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A Summa of the Summa Paperback – December 20, 1990

by Thomas Aquinas (Author), Peter Kreeft (Editor)
4.7 out of 5 stars 202 ratings
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Saint Thomas Aquinas is universally recognized as one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived. His writings combine the two fundamental ideals of philosophical writing: clarity and profundity. He is a master of metaphysics and technical terminology, yet so full of both theoretical and practical wisdom. He is the master of common sense. His major work, the Summa Theologica, is timeless, but particularly important today because of his synthesis of faith and reason, revelation and philosophy, and the Biblical and the classical Greco-Roman heritages.

This unique book combines selected essential philosophical passages from Thomas' Summa with footnotes and explanations by Kreeft, a popular Thomist teacher and writer. Kreeft selected those passages from Thomas that are intrinsically important, non-technical enough to be intelligible to modern readers, and most likely to be used in a class or by independent readers who want to study the Summa on their own. Kreeft's detailed footnotes explain difficult or technical passages and call attention to points of particular significance for the modern reader. This book is the most intelligent, clear, and useful access to Saint Thomas in print. Includes a glossary and an index.

"This book differs from all other books on Saint Thomas because it gives the words of Thomas himself, not a modern summary, but pared down to essentials, and with footnotes which do what a professor in a class would do."
� Peter Kreeft


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  1. Print length
    539 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Ignatius Press
  4. Publication date
    December 20, 1990
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780898703009
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0898703009
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy at Boston College, is one of the most respected and prolific Christian authors of our time. His many bestselling books cover a vast array of topics in spirituality, theology, and philosophy. They include Wisdom from the Psalms, Practical Theology, Doors in the Walls of the World, How to Be Holy, Because God Is Real, You Can Understand the Bible, Angels and Demons, Heaven: The Heart's Deepest Longing, and Summa of the Summa.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 089870300X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ignatius Press (December 20, 1990)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 539 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780898703009
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0898703009
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 202 ratings

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    ---"Beauty" -- The branch of philosophy dealing with aesthetics.

    ---"C. S. Lewis and Mere Christianity" -- C.S. Lewis' masterpiece

    --- Charisms: Visions, Tongues, Healing, etc. (feat. Dave Nevins)

    ---"Christianity in Lord of the Rings" -- The cleverly disguised role of God

    ---"Culture War" -- A call to arms, mapping key enemies and battlefields

    ---"Existence of God" -- A magnificent overview of the arguments

    ---"Good, True, Beautiful" -- C.S. Lewis on three great transcendentals

    ---"Happiness" -- How do you get it? Christ's version vs. the world's

    ---"Heaven" -- The heart's deepest longing

    ---"Hollywood Screenwriting" -- Encouragement to film's creative storytellers

    ---"If Einstein Had Been a Surfer" -- Rediscovering intuitive thinking

    ---"Lord, Liar, or Lunatic" -- The famous argument for Christ's identity

    ---"Problem of Pain" -- C.S. Lewis's brilliant exposition on suffering and evil

    ---"Sex in Heaven" -- Imaging the fire of God's love

    ---"Sexual Reconnection" -- Healing the link between sex & love

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4.7 out of 5 stars
202 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a solid introduction to Thomist thinking, providing succinct explanations of Christian theology. Moreover, the text is accessible with copious notes and a glossary, making it an engaging read. They appreciate its pacing, with one customer noting it covers the entire gamut of ideas.

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15 customers mention "Introduction"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides a solid introduction to the rigorous philosophical study of Christian theology, with one customer noting it serves as a must-have resource for novice philosophers.

"...Thomas Aquinas is one of the greatest minds ever to grace God's green earth, but too often--probably due to his religion--he has been marginalized...." Read more

"This is an excellent introduction to the Summa. The annotations were very helpful and the glossary really helped with the terminology...." Read more

"...Aquinas, you may find this book a good starting point, as it explains technical terms while doing its best to make the Angelic Doctor's massive tome..." Read more

"...between the pedantic and hopeless unfunny to brilliant and professorially insightful. Take with a grain of salt...." Read more

9 customers mention "Vocabulary"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's vocabulary, noting its accessible reading style and copious notes by Kreeft, with one customer highlighting how Thomas' own words are used throughout.

"...The type and font are perfect, and I have not seen any typos. The cover is very engaging, with triumphal Thomas with the angels--the Angelic Doctor." Read more

"...Plus, Kreefts copious notes are essential for those who are not scholars of philosophy or theology." Read more

"...It's still a very formidable text in its own right, presenting the dilemma of whether to read through the text first and then the footnotes later,..." Read more

"...It uses St. Thomas own words, instead of paraphrasing him - and elucidates his teaching through the lively footnotes and commentary of Peter Kreeft...." Read more

8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable, with one mentioning it provides great reading relief.

"...And Paul Kreeft's "A Summa of The Summa" provides a great reading relief, not to mention its excellent handling of the summarizing task...." Read more

"...by Peter Kreeft vary between the pedantic and hopeless unfunny to brilliant and professorially insightful. Take with a grain of salt...." Read more

"I thoroughly enjoyed this book. St. Thomas is wonderful, and Peter Kreeft deftly introduces us to his thought with clarity and wit." Read more

"...Good core knowledge and enjoyable, accessible reading." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book engaging, with one mentioning its fascinating content and another noting how it covers the entire gamut of ideas.

"...The cover is very engaging, with triumphal Thomas with the angels--the Angelic Doctor." Read more

"The entire gamut of ideas and arguments in Thomas' Summa conveyed in simple and modern language...." Read more

"Fascinating and a terrific education from 2 great minds." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Kendal Brian Hunter
    5.0 out of 5 stars Not a Doubting Thomas!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2001
    Verified Purchase
    You have to hand it to Kreeft for taking some of the greatest ratiocination ever, and translating it into commonspeak. Thomas Aquinas is one of the greatest minds ever to grace God's green earth, but too often--probably due to his religion--he has been marginalized. Generally, we just read his "Five Ways" that prove God's existence. However, this is much more to Thomism than this one philosophical derringer.
    For those unaware, Thomas Aquinas was the Catholic scholar who produces two L*A*R*G*E, multi-volume books on Catholic theology: "Summa Contra Gentiles" and "Summa Theologica," the latter being a summation of Catholic theology. This book is a summation of "Summa Theologica," and serves as a handbook and thumbnail for both Catholic Theology and Philosophy and Christian philosophy in general.
    Aquinas has a sharp mind and can both divide the word and divide a question in a way that few others can. I am not Catholic, but stand in deep admiration for Aquinas's work and mind, and more especially because he minded his work by working his mind.
    The Book:
    Kreeft has selected the essential texts and questions that illuminate aspects of Thomistic philosophy/theology. He has the text with explanatory notes in footnotes, which is unusual since we are not reading a summery or rephrasing of Aquinas, but actually reading his words and ideas, unfiltered and undistorted.
    His chapter divisions follow closely the divisions used in the whole "Summa Theologica," and focus primarily on the first part of part one, and the second part of part two of the "Summa Theologica," and doesn't deal with the latter books that deal with the church and the nature of sacraments. This summation, therefore, would not be offensive to any Christian.
    The notes are gems, especially with his illustrations--Kreeft has united his analytical left-brain with his creative right brain, so there is no double-mindedness with what he is doing. His pictures save a thousand words!
    The glossary is helpful for the Latin words and technical terms that have a specialized meaning in Thomism.
    The Printing:
    This book uses the "Fathers of English Dominican Province" translation, which bears the Nihil Obstant and Imprimatur, the Roman Catholic "Good housekeeping Seal of Approval" that lets us know the text has passed the censor. It is approved for Catholic consumption! As a non-Catholic, this because important because I do not want distorted doctrine misrepresenting their true beliefs.
    The type and font are perfect, and I have not seen any typos. The cover is very engaging, with triumphal Thomas with the angels--the Angelic Doctor.
    152 people found this helpful
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  • Toki Mike
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Guide to Aquinas
    Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Thomas Aquinas (1225, 1274) was arguably the greatest philosopher in the 1800 years between Aristotle and Descartes. He is most famous for his 5 proofs of God’s existence, which are found in his most famous work, the “Summa Theologica” (Summary of Theology), a 2,000 page tome. That work intimidates those who have never read any Aquinas. But Peter Kreeft annotates and edits that work in his 500 page “Summa of the Summa”. Kreeft is one of the most popular of all modern philosophers and has written scores of books on philosophy that cover difficult topics such as moral relativism and Immanuel Kant’s philosophy in language that most adults can easily understand.

    Aquinas addresses scores of topics in what he calls Questions and for each Question he poses distinct yes or no questions that he calls Articles. For each Article, he gives objections to his answer, cites an authority, gives his answer using reason and logic, and then responds to each objection. For example, on the Questions about ethics, Aquinas refutes both Kant’s duty based ethics and “the ends justify the means” ethics.

    Kreeft has chosen to ignore most of Aquinas’s theological articles. He then selects 40 or 50 of the remaining Questions and then edits each Question down to what he considers the important Articles. In each Article, he often excludes non-essential parts and omits part of the answer. This is how he reduces 2,000 pages to 500.

    Aquinas, like all good philosophers, uses precise unambiguous terms in his writing. However, some of these terms (like accident, form, and essence) have technical meanings that a modern reader must know to understand Aquinas. So Kreeft includes a glossary up front that a reader should read before reading any Aquinas. Kreeft also includes 300 footnotes that often either gives an example of Aquinas’s argument or shows how Aquinas has refuted errors made by more recent philosophers like Kant or Christopher Dawkins.

    Bertrand Russell, an atheist, did not include Aquinas in his history of philosophy. But if you want a good sample of the works of one of the best philosophers of all time, read this book.
    18 people found this helpful
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  • DannyG
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This is an excellent introduction to the Summa. The annotations were very helpful and the glossary really helped with the terminology. Kreeft takes the 3000 pages of the Summa and condenses them to a little over 500 pages. He mostly focuses on the philosophical writings. Although I'm glad he chose this approach for this book, I would love for Kreeft to put together another book focusing on the theological parts of Aquinas' Summa as well (maybe a Summa of the Summa Part Two). He could especially cover part III, which was not covered in this book. This would give the reader a better overview of Aquinas' work, especially for those not quite ready to commit to the full 3000 page work. Plus, Kreefts copious notes are essential for those who are not scholars of philosophy or theology.
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Cundrie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Full of light
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Thomas Aquinas writes simply but uses certain words in a way which can be difficult for the average intelligent modern reader immediately to understand. In this excellent selection from the summa theologiae Peter Kreeft annotates and explains. What a service Kreeft has done in making this godly thinking available to the specialist and the non specialist reader. I am no theologian but am not finding it in any way hard going. The summa sheds light. This book is infused with both men’s love of God and the Good. I recommend it.
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  • Saxon Murray
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Summa for a good price
    Reviewed in Canada on February 28, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This "Summa of the Summa" is very informative, and has all of the key arguments Aquinas puts forward. The footnotes are excellent and often needed.

    This is a great edition for anyone interested in early Church history and theology, as well as philosophy. Unfortunately, though I love Aquinas for many of his ideas, and thoughts... I find just like Augustine (who I also love) to much emphasis on Neo-Platonism and Aristotelian thinking... Often used to explain things that are better left unexplained but understood in faith....but that's just my opinion on a lot of Theology crossed with gree philosophy...it works where it works, but its a disaster when its made to work where it shouldn't even be applied nor needs to be.

    Great book, Has everything you need to understand Aquinas and a lot of theological basis of understanding stem from this man.
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  • Samuel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente!
    Reviewed in Brazil on March 6, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Corresponde às expectativas.
    O autor comenta a suma nos pontos filosóficos e auxilia o entendimento de diversos termos que podem nos parecer de difícil compreensão.
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  • jark
    5.0 out of 5 stars Help to understand the Summa Theologica
    Reviewed in Australia on June 25, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Peter Kreeft greatly assists to understand this magnificent work.
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  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ótimo
    Reviewed in Brazil on February 11, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Não tive a oportunidade de realmente lê-lo ainda, mas pelas olhadelas que desprendi, recomendo. Santo Tomás nunca deixou a desejar, mas vai muito além.
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