The Wisdom of Catholicism ed. by Anton C. Pegis (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 608 greatness of Aristotle made philosophy stand still for centuries. (p. ~49) To restate Aristotle and St. Thomas is not to advance their thought beyond the stage of communicating it to pupils. New problems will be solved not by quoting the two masters as one might cite the Bible; their principles must be applied and developed. Anything less than that only proves that the student of this system of philosophy has missed its central point of universality. This, in substance, is the secondary theme of Barbara Celarent. Special chapters deserve special mention. The one entitled "Necessity and Fact " brings out clearly the difference between necessary and contingent propositions. Here are shown the roots of the Thomistic metaphysics and its distinction from idealism. Continuing somewhat in the same vein is the chapter called "Sense and Sensibility." In a short but brilliant paragraph, Fr. Gilby explains what he understands by the intellectualism of St. Thomas. At no time does the author discredit science's method but the intellect always remains superior to the sense. The chapters on induction and deduction should prove this to any reader. Everything about Barbara Celarent is delightful and instructive. It is a book that all students of philosophy should read regardless of what system or systems of thought they prefer. Those who never could visualize the~­ selves as profound thinkers will be pleased at how much they can learn from the superb prose of Fr. Gilby and his lucid examples to cover all subtle points. There is no book in English that covers in such excellent style and with such broad and incomparable strokes the entire system of Aristotle and St. Thomas. Although not a long work, for those who have read the Stagirite and the Doctor of the Schools, there can be no doubt that every bit of the Aristotelean-Thomistic system has been touched at least by inference when not explored to the full. This is one book on philosophy that everyone·should enjoy. The Angelicum, Rome, Italy. RAYMOND SMITH, O.P. The Wisdom of Catholicism. Edited by ANTON C. PEGIS. New York: Random House, 1949. Pp. 1017. $6.00. This anthology contains the following thirty-five titles in English: St. Ignatius of Antioch, To The Romans; St. Basil the Great, On Reading Greek Literature; St. John Chrysostom, On Charity To The Poor; St. Augustine, The Confessions (end of Dook 8 to Book 10) and The City of God (Book 19); Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy (Books 4 and 5); St. Anselm, The Proslogion; St. Bernard, On The Necessity of Loving God; Anonymous, Jesu Dulcis Memoria; St. Bonaventure, The Ascent of the 604 BOOK REVIEWS Mind to God (Prologue and Chapters 5-7) ; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles (I, 2-8; III, 25, 37, 48; IV, 54); Dante, Divine Comedy (Paradiso); Petrarch, Letter to Denis of Borgo-San Sepolcro; Villon, The Ballade 'fo Our Lady; Chaucer, Canterbury Tales (The Parson's Tale, Part I); Thomas aKempis, The Imitation of Christ (Book 2); St. Thomas More, The Four Last Things: Death; Erasmus, The Paracelsis; St. Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle (Seventh Mansion); St. John of the Cross, The Ascent of Mount Carmel (Book 1, Chapters 1-13); St. Robert Bellarmine , On The Ascent of The Mind To God; Pascal, Pensees (Selections); Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua (Part 7); Peguy, A Vision of Prayer; Leo Xill, Christian Philosophy; Pius XI, On Reconstructing The Social Order; Pius XII, On The Mystical Body of Christ; Claudel, The Satin Slipper (First Day, Scenes 1 and 5, Third Day, Scene 8); Belloc, The Restoration of Property (pp. 7-21); Chesterton, The Catholic Church And Conversion (pp. 57-72); Undset, Kristin Lavransdatter (III, The Cross, Chapters 5-7); Gilson, St. Thomas Aquinas (Master Mind Lecture) and Medieval Universalism (Harvard Lecture); Maritain, Ransoming The Time (pp. 115-140) . The book also contains a brief " Preface " and an " Introduction " which essays to define the theme of Catholic wisdom; a ten to twenty line introduction to each author; footnotes which are almost exclusively references to Scripture and other sources; and a " Bibliography " indicating the Sources of the selections published in this volume. For the most part the best available English translations...