Catechism of the Summa Theologica

No hay cosa que purifique más el entendimiento de ignorancias, y la voluntad de afectos depravados que la oración.

St. Thomas Aquinas

FOREWORD

The author of the original work asked me personally to translate his book into English. I have done so; but the genius of the English language did not permit a literal translation. The present book is therefore in some sense rather an adaptation than a literal translation, although the latter has been strictly adhered to wherever possible.

In the original work the answer always repeats the whole question word for word; in the cause of brevity and sometimes for clearness’ sake, I have adopted the simple answer of «yes» or «no» lest the reader tire with the insistency of the ceaseless repetition.

Those readers who wish to study the doctrine more deeply will find much help in the references quoted at the end of most of the answers to the questions; they refer to the Summa Theologica itself, which has been translated literally into English (2) by the Dominican Fathers of the English Province. To take an example: On p. 9 of this book there is the question: Does the Providence of God extend also to inanimate things? And the answer: Yes, for they are a part of God’s handiwork (XXII. 2, Obj, 5). The reference here quoted means that the doctrine in its every detail is to be found in the reply to the 5th Objection of the 2nd Article of the 22nd Question of the First Part of the Summa. It should be noted that the citation of «First Part» is not added to the quotation for the simple reason that the particular «part» of the Summa to which the quotation refers may easily be found by consulting the table of Contents. Moreover, whenever necessary and in order to give additional strength to the doctrines of St. Thomas, reference has been made to the new Code of Canon Law; e.g., on p. 289 (Code, Canon 1036). Thus this work is brought up to date.

AE. W.

ROME,

Feast of St. Nicholas
(December 6, 1921).

Book eBook Catechism of the Summa Theologica

---

Thomas Aquinas

17 noviembre, 2015

update 21 febrero, 2021

Go to the Download page

More eBooks in English

Orthodoxy

English eBooks, G. K. Chesterton / 2016

G. K. Chesterton CHAPTER I. Introduction in Defence of Everything Else The only possible excuse for this book is that it is an answer to ...
View eBook

Manalive

English eBooks, G. K. Chesterton / 2016

G. K. Chesterton Part I The Enigmas of Innocent Smith Chapter I How the Great Wind Came to Beacon House A wind sprang high in ...
View eBook

The Ball and the Cross

English eBooks, G. K. Chesterton / 2016

G. K. Chesterton I. A DISCUSSION SOMEWHAT IN THE AIR The flying ship of Professor Lucifer sang through the skies like a silver arrow; the ...
View eBook

The Wisdom of Father Brown

English eBooks, G. K. Chesterton / 2016

Gilbert Keith Chesterton The Absence of Mr Glass THE consulting-rooms of Dr Orion Hood, the eminent criminologist and specialist in certain moral disorders, lay along ...
View eBook

The Complete Visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich

Anne Catherine Emmerich, English eBooks / 2016

Anne Catherine Emmerich 1st Station: Jesus is condemned to death THE CREATION Introductory Remarks Of the visions of her childhood Sister Emmerich tells us: “When ...
View eBook

Europe and the Faith

English eBooks, Hilaire Belloc / 2016

Hilaire Belloc INTRODUCTION THE CATHOLIC CONSCIENCE OF HISTORY I say the Catholic "conscience" of history—I say "conscience"—that is, an intimate knowledge through identity: the intuition ...
View eBook

The philosophy of Jesus

English eBooks, Peter Kreeft / 2016

Peter Kreeft Introduction I: Who Is this Book For? IT IS FOR BOTH Christians and non-Christians.  It’s designed to show Christians a new dimension of ...
View eBook

An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine

English eBooks, John Henry Newman / 2016

Cardinal John Henry Newman INTRODUCTION. Christianity has been long enough in the world to justify us in dealing with it as a fact in the ...
View eBook

The Idea of a University Defined and Illustrated

English eBooks, John Henry Newman / 2016

Cardinal John Henry Newman Preface The view taken of a University in these Discourses is the following:—That it is a place of teaching universal knowledge ...
View eBook

Apologia pro Vita Sua

English eBooks, John Henry Newman / 2016

John Henry (Cardinal) Newman Introduction "No autobiography in the English language has been more read; to the nineteenth century it bears a relation not less ...
View eBook

Rediscover Catholicism

English eBooks, Matthew Kelly / 2016

Matthew Kelly Prologue Imagine this. You’re driving home from work next Monday after a long day. You turn on your radio and you hear a ...
View eBook

Summa Theologica

English eBooks, Saint Thomas Aquinas / 2015

Saint Aquinas Thomas PROLOGUE Because the Master of Catholic Truth ought not only to teach the proficient, but also to instruct beginners (according to the ...
View eBook

St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s Life of St. Malachy of Armagh

English eBooks, H. J. Lawlor / 2015

H. J. Lawlor  INTRODUCTION The main purpose of this Introduction is to give an account of a movement which changed the whole face of the ...
View eBook

Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation

English eBooks, Saint Thomas More / 2015

Saint Thomas More NOTE This edition of the Dialogue of Comfort has been transcribed from the 1557 version as it appears in Everyman's Library. The ...
View eBook

Three Philosophies of Life

English eBooks, Peter Kreeft / 2015

Peter Kreeft INTRODUCTION The Inexhaustibility of Wisdom Literature I have been a philosopher for all of my adult life, and the three most profound books ...
View eBook

The Soliloquies Of St. Augustine

English eBooks, St. Augustine / 2015

Saint Augustine PREFACE I then gathered for myself staves, and stud-shafts, and cross-beams, and helves for each of the tools that I could work with; ...
View eBook

Quo Vadis (English Edition)

English eBooks, Henryk Sienkiewicz / 2015

Henryk Sienkiewicz Chapter I PETRONIUS woke only about midday, and as usual greatly wearied. The evening before he had been at one of Nero’s feasts, ...
View eBook

The Fathers Know Best

English eBooks, Jimmy Akin / 2015

Jimmy Akin About This Book This is a handbook designed to help you learn about the role of the Church Fathers, the world in which ...
View eBook

Will Christ ever come back?

English eBooks, Leonardo Castellani / 2015

Fr. Leonardo Castellani S.J. Jesus Christ is coming back, and his doing so is one of the dogmas of our faith. It is one of ...
View eBook

The Interior Castle or The Mansions

English eBooks, St. Teresa of Avila / 2015

St. Teresa of Avila INTRODUCTION SAINT TERESA began to write the Interior Castle on June 2, 1577, Trinity Sunday, and completed it on the eve ...
View eBook

• ‹
• 1
• 2