Compendium Of Theology

Compendium of Theology By Thomas Aquinas

Towards the end of his life, St. Thomas Aquinas produced a brief, non-technical work summarizing some of the main points of his massive Summa Theologiae. This 'compendium' was intended as an introductory handbook for students and scholars who might not have access to the larger work. It remains the best concise introduction to Aquinas's thought. Furthermore, it is extremely interesting to scholars because it represents Aquinas's last word on these topics. Aquinas does not break new ground or re-think earlier positions but often states them more directly and with greater precision than can be found elsewhere. There is only one available English translation of the Compendium (published as 'Aquinas's Shorter Summa: Saint Thomas's Own Concise Version of his Summa Theologiae,' by Sophia Institute Press). It is published by a very small Catholic publishing house, is marketed to the devotional readership, contains no scholarly apparatus. Richard Regan is a highly respected Aquinas translator, who here relies on the definitive Leonine edition of the Latin text. His work will be received as the premier English version of this important text.

Compendium of Theology

The present work, the Compendium of Theology, was the last St. Thomas Aquinas undertook before his death. Thus the Compendium contains the central elements of St. Thomas's far-reaching theological vision after a lifetime of study and teaching. Here, in a seemingly effortless display, Thomas demonstrates one final time his marvelous clarity of mind, no matter the subject on which it is trained. The brevity of the work has the advantage of giving at a glance and in summary form the mature theological conclusions of the Angelic Doctor. A new introduction by Rev. Richard A. Munkelt provides in brief compass a lucid and wide-ranging presentation of the fundamentals of Thomas's thought. For someone approaching Thomas for the first time, the Compendium of Theology is an ideal place to begin; for one long acquainted with his works, here is friendly and familiar sustenance.

Compendium of Theology