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Editors’ Preface
- University of Notre Dame Press
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xix Editors’ Preface This volume offers an introduction to the theology of the great thirteenth -century Scholastic, Thomas Aquinas, covering the major areas of theological investigation. After an initial essay on the nature of theology according to Aquinas (Marshall), there are contributions on his trinitarian thought (Rikhof, Emery) and his teaching about speaking the Christian God (Burrell); on God’s providential rule (Goris); on theological anthropology, the moral life, and the movement of the human person to God as end (Merriell, te Velde, Porter, Wawrykow); on Christ (Wawrykow, Gondreau), his saving work (Van Nieuwenhove), and its communication (O’Meara, Walsh); and on the end things (Leget).The volume concludes with essays on Aquinas’ scriptural exegesis as part of his theological project (Prügl); on Aquinas’ concern for “philosophy” and possible openness to more recent philosophical trends (O’Grady); and on the rapprochement between Aquinas and Protestant theology (Rogers).The intended audience of this volume is broad. By engaging Aquinas’ texts on their own terms and presenting his ideas in a style that is meant to be straightforward as well as theologically sophisticated , the volume should be of considerable service both to newcomers to Aquinas and to those who are already conversant with his thought. In commissioning these essays, the editors were direct in their instructions . Each essay was to be on an important aspect of Aquinas’ theology or its reception. The approach was to be historically sound, sensitive to Aquinas’ strategies as a theologian, and attentive to his ways of proceeding in addressing significant topics in theology. Each essay was also to be alert to the overall form of Aquinas’ theology, relating the topic of the essay to Aquinas’ most basic theological convictions. And, finally, the contributors were asked to ponder, where possible, the contributions that Aquinas might make to contemporary theological discourse . The result is a volume that will be of interest to a wide range of readers—to those who crave to know more about this great Scholastic theologian and about his theological work in its historical setting; to those who in their own attempts to resolve the issues that are of abiding concern to working theologians want to consider, at least, Aquinas’ point of view. The cast of contributors to this volume is international in scope. No fewer than eight nations (Canada, Flanders, the United States, Ireland, Germany, England , the Netherlands, and Switzerland) are represented in this volume. Major locales for the study of Aquinas find representation in the volume: Fribourg, Utrecht, and Notre Dame, Indiana.The essays are by a judicious mix of younger and more established scholars. Each takes historical theology very seriously, as both interrogation of the past and retrieval of the basic, most vital insights of classical theologians. As a rule, the essays are shaped by close reading of the pertinent texts of Aquinas himself. The reader should come away with a good grasp of Aquinas’ major theological claims, as well as guidance in how best to read Saint Thomas. While the contributors are united by their appreciation of Aquinas’ theological genius and their use of a historical-theological approach to his writings, there are occasional disagreements in the essays that follow on particular points of interpretation. Marshall, O’Grady, and Rogers differ on the status of the “philosophical” in the theology of Aquinas. Wawrykow (in his chapter on grace) offers an assessment of the importance of efficient causality in providence that departs from that offered by Van Nieuwenhove. Sufficent textual information is provided in each case to allow the reader to decide the adequacy of each interpretation . Nonetheless, the overall picture of Aquinas that emerges from this volume is quite consistent—not surprising, given the commitment of all of our authors to close reading of texts as well as their refusal to bend Aquinas to the demands of some modern or postmodern scholarly agenda, whether theological or philosophical. Appended to the volume is a bibliographical orientation, that is, a set of instructions on how to learn about editions and translations of Aquinas’ writings, as well as about the scholarly research over the past century. xx Editors’ Preface ...