Brief Notices

BRIEF NOTICES Truth. By SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS. Chicago: Regnery. $~0.00 the set. Vol. I. QQ. I-IX. Translated by Robert W. Mulligan, S. J. 195~. Pp. 498. $7.00. Vol. II. QQ. X-XX. Translated by James V. McGlynn, S. J. 1953. Pp. 474. $7.00. Vol. III. QQ. XXI-XXIX. Translated by Robert W. Schmidt, S. J. 1954. Pp. 543, with index. $7.50. To review the complete translation of St. Thomas' Quaestiones Disputatae de Veritate is a task of tremendous extensive and intensive dimensions, not to mention virtual complexities. The reasons are quite obvious. In this monumental work we find the accumulated wisdom and scholarship of St. Thomas adequately expanded to cover practically every aspect of " truth." Here is a virtual synthesis of Aristotle, St. Augustine and the Pseudo-Dion~sius in a thirteenth century Christian philosophico-theological treatise with the additional corroboration of Arabian and Jewish insights. The treatise involves a panoramic view of the history of the topics treated as well as their systematic discussion in a typical disputation setting. In substance it is the same as he presented to his students at the University of Paris during the academic years of rn56-rn59, which is early enough in the Master's career to give us a glimpse of his extarordinary ability to understand problems and of his basic genius for synthesis. Indeed, it goes without saying the Truth is an excellent work to use as an introduction to the thought of the Angelic Doctor. In format these three volumes are agreeably adapted to the scholarly achievements of St. Thomas' pupils in the twentieth century. In order to be sure that we are adequately prepared for this intellectual quest of the truth in all its academic implications, a scholarly introduction explains the function of the disputed question in the pedagogical program of the thirteenth century, discusses the historical setting for the work and gives a doctrinal analysis of the contents of the three volumes in a topical framework . Dr. Vernon Bourke has written the introduction with his usual scholarly exactness. The multitude of textual references have been tracked down with even greater exactness than we find in the original Latin editions; parallel treatments of the same problems are noted and contemporary discussions of the same basic ideas and topics are called to our attention for handy investigation and comparison. ' The three volumes constitute a contribution of wise and deep scholarship in respect to Truth in its metaphysical nature, God's Knowledge, Divine Ideas, The Divine Word, Providence, Predestination, The Book of Life, Knowledge of the Angels and the Communication of Angelic Knowledge {Vol. I); The Human Mind, The Teacher, Prophecy, Rapture, Faith, 118 8 114 BRIEF NOTICES Higher and Lower Reason, Synderesis, Conscience, Knowledge of the First Man in the State of Innocence, Knowledge of the Soul after Death, The Knowledge of Christ (Vol. II) ; Good, The Tendency to Good and the Will, God's Will, Free Choice, Sensuality, The Passions of the Soul, Grace, The Justification of Sinners, The Grace of Christ (Vol. III). Appendices include aids to parallel readings and references, detailed references to each article and a glossary of terms in each volume in addition to an index of sources and an index of subjects in the third volume; quite a thoroughly complete presentation of the apparatus and addenda so helpful for the intelligent student. The philosophico-theological contents are welcome and appropriate to our times. The basic interest in the writings of St. Thomas possessed by those lacking the linguistic achievement required for a critical perusal of the original receives added stimuli and development by this work. The Angelic Doctor's fundamental point of view, objective rather than subjective, ontological rather than epistemological, will be a fresh outlook to some contemporary discussions of the questions concerning " truth." Moreover, a vital English presentation of the basic principles and discussions found in this work may be of great service for the clarification of anglicizedLatin formulae found in other " translations " of other works of St. Thomas. We are, indeed, grateful to the editors of the Library of Living C~tholic Thought for the selection of this work as a capable vehicle to achieve their...