Aquinas on God: The 'Divine Science' of the Summa Theologiae (Ashgate Studies in the History of Philosophical Theology) (Ashgate Studies in the History ... in the History of Philosophical Theology)

Prior to my class with Dr. Reinhard Huetter (a formidable theologian in his own right), I had only encountered Thomas Aquinas in out of context snippets. That's not to say that I had negative perceptions of Thomas, only slightly off base. Velde's text was a secondary source to the main text, Thomas Aquinas' "The Treatise of the Divine Nature" from his "Summa Theologiae"(see below). Velde briefly familiarizes the reader with major alternative interpretations of Aquinas without amassing a detail overload. He then proceeds to clearly demonstrate his own reading of Aquinas. Velde emphasizes the long history of ripping pieces of Aquinas' work out of its theological context to make it do strictly philosophical work. Velde reasserts the theological context of ALL the arguments in the Summa, especially Aquinas' "treatise" on God. This book is dense and not for the faint of heart! I would suggest some prior engagement with Aristotle's "Metaphysics," if only briefly. You might also want to look at Torrell's brief introduction to Aquinas (see below). This text is definitely a must for anyone who wishes to engage Aquinas beyond surface level; thus, any who wish to do theology should read this since a good theologian will familiarize herself with Thomas Aquinas! Aquinas's Summa: Background, Structure, & Reception The Theology Of Thomas Aquinas The Treatise On The Divine Nature: Summa Theologiae I 1-13 (The Hackett Aquinas) MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 Abbreviations 9 Introduction: Thinking Systematically about God from Within the Christian Tradition 10 1 A Masterpiece of Theology Aims, Method and Composition of the Summa theologiae 18 Introduction 18 The Structure of the Summa theologiae 20 Sacred Doctrine and Revelation 27 The Scientia of Sacred Doctrine 32 The ‘Catholic Truth’ and Philosophy 37 2 The First Thing to Know: Does God Exist? On the Five Ways 46 Interpreting the Five Ways 46 The Meaning of the Question An Sit 49 The Middle Term of the Demonstration that God Exists 51 The Five Ways as Examples of the Manuductio by Reason 56 The First Argument on the Basis of Motion 57 The Transition from Physics to Metaphysics 60 The Analysis of the Concept of Motion 64 3 The Heart of the Matter: What God Is (Not) 74 Introduction: the Question of God 74 The Threefold Division of the Treatment of God 76 Knowing what God is Not: Negative Theology? 81 The Dialectical Relationship between Simplicity and Perfection 86 God and Being 94 4 Divine Names On Human Discourse about God 104 Introduction: God and Language 104 The Semantic Triangle of Reality, Knowledge and Language (res–ratio–nomen) 107 Affirmative and Absolute Names (Art.2) 111 Metaphorical and Proper Names (Art.3) 113 Are All Names Synonymous? 116 The Analogy of the Divine Names 118 Divine Names and the Analogy of Being 124 5 God’s Proper Action On the Causality of Creation 132 Introduction: Metaphysics of Creation 132 The Triadic Structure of the Causality of Creation 134 The Argument for Creation 137 Towards the Metaphysical Consideration of Being 141 Creation as Participation 148 6 A God of Grace On Human Freedom and Divine Grace 156 Introduction 156 Some Aspects of the Relationship between Nature and Grace 159 The Twofold Happiness 164 Grace as Participation in the Divine Nature 169 Epilogue: Aquinas’ God and the Language of Participation 180 Select Bibliography 190 Index 198 A 198 B 198 C 198 D 198 E 199 F 199 G 199 H 199 I 199 J 200 K 200 L 200 M 200 N 200 O 200 P 200 Q 201 R 201 S 201 T 201 U 201 V 201 W 201 Te Velde (U. of Tolberg) analyzes the most systematic and complete exposition work of Thomas Aquinas on the Christian doctrine of God, focusing on the existence of a twofold discourse, the metaphysical or "being insofar as it is being" and the reality. Using the notion that Aquinas did not isolate this discourse but instead sought it throughout his broad theological view, Te Velde examines the aims, method and composition of the Summa theologiae, the "Five Ways," including the role in the transition from metaphysics to physics, the threefold division of the treatment of what God is and is not, the place of God in language and knowledge, the causality of creation as God's proper action, and the role of God in human freedom in the form of divine grace Aquinas on God presents an accessible exploration of Thomas Aquinas' conception of God. Focusing on the Summa theologiae - the work containing Aquinas' most systematic and complete exposition of the Christian doctrine of God - Rudi te Velde acquaints the reader with Aquinas' theological understanding of God and the metaphysical principles and propositions that underlie his project. Aquinas' conception of God is dealt with not as an isolated metaphysical doctrine, but from the perspective of his broad theological view which underlies the scheme of the Summa. Readers interested in Aquinas, historical theology, metaphysics and metaphysical discourse on God in the Christian tradition will find this new contribution to the studies of Aquinas invaluable. Aquinas on God presents an accessible exploration of Thomas Aquinas' conception of God. Focusing on the Summa theologiae - the work containing Aquinas' most systematic and complete exposition of the Christian doctrine of God - Rudi te Velde acquaints the reader with Aquinas' theological understanding of God and the metaphysical principles and propositions which underlie his project. Aquinas' conception of God is not dealt with as an isolated metaphysical doctrine, but from the perspective of his broad theological view which underlies the scheme of the Summa. Readers interested in Aquinas, historical theology, metaphysics and metaphysical discourse on God in the Christian tradition will find this new contribution to the studies of Aquinas invaluable Focusing on the "Summa Theologiae", the work containing Thomas Aquinas' systematic and complete exposition of the Christian doctrine of God, this book presents an exploration of Aquinas' conception of God. It is aimed at those interested in Aquinas, historical theology, metaphysics, and metaphysical discourse on God in the Christian tradition

Aquinas on God presents an accessible exploration of Thomas Aquinas' conception of God. Focusing on the Summa theologiae Rudi Te Velde. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 181-187) And Index.