First volume of Aquinas's Sentences Commentary (Latin/English) now available!

Undoubtedly readers of this site are well aware that The Aquinas Institute has undertaken the project of publishing a bilingual Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor in approximately 60 hardcover volumes. The progress has been impressive so far: the Summa Theologiae; the Pauline Commentaries; the Matthew and John Commentaries; the Job Commentary. All of these, due to their quality and comparatively low cost, have now become standard go-to editions for teachers, students, theologians, philosophers, and general readers.

After years of work under an NEH grant, The Aquinas Institute is happy to announce that the edition of Book IV of St. Thomas's Scriptum super Sententiarum is starting to be available in print, with volume 1, distinctions 1-13, just released. I had the privilege of teaching the Albert the Great Summer Program in Norcia this past July, on baptism and the Eucharist, using a preliminary copy of this volume. It was a fantastic experience getting into the youthful Aquinas's wrestling with some of the major questions of his day. Once again, as with my own collection of parts of the Scriptum on love and charity, I found that reading the Scriptum on sacraments, although it does not present the definitive position of the saint, nevertheless enriched and enhanced my understanding not only of the realities themselves but also of Aquinas's own process of thinking and maturation.

Also worth of note is that the Latin text that will be used for all the Aquinas Institute volumes of the Scriptum, derived initially from the semi-critical Mandonnet-Moos volumes, has been corrected against the not-yet-released critical edition of the Leonine Commission, with whom the Aquinas Institute is collaborating. That feature will make these volumes the best Latin editions as well as the only English editions.

Please note, as well, that there is a massive sale on Aquinas Institute books during the month of October only -- e.g., the Summa theologiae set is 50% off ($180 for 8 hardcover volumes, instead of the usual $360). Visit the website for more details.

Here are some photos to whet the appetite. The remaining volumes of Book IV of the Scriptum super Sententiarum (for a total of four) will be appearing over the course of the next months. The Aquinas Institute is well under way with Books II and III, with a new NEH grant.