Reviewed by Matthew T. Vander Vennet, Donnelly College

Thomas Aquinas: Selected Commentaries on the Old Testament, ed. Jason C. Paone. Word on Fire Academic, 2024. Pp. xxv, 197. ISBN: 978-1-68578-108-8. 

Thomas Aquinas’s brilliance was only made possible by his familiarity with and immersion in Sacred Scripture. His biblical commentaries are not just part of his writings but serve as interpretive keys to his more famous works, indeed, his entire corpus. His works must be studied and considered as a whole. While his New Testament commentaries have been more extensively studied as of late, his Old Testament commentaries merit much more attention.

Thomas Aquinas: Selected Commentaries on the Old Testament, edited by Jason C. Paone and produced by Word on Fire Academic, contributes to the above. Paone states that, “Saint Thomas’s Old Testament commentaries remain some of his most neglected writings…many of his Old Testament lectures merit more attention than they have received from students and scholars of Thomas Aquinas.” (Introduction, xi) This work serves as the companion volume to Thomas Aquinas: Selected Commentaries on the New Testament, edited and produced by the same. This particular volume continues in the same vein as the first and is organized in the same manner.

The selections within the volume cover the entirety of Thomas’s teaching career. The variety of selections and their topical treatments show forth the immense intellect and learning of the Angelic Doctor and the consistency with which he approached his scholarship throughout his entire life. The manner in which Thomas approaches Sacred Scripture is at once theological, philosophical, historical, and literary. Paone offers that Thomas’s “theology of the Old Testament is speculative in a way that is nevertheless profoundly pedagogical and practically vital.” (Introduction, xxiv-xxv)  

As with the previous volume, the material is superbly organized and presented. The Old Testament commentaries chosen for this volume include the books of the Psalms, Job, and Isaiah. As such, this volume is shorter than the previous one. However, the range of topics that are highlighted make the decision to limit to those books of the Old Testament within this work a prudent one.

After the introductory material, the prologues of Thomas on each of the books are offered. Thereafter follow the commentaries themselves. There are five chapters that cover five topics using Thomas’s commentaries: “Divine Wisdom, Creation, and the Cosmos”, “Divine Justice, Human Sin, and Suffering”, “Divine Revelation”, “Christ, Redemption, and the Church”, and the “Last Things.” Like the previous volume, the commentaries follow Thomas’s usual methods of discussion and explication as found in his other works. Once again, Thomas’s genius shows in his ability to synthesize, expose, and explain these particular verses of the Old Testament. It is clear to see Thomas’s love of Scripture and its animating influence on his own life. Additionally, with the stellar editing by Paone, there are numerous footnotes included which show other sources that Aquinas was drawing from in his commentary or provide other necessary information to the reader. Finally, the volume provides a bibliography, a general index, and an index of Ancient Sources.

These commentaries are a rich addition to the continued study of St. Thomas Aquinas and his thought, especially as it relates to Sacred Scripture. This is certainly a worthwhile addition to any library and the necessary completion to the set. Once again, Jason Paone and Word on Fire Academic has produced an eminently usable and needed volume of the Scriptural work of the Angelic Doctor.