9780813237961

0813237963

9780813237978

Originally published in French as "St. Thomas en plus simple", Paris : Les Editions du Cerf, 2019.

Originally published: St. Thomas en plus simple, Paris : Les Editions du Cerf, 2019.

Translated from the French.

"Jean-Pierre Torrell, OP, who has already written the most highly-regarded contemporary two-volume introduction to the life and works of Saint Thomas, has composed a shorter book that captures the essence of the career of the Angelic Doctor for a more general audience. Torrell follows a biographical outline of the saint, although he also includes brief accounts of what the author takes to be the most important features of Aquinas's teachings. Part biography, part travelogue, part theology, Jean-Pierre Torrell, OP's A Brief Life of Thomas Aquinas is a multi-faceted look at the life and the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Torrell's hope is that his biography of the doctor communis intertwined with his theological examination of Aquinas's writings will enable the reader to understand the person behind the writer and the writer behind the person. Aquinas's life, Torrell claims, can shed light on his work with respect not only to their number, or to the varied topics he writes about, but to their content as well. It would be inaccurate to view Aquinas hiding behind a mountain of books in the cells he occupied in the various houses he inhabited around the Dominican world. He taught, he preached, he debated, he faced a number of conflicts of ideas that were not of his own making, but out of which would come some of his best-known writings. Torrell's unique approach makes accessible one of the greatest minds of our tradition and the richness of the legacy he left the Church."-- Publisher's description.

"Many people these days would like to know more about the great St. Thomas Aquinas. But to approach such a universal genius is no easy task. How fortunate we are to have a great Thomistic scholar-- Fr. Jean-Pierre Torrell-- who has written a 'short' but rich life of Aquinas as an introduction to one of the greatest human intelligences ever to have walked this earth." [Robert Royal, Faith and Reason Institute, Washington D.C.]

Foreword

Early years

Commentaries on Isaiah and Sentences

Master of Sacred Scripture

The man of combat

The Summa contra Gentiles

Sojourn in Orvieto, 1261-1265

Summa theologiae

Second time teaching in Paris : doctrinal confrontations, 1268-1272

Second time teaching in Paris : on Saint John and diverse matters

Last time teaching in Naples, 1272-1273

Thomas's sources

God who loves the world

What is most noble in the world.

Theologians > Biography.

Christian philosophers > Biography.

Spirituality > Catholic Church.

Education > Religious aspects.

Spirituality > Catholic Church > Early works to 1800.

Spirituality > Catholic Church > Early works to 1800.

Biographies

Biographies.