God in Himself Aquinas' Doctrine of God as Expounded in the Summa Theologiae [Hardcover]

During the post-Vatican I period, in the course of the Church's anti-Modernist campaign, Roman Catholic scholars isolated St. Thomas Aquinas's philosophical theology from its neo-Platonism, and other scholars have also tended to treat the various parts of hisSumma Theologiaewithout regard to their historical context. Here, Hankey contends that Thomas Aquinas was less of an Aristotelian than is commonly supposed, and that a proper appreciation of his work requires us to take fuller notice of his reliance on neo-Platonism. In setting out his case, Hankey pays special attention to the influence of Proclus, providing a critical exposition of his work. The author also supports his position by making a careful analysis of the first forty-five questions of theSumma Theologiae.

A needed corrective to the dominant modern tradition of Thomist scholarship....Hankey convincingly demonstrates the significant role of Neoplatonist thinkers...and systems in the formation of Aquinas' philosophical ideas and the literary genres in which these were expressed....Highly recommended. --Choice