing Latin Bibles alongside their French, Italian and English counterparts, this book challenges the Latin-vernacular dichotomy to show links, as well as discrepancies, between lay and clerical audiences and their books.
Contributors include Diane Reilly, Paul Saenger, Richard Gameson, Chiara Ruzzier, Giovanna Murano, Cornelia Linde, Lucie Doležalová, Laura Light, Eyal Poleg, Sabina Magrini, Sabrina Corbellini, Margriet Hoogvliet, Guy Lobrichon, Elizabeth Solopova, and Matti Peikola"


LIVE(!) table of contents:


Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 
Eyal Poleg and Laura Light

The Bible as Bellwether: Manuscript Bibles in the Context of
Spiritual, Liturgical and Educational Reform, 1000–1200  (http://www.academia.edu/3742204/The_Bible_as_Bellwether_Manuscript_Bibles_in_the_Context_of_Spiritual_Liturgical_and_Educational_Reform_1000-1200_in_Form_and_Function_in_the_Late_Medieval_Bible_eds._Eyal_Poleg_and_Laura_Light
Diane J. Reilly

The Twelfth-Century Reception of Oriental Languages and
the Graphic Mise en page of Latin Vulgate Bibles Copied
in England............................................................................................................ 31
Paul Saenger

Durham’s Paris Bible and the Use of Communal Bibles in a
Benedictine Cathedral Priory in the Later Middle Ages ......................... 67
Richard Gameson

The Miniaturisation of Bible Manuscripts in the
Thirteenth Century. A Comparative Study ............................................... 105
Chiara Ruzzier

The Epistles of St. Paul of the Convent of San Domenico
(Bologna, Biblioteca Universitaria, MS 1545).......................................... 127
Giovanna Murano

John Pecham on the Form of Lamentations ................................................. 147
J. Cornelia Linde

The Summarium Biblicum: A Biblical Tool both Popular and Obscure............................................................................................................... 163
Lucie Doležalová

The Thirteenth-Century Pandect and the Liturgy:
Bibles with Missals .......................................................................................... 185
Laura Light

The Interpretations of Hebrew Names in Theory and Practice ............... 217
Eyal Poleg

Vernacular Bibles, Biblical Quotations and the Paris Bible in
Italy from the Thirteenth to the Fifteenth Century: A
First Report........................................................................................................237
Sabina Magrini

Vernacular Bible Manuscripts in Late Medieval Italy: Cultural Appropriation and Textual Transformation ............................................. 261
Sabrina Corbellini

The Medieval Vernacular Bible in French as a Flexible Text:
Selective and Discontinuous Reading Practices...................................... 283
Margriet Hoogvliet

The Story of a Success: The Bible historiale in French
(1295-ca. 1500)................................................................................................307
Guy Lobrichon

Manuscript Evidence for the Patronage, Ownership and Use
of the Wycliffite Bible ..................................................................................... 333
Elizabeth Solopova

Tables of Lections in Manuscripts of the Wycliffite Bible ......................... 351
Matti Peikola

Epilogue................................................................................................................... 379
Peter Stallybrass "

Conference draft of the article: "Intellectual Elitism and the Need for Faith in Maimonides and Aquinas," forthcoming: Anuario Filosófico, Vol. 48, no. 1, "Aquinas and the Abrahamic Traditions" (2015).

Copyright © 2013-15 Francisco J. Romero Carrasquillo.
All rights reserved.

Abstract: In his Commentary on Boethius' De Trinitate 3.1, Aquinas cites Maimonides as giving five reasons for why faith is necessary for mankind.  Yet when one turns to The Guide for the Perplexed 1.34, one immediately sees that Maimonides is actually giving five reasons for why the study of metaphysics, which he considers to be the ultimate path to human perfection, must be restricted to the learned and must be hidden from the unlearned masses.  Interpreters tend to see Aquinas as therefore misappropriating Maimonides' thought, or in the words of one scholar, as "standing Maimonides on his head": his use of Maimonides is seen as a reversal (albeit a "benign reversal") of Maimonides' own thought.  In this paper, however, I place Maimonides' text on the five reasons for concealing metaphysics within the context of his rational mysticism and compare it to Aquinas' own Christian mystical thought in an attempt to show that in his own mind Aquinas is not misquoting, reversing, or doing violence to Maimonides' text; rather, Aquinas is completing Maimonides' natural, rational mysticism with what he understands to be the supernatural perfection of the theological virtue of faith.

This article examines how St. Thomas Aquinas developed rich theological insights to be used ultimately in his preaching ministry as a thirteenth century magister in sacra pagina. His exegetical approach deploys a careful divisio textus to arrive at the
literal meaning and doctrinal sense of the scriptural passage. The ambiguities of difficult passages are examined dialectically by short logical disputations that uncover the riches of the text. The fruits of these labors were then brought together in the master’s university sermon for the conversion and perfection of souls. Thus, the three duties of the medieval master codified in the statutes of the University of Paris – namely, to teach, to dispute, and to preach – contextualize the task of the medieval theologian, rooting him in the revealed Word of God and requiring him to care for the souls of his students and colleagues in his preaching by announcing and explaining the sense and practical import of sacra doctrina. This article also examines the proximate historical source for these three duties as the practice of lectio divina was brought out of the monasteries and into the public sphere of the academies in the great cities of medieval Europe. There is much we could learn today from recovering this robustly ecclesial and pastoral way of pursuing biblical theology.

Artykuł analizuje, w jaki sposób bogaty dorobek teologiczny św. Tomasza
z Akwinu jest wykorzystywany w jego praktyce kaznodziejskiej jako XIII-wiecznego
“magister in sacra pagina”. Jego egzegetyczne podejście wyraża się w ostrożnym “divisio textus”, aby dotrzeć do dosłownego i doktrynalnego sensu danego tekstu biblijnego.  Ambiwalentne interpretacje trudnych tekstów są dialektycznie analizowane za pomocą krótkich, logicznych dysput odkrywających bogactwo tekstu. Owoce tej pracy były niejako zbierane w kazaniu średniowiecznego mistrza ukierunkowanym na nawrócenie i doskonalenie dusz. Trzy obowiązki średniowiecznego mistrza wyrażone w statutach Uniwersytetu Paryskiego – nauczanie, prowadzenie dysput oraz kaznodziejstwo – wskazują na zadania średniowiecznego teologa, zakorzeniając go w objawionym Słowie Boga i wymagając od niego troski o dusze swoich studentów i kolegów wyrażane w głoszenie sensu i praktycznych implikacji sacra doctrina. W artykule przeanalizowano także zródła historyczne dotyczące wspomnianych trzech obowiązków takie jak “lectio divina” przeprowadzana poza klasztorami, w publicznej sferze akademii w największych miastach Europy. Ten model eklezjalnej i pastoralnie ukierunkowanej teologii biblijnej może stanowić również wzór dla współczesnej jej kontynuatorki.

This article seeks to highlight the essential symbolic Christian meanings hidden in some textual metaphors of the Old Testament, such as templum Dei, «house of Wisdom», aula regia, Sancta Sanctorum, «tabernacle», «altar», «ark».To make our approach clearer: first of all, we will analyze some exegesis offered on these metaphorical terms by certain Fathers and theologians of the Eastern and Western Churches;
second, we will analyze some pictorial images of the Annunciation of the 14th and 15th centuries that include a temple or chapel in the scene.
From this double analysis of texts and images, it will be possible to conclude that the temple painted in those images constitutes a visual metaphor that illustrates the Christological and Mariological meanings brought to light by the Fathers and theologians when interpreting the
aforementioned Old Testament textual metaphors.

El presente trabajo intenta llenar un vacío concreto en la comprensión de la teología trinitaria de Buenaventura: la primitas del Padre, presente en los fundamentos de todo su discurso teológico. Nunca hasta ahora ha sido este tema objeto de una investigación sistemática. Existen algunas aportaciones parciales que -a pesar de ser muy importantes- no son suficientes, porque no estudian al Padre en el amplio horizonte trinitario de Buenaventura.

In a period marred by strong political convulsions in Western Medieval Europe, and in England in particular, it makes sense to examine the writings of one of the most relevant theologians and political philosophers of the 14th century, as he scrutinizes the notions of rulership. Indeed, mirroring other philosophers of his time, John Wyclif (c.1328-1384), would, in the last quarter of the 14th century, write two political treatises, the De Civili Dominio and the De Officio Regis. These works verse precisely on the notions of dominion and duties of the English governing institutions, addressing the concepts of king and regal power, of justice and society, and their consequences in rulership itself.
Through a comparative study of partial translations of Wyclif’s works, who, under the protection of the regent John of Gaunt exercised a great influence at the English court – and by emphasizing his ideal model on the aforementioned notions – we gather important elements of the political debate occurring at the end of the Middle Ages in Western Christianity. Thus, we propose to analyze Wyclif’s concepts of authority and the organization of a tripartite society under the king, the placement of war in that same society, the relations between temporal and spiritual power, his take on the concept of justice and legitimacy, focusing on its definition as an extension of God’s own power and authority, versing on his distinction of the king as both institution and individual, and how Wyclif’s doctrines should be regarded in light of the 1381 Peasant’s Revolution.

Referência: 2. SANTOS, Selene Candian dos. O Apologia ad Guillelmum abbatem de Bernardo de Claraval e a Espiritualidade no Século XII. In: JORNADA DE ESTUDOS ANTIGOS E MEDIEVAIS E CICLO DE ESTUDOS ANTIGOS E MEDIEVAIS DO PARANÁ E SANTA CATARINA, 11. e  9., 2012, Maringá. Anais da Jornada de Estudos Antigos e Medievais. Maringá: [s.n.], 2012. Disponível em: CD-ROM.

Na década de 1120, Bernardo de Claraval escreveu o Apologia ad Guillelmum abbatem, no qual se posiciona contra monges da Ordem Cisterciense que alegadamente eram detratores da Ordem de Cluny e admoesta os cluniacenses no que diz respeito à sua superfluidade e imoderação. A análise dos argumentos agenciados por Bernardo de Claraval nesse documento, levando em consideração seu gênero discursivo, possibilita a identificação de como seu posicionamento se articula com as transformações no campo da espiritualidade na época. Assim, pretende-se com este artigo analisar de que forma Bernardo de Claraval não só é informado pela valorização de novos aspectos da vida cristã, mas também contribui para essa valorização.
Após a análise do documento, verifica-se que existem ao menos três práticas cristãs que Bernardo destaca em sua importância e que parecem ser características da espiritualidade no século XII: a preeminência da humildade como virtude, das atitudes interiores em comparação às exteriores e da personalização da vida religiosa; a identificação da Igreja primitiva, da vida dos apóstolos e, em específico, dos primeiros monges, como a perfeição de vida cristã e de obediência à Regra; e a valorização crescente da pobreza material ascética em contraposição ao luxo e à riqueza.

This is the table of contents of my forthcoming book, Political Theology of International Order, Oxford University Press, 2020. It investigates presuppositions of international order that originate in medieval theology. The main argument is that international order understood in terms of individuals—either states or human beings—and artificial relations, established by the operation of an impersonal mechanism or the adoption of positive rules, is a worldly application of a theological pattern. The book uncovers these presuppositions as they emerged in a medieval dispute about the nature of God and the extent of his power and its traces their assimilation into modern politics and law.

Nuestro paper se enmarca dentro de la tesis doctoral que finalizamos en 2009 y que intenta recuperar el legado gráfico del Mirouer des simples ames (c. 1290) de Marguerite Porete. Tanto ella como su tratado fueron sometidos a una persecución inquisitorial que concluyó con el encarcelamiento de la escritora, la prohibición de su tratado y la quema de ambos. A pesar de ello, la obra sobrevivió sustentada por varios códices que la recogen como texto meramente escrito. Nosotros sostenemos que este texto posee un trasfondo visual (que no visionario) que se puede recuperar en forma de iconografía. Las razones para plantear esta hipótesis son muchas, aunque la fundamental reside en su justificación didáctica: estamos ante un tratado que se autodefine como speculum, como miroir, y que, efectivamente, se ha escrito para enseñar a otros el camino hacia la divinidad. Tal camino es complejo y se desarrolla a través de los parajes de un lenguaje teológico violentamente abstracto, que se difundía en ambientes de predicación no necesariamente clericales y letrados: aquí es donde la visualidad se constituye como andamio del discurso, que permite hablar, enseñar, un camino experiencial complejo mediante imágenes comprensibles, incluso  memorizables.
Para mostrar el cómo de esta recuperación de manera práctica y presentar algunos resultados, analizaremos en este texto uno de los esquemas gráficos que subyacen en el texto poreteano: la alegoría de Ezequiel. Examinaremos primero el pasaje donde se presenta utilizando instrumentos de la filología para dilucidar un hipotético esquema gráfico subyacente, que, en un segundo estadio, vinculamos con otros textos cercanos al Mirouer que, por una razón u otra, sí tienen una iconografía asignada. Comprobaremos qué relación visual sostiene la obra poreteana con temas iconográficos como el Jardín de las virtudes (en, esencialmente, Le somme le roi) o el árbol de Jesé (ídem Speculum Virginum) y observaremos a qué conclusiones histórico-doctrinales nos lleva este estudio comparativo.
En suma, intentamos con esta ponencia devolver parte del aspecto histórico-visual al Mirouer des simples ames, con la finalidad de que ello nos permita realizar una lectura hermenéutica más amplia, más justa, del texto.

The Influences of the Dominican Order in the Middle Ages
Taylor Institute, Lincoln College, and Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University

September 10-12, 2015

This interdisciplinary conference will explore the influences of the Dominican Order on all aspects of medieval life, encompassing the large-scale influences of the Order and the legacy of its prominent figures, as well as the impact that the Order had on those that came into contact with it.

The keynote paper will be delivered by Mary Rouse, on ‘The Vital Impact of the Dominicans on Books at the University of Paris, 1217-1350’.  The program will feature papers on the Dominican influence in England, Northern Europe, Italy, Eastern Europe, and the Byzantine world; the influence of Friars on other movements and communities; Dominican influence on architecture, art, books, music and liturgy; and influential Dominican philosophers and theologians.

Confirmed speakers are from the UK, the USA, Canada, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.  In addition, the conference will include a walking tour of medieval Oxford, and a concert of music that can be associated with the Dominican Order. 

http://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/influences-dominican-order-middle-ages

An online supplement to my English translation of St. Hildegard of Bingen's "Liber Divinorum Operum" ("The Book of Divine Works") with The Catholic University of America Press (2018). This translation is of its “Table of Contents” or chapter summaries (capitula), together with a high-res gallery of the famous Lucca illustrations of the work, hosted by the website of the International Society of Hildegard von Bingen Studies:

http://www.hildegard-society.org/p/liber-divinorum-operum.html

Throughout his writings, Thomas Aquinas exhibited a remarkable stability of thought. However, in some areas such as his theology of grace, his thought underwent titanic developments. In this book, Justin M. Anderson traces both those developments in grace and their causes. After introducing the various meanings of virtue Aquinas utilized, including'virtue in its fullest sense'and various forms of'qualified virtue', he explores the historical context that conditioned that account. Through a close analysis of his writings, Anderson unearths Aquinas's own discoveries and analyses that would propel his understanding of human experience, divine action, and supernatural grace in new directions. In the end, we discover an account of virtue that is inextricably linked to his developed understanding of sin, grace and divine action in human life. As such, Anderson challenges the received understanding of Aquinas's account of virtue, as well as his relationship to contemporary virtue ethics.

"William of Saint-Thierry, Love of God: Meditations, Golden Epistle, Life of Bernard". Middeleeuwse Monastieke Teksten 9 (Budel 2016). Translation: Paul Verdeyen sj. & Guerric Aerden ocso. Introduction & Notes: Paul Verdeyen sj. & Guerric Aerden ocso. Edited by Krijn Pansters & Guerric Aerden ocso. 444p.

A fresh translation of quaestiones from the Summa theologiae of Thomas Aquinas, edited by Robert Miner.  This volume provides direct access to the medieval theologian’s deepest thinking about the supreme goal of human life— blessedness—and the virtue most intimately related to this goal—charity.

"It is harder to read Aquinas than many suppose. Miner's translation and the accompanying essays teach us how to do it admirably. And how good to read Aquinas on charity!"—Alasdair MacIntyre, University of Notre Dame

"This volume is simply extraordinary. The vision that gave birth to it is to be lauded. I cannot recommend this volume highly enough."—Conor Cunningham, Author of Darwin's Pious Idea
"A wonderful resource for philosophers, historians of ideas, and theologians, among others. The five stimulating supplementary essays and the editor’s lucid introduction shed light on the richness of Aquinas's thought from a number of distinct yet complementary perspectives."—Douglas McDermid, Trent University

“I want my students to own this book. This text differs from many other translations of Aquinas insofar as it neither summarizes nor abridges Summa theologiae but provides a lengthy, complete section of it.”—Karen Sullivan, Bard College

“This beautifully translated stretch of the Summa Theologiae highlights the originality of Aquinas’ theology of love and charity, in all its ramifications.”—Fergus Kerr O.P., University of Edinburgh

Robert C. Miner is author of Thomas Aquinas on the Passions and professor of philosophy in the Honors College at Baylor University.

Anselm of Canterbury is often criticized for a legalistic theory of atonement, depicting a cruel and uncaring God. In this paper, I reassess that view and suggest that it represents a narrow interpretation which does not fully consider the emphasis Anselm put on a triune God.