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Title: Tour of the Summa. Reprint of the 1960 Ed by Paul J. Glenn ISBN: 0-89555-081-4 Publisher: Tan Books & Publishers, Inc. Pub. Date: May, 1992 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $22.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A "Cliff's Notes" to One of the Greatest of All Books
Comment: Thomas Aquinas was one of the greatest and most encyclopedic minds of all western civilization, living in the thirteenth century when Christendom was divided politically between the East and the West. He undertook to write a compendium of Aristotlean philosophy, Christian theological tradition, and a comprehensive survey of all knowledge up to the thirteenth century. That masterpiece is the "Summa Theologica," which is available in English in either five, densely typed volumes (English Fathers) or in the sixty-volume Blackfriars edition for Oxford.
Tying to tackle such a wealth of information on one's own, most likely the only way short of catholic university in which to do so, is a hard nut to crack. Aquinas writes in a style very different from today's writers. While his work is very systematic, its breadth and depth can sometime cause one to lose their way. What did he say? is often a rejoinder by modern readers.
This is where Fr. Glenn's "Tour of the Summa" becomes a Godsend. In a single volume, Fr. Glenn condenses the "nugget" of each chapter and question in the multi-volume work into a sentence of two -- sometimes, when necessary, into lengthier paragraphs. Stripped from the original is the "pro" and "con" arguments that Aquinas uses to introduce and conclude each of his arguments. Instead, Fr. Glenn focuses entirely on the position Aquinas took that is central to each question.
With this book side-by-side to the complete Summa, the reader will not get lost in the forest for the trees. The Tour gives the reader the core thesis, while allowing the reader to develop the thesis-antithesis parts and the argument itself on his own. So Glenn is not doing the work for the reader by explicating each question and answer, but rather is nudging the reader to stay on track with core ideas while exploring the argument and the thesis-antithesis for himself.
Despite its age and antiquity, the Summa Theologica still speaks to those who devote time, energy, and effort into the endeavor. There is no comparable book in all of history, and for that reason, it remains a "Great Book of Western Civilization." But to tackle such an encyclopedic work without the aid of Glenn's "Tour" is needlessly adding to the difficulty. This is one of those books one reads over a lifetime, and thanks to Fr. Glenn, one can do so without fear of getting lost.
Rating: 5
Summary: An accessible synopsis of Aquinas' great work
Comment: Anyone who has struggled with the scope and the style of Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica, will immediately appreciate the accomplishment of Msgr. Paul Glenn in his, A TOUR OF THE SUMMA.
As the Preface says, "A TOUR OF THE SUMMA is not a translation, not a digest, not a selection of parts called basic, or best. It is a journey through the entire SUMMA . . . a condensed paraphrase of the essential teaching of the SUMMA, so presented as to enable the reader to turn instantly to the exact locus in St. Thomas for a full treatment of each point discussed."
While following the original outline, Glenn avoids Aquinas' ponderous approach of laying out objections and replies, and instead, extracts and distills the meat of Aquinas' points in a manner that is useful to both theologian and layman. A comprehensive index makes topical study a pleasure.
An excellent reference book, and very helpful in study and preparation for teaching on the great religious/philisophical themes that have dominated Christian thought since the 13th century.
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