As part of our 75th anniversary celebration, we are continuing to highlight foundational authors on our list that have been instrumental in advancing knowledge across subjects and disciplines. Scholarly work continues to impact the lives of educators, students, and more. St. Thomas Aquinas is one of Catholicism’s greatest theologians and philosophers, and we are proud to have so many of his works on our list.
Part of our mission as a University Press is to make scholarly works available so that valuable knowledge from centuries ago can continue to enlighten us and fuel conversations today. Our translations of Aquinas’s original Latin preserve the integrity of his words while allowing more people to read them. He has written on topics across philosophy and theology, with some of his most famous works being Summa Theologiae and Summa Contra Gentiles.
Below is a highlight of the multiple Treatises that Aquinas wrote, some of them being part of his unfinished magnum opus, Summa Theologiae.
Treatise on the Virtues
by St. Thomas Aquinas
translated by John A. Oesterle
In his Treatise on the Virtues, Aquinas discusses the character and function of habit; the essence, subject, cause, and meaning of virtue; and the separate intellectual, moral, cardinal, and theological virtues. His work constitutes one of the most thorough and incisive accounts of virtue in the history of Christian philosophy. John Oesterle’s accurate and elegant translation makes this enduring work readily accessible to the modern reader.
“At the heart of this treatise are the subtle but crucial distinctions St. Thomas draws among the intellect and will, and the intellectual, moral, and theological virtues—establishing at the same time their interdependence. The discussion of prudence, as the bridge between the intellectual and moral virtues, is one of the classic accomplishments of Western thought.”
—Faith & Reason
The Treatise on Law
by St. Thomas Aquinas
translated by R. J. Henle, S.J.
In this translation of Saint Thomas Aquinas’s The Treatise on Law, R. J. Henle, S.J., a well-known authority on philosophy and jurisprudence, fluently and accurately presents the Latin and English translation of this important work. Henle provides the necessary background for an informed reading of the Treatise, as well as the only in-depth commentary available in English on this text. The first section of the book contains an introduction to St. Thomas’s life, work, writings, and jurisprudence. Henle discusses the structure of St. Thomas’s magnum opus, Summa Theologiae, from which The Treatise on Law is excerpted. A brief section is included on Scholastic philosophy and also on St. Thomas’s approach to the study of law. Henle then examines Thomas’s definition of a law and the general doctrinal background for the Treatise. Finally Henle explores St. Thomas’s sources, including his use of auctoritates, or authoritative quotations drawn primarily from the Bible, Aristotle, St. Augustine, and St. Isidore of Seville. The second part of the book contains the Latin text of the Treatise presented unit by unit, each followed by the English translation and, when appropriate, by a comment. The Treatise on Law will be of interest to law students, lawyers, judges, and legal scholars. It will also appeal to those interested in St. Thomas’s legal philosophy, such as political scientists, theoretical sociologists, and cultural historians. For philosophers, especially beginners in medieval philosophy, it serves as a good introduction to the thought of St. Thomas.
“Distinguished Jesuit scholar R.J. Henle provides us with a text and translation of the Treatise on Law that both locates it in its native habitat and enables it to live a responsible life on its own. Henle has produced a magnificently useful book that should revolutionize courses in moral and political philosophy as well as those in jurisprudence.”
—Ralph McInerny, author of A First Glance at St. Thomas Aquinas
“The four chapters of the introduction discuss such items as the life and work of St. Thomas, the structure of the Summa, Scholasticism, St. Thomas’s approach to the study of law, the nature of definition, the clarification of key terms, ‘Nature and Essence,’ the virtues, Thomas’s doctrine on natural law, with a chapter on St. Thomas’s sources and his use of them. This is followed by the Latin text of the Treatise unit by unit, each unit in turn followed by the English translation and when appropriate by a comment.”
—Manuscripta
Treatise on Happiness
by St. Thomas Aquinas
translated by John A. Osterle
The Treatise on Happiness and the accompanying Treatise on Human Acts comprise the first twenty-one questions of I-II of the Summa Theologiae. From his careful consideration of what true happiness is, to his comprehensive discussion of how it can be attained, St. Thomas Aquinas offers a challenging and classic statement of the goals of human life, both ultimate and proximate. This translation presents in accurate, consistent, contemporary English the great Christian thinker’s enduring contributions on the subject of man’s happiness.
“[This] text . . . performs an extremely useful task. It makes an important part of Thomas’s moral thought readily available to those with little or no knowledge of Latin, and without the wherewithal to approach the large and costly English editions. It is a step in the right direction, not of returning to some Catholic version of fundamentalist bibliolatry, but of reading a Christian theologian and philosopher whose immense wisdom repays careful study by Christians and non-Christians alike.”
—New Oxford Review
“[This] excellent translations go far towards capturing the best aspects of St. Thomas’ Latin prose: laconic and condensed, but always clear and orderly.”
—Faith and Reason