Aquinas's Shorter Summa

Saint Thomas's Own Concise Version of His Summa Theologica

De: St. Thomas Aquinas

Narrado por: Markson Pips

Two years before he died, St. Thomas Aquinas, probably the greatest teacher the Church has ever known, was asked by his assistant Brother Reginald to write a simple summary of the faith of the Catholic Church for those who lacked the time or the stamina to tackle his massive Summa Theologica.

In response, the great saint quickly set down in language that non-scholars can understand his peerless insights into the major topics of theology: the Trinity, Divine Providence, the Incarnation of Christ, the Last Judgment, and much more.

Here, then, is not only St. Thomas' concise statement of the key elements of his thought, but a handy reference source for the essential truths of the Catholic faith.

St. Thomas will show you:

• Why faith is reasonable, not blind
• Why evil can never be as powerful as good
• Solid arguments for Christ's resurrection
• Powerful arguments for God's existence
• Why angels are necessary in creation
• How Adam's sin differed from Eve's
• Why Jesus descended into hell
• Why we must suffer for Adam's sin
• Why the truths that you can know only through Revelation are nevertheless rational
• Startling details about God's forgiveness
• How a soul's damnation can be compatible with God's goodness
• What Christians should think about fate and chance
• What life after resurrection will be like
• Three ways in which God is in all things
• Eternal life: what it is; how to understand it
• How you can know God through reason
• Why God became man
• Why God allows evil
• How Jesus grew in wisdom
• How Christ can have existed for all eternity and yet be God s Son
• The Beatific Vision: what it really is
• Why God's knowledge of the future doesn't deny man's free will
• How the Holy Trinity is three distinct persons, yet one God
• Much more that will help you know and love God with greater understanding!

Public Domain (P)2021 Upfront Books

The greatest philosopher

Aquinas shows why he is THE philosopher of the Catholic Church. A must read for anyone seeking deeper knowledge of the church’s theology and philosophy.

Wonderful

This book are so precious. The narration was amazing. It was incredible to know about Gods nature.

The studying continues.

I'm really interested in learning about St. Thomas Aquinas and this book did have some great teachings. However, with this narrator my mind did wander off a bit because he did sound like a professor droning on.

It's not always easy to wrap your mind around and understand Aquinas. So what I need to do is listen to more of St. Thomas's Summa, but with a different narrator, and also read his works (and commentaries on them) so I can highlight and make notes.

3 out of 5 Theologies.

Overall - Good

Narrator was very good. Understood majority of content, but struggled to complete listening to the end.

Important Historical Work but Doesn’t Hold Up

Thomas Aquinas is one of the intellectual powerhouses of Church history, and this book is a great example of his mind. I especially enjoyed his proofs for God and his reflections on the nature of the incarnation.

One thing I didn’t care for about the book was how much Aquinas relied on his reason to support doctrine and how little Scripture he uses to support his ideas. This is very different from the Patristics writers before him and the Reformers and Puritans after him. Aquinas relies heavily on reason and church tradition to support his doctrine and he loses his way in quite a few doctrines. When he does use scripture to support a doctrine, it is usually used very poorly and he never even touches on the scriptures that would seemingly refute his arguments. I appreciate Aquinas’ contribution to Christian thought, but I think there are much stronger theological works out there.

awesome

a difficult read because of the depth and quick pace. reading several times helps

Great insight on God

Great reads but definitely have to listen to chapter again to get what is being conveyed but it’s worth it.

St Thomas Aquinas wrote the condensed version

This is a concise version like a Reader's Digest condensed version. The narrator is good to listen to and the materials covered are in a compact and easily understood version. If you are wanting to explore the Summa Theologica, this is a wonderful way to do so. I highly recommend printing out the article list to follow along with since there are so many. Excellent listen. Take your time to listen and grasp what Aquinas wrote. St Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

One of the greatest intellectual triumphs of mankind

Challenging but comprehensible. Everyone should read this. I will read it at least one more time after I read some Augustine.

Quick listen

Easier to get through than his full Summa Theologiae. I have a hard time understanding Saint Thomas Aquinas, I prefer Saint John of the Cross but you need both poetic and scholarly literature.