Summa Theologica (Complete & Unabridged) Kindle Edition

Many theologians and philosophers more learned than I have written introductions to Aquinas. I’ve only read the first two hundred and forty questions (out of 631) and am not an expert but hopefully I can provide some twenty first century perspective on the Summa.Aquinas’s project was to use the Christian doctrine and natural philosophy of his day, primarily Aristotle and his commentators, to create a science of theology. He achieved a monumental synthesis, a structure so well built that it stood as a pinnacle of learning for some two hundred and fifty years. His grasp of Aristotle and the Church Fathers was equally profound. His powers of common sense ratiocination and synthesis make the Summa into possibly the greatest intellectual achievement of the thirteenth century.Of course, much of it is wrong. Aquinas had an intuition that the world was knowable, that its finest details were accessible by common sense. Thus, he could reason about the condition of potential children of an unfallen Adam and Eve as as well as similar esoterica like the exact hierarchy of angels.We now know, however, that the world is not understandable by common sense. Quantum physics, molecular biology and many other scientific advances are true but not reachable by reflection on Christian doctrine and Aristotle.So reading Aquinas is more for understanding Catholic doctrine and the history of ideas than for new insights into reality. For example, one really cannot understand what Luther objected to in making a science of theology unless one reads this seminal text. And, one must bear in mind that the greatest insights of the twentieth century, like Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem or Quantum Electrodynamics, may themselves be in future centuries simply cultural artifacts.So, while it’s easy to sneer at the credulousness of Aquinas for believing in Adam and Eve, it’s more appropriate to marvel at the synthesis he achieved between the secular and religious knowledge of his day. In short, it’s truly one of the great intellectual achievements of humankind.

I knew this was going to be a heavy book, but I mean this is one really HEAVY book, man! Years of reading. And it was cheap, too!

Arrived today in great condition ahead of schedule from the USA to the Philippines. The binding looks good and paper quality feels premium. My jaw dropped after seeing and touching this book. It literally looks like a phone directory from the old days. Students of theology and seminarians have their hands full for sure. It will take me forever to read this.

The print is quite small, but it is eminently readable. I'm over 50 y/o and need glasses, but I have been having no problems reading it. The quality of the printing, paper, and binding are excellent, which makes it a pleasure to read. I have also tried using one of those booksize, flexible magnifying lenses, and they also work really well.I would not recommend reading War and Peace with such small print, but most people read Saint Thomas one or two articles at a time, which, in this version, is no more than one or two pages long.I find the size of the book very practical also. Although it would be hard to read it in bed, I find it quite enjoyable reading it while sitting on my recliner.It would be a great option for seminaries, which could have a copy in each classroom, or for any regular library as a reference.P.S. I would suggest the editor to try the same concept with St. Thomas' commentaries of Aristotle's works.

The media could not be loaded. Firstly, let’s make this clear. This book is HUGE. It is the phonebook of theology (which, to be fair, is the exact vibe this book is supposed to have). This is not a bad thing if you know what you are getting into, so the size and any problems that inevitably come with it don’t bother me and don’t lower my rating, but it’s important you know that there are trade offs with a paperback book this size.The most important flaws in that department are that the text is small and can be difficult to read, especially if you have any sort of print disability. The binding is also rather fragile, so opening the book requires a bit of care and I am not sure how long it can handle its own weight. Again, this is fine if you know going in that this is a big heavy paperback.The translation is that of the Fathers of the English Dominican Province, a public domain, but still modern translation that can be trusted confidently. I believe this is the translation most (relatively) inexpensive English Summas use, so it isn’t anything special.The one flaw that makes me take off a star is that there is no apparatus for navigating this work by subject. A proper subject index for a work this size could get very large very fast, so it is understandable that one would not be bound with an already unwieldy book. However, the table of contents lack article headings entirely and list only section and article numbers, meaning that unless you know the organization of the Summa by heart, you will not be able to find particular treatments of subjects easily. This is pretty unfortunate, as the Summa isn’t really for reading cover to cover, so I will likely have to pencil in my own index soon for peace of mind.All in all, you get what you pay for, and I probably would have paid even more for it!

Everything I read so far is amazing and strengthens my faith. There is still a lot more reading left for me but deeper I go better I get. I think that every Christian should read it. Just amazing and worth every penny.

Cheap, complete and big. If you don't want to spend a fortune on Aquinas's work, buy this book. It is massive, the letter is small, every page is full of paragraphs divided into 3 columns, but you get what you paid for.

This will defintely be a good book in your library. Recieved the copy as shown exactly in the advertisements.

After bible and catechism of council of trent, the most important book to read for a Catholic. My copy had a slight crease on front cover but this does not bother me , such is the magnificence of the content and real value for money of this one volume paperback,I have no problem with the print size and found it easy to read.

The book is extremely large, as to be expected. The all-round quality is excellent, and the print is large and easy to read.Thomas Aquinas of course needs no review. This is his masterpiece.