St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae

The Summa theologiae is St Thomas Aquinas's account of the whole of sacred doctrine, written between 1266 and 1273 and left unfinished: it stops in the Third Part at question 90, on Penance. The Supplement printed after it in most editions was compiled by his secretary, Reginald of Piperno, from Thomas's commentary on the fourth book of the Sentences. The plan of the whole is set out at the head of the First Part, question 2: God; the rational creature's advance towards God; Christ, who as man is our way to God.

“The Summa of St. Thomas, the classic type of such production in the field of theology, allows us to fix its characteristics. Its intent, as he expresses it in the prologue, is to set forth everything that pertains to Catholic doctrine […]. It is, substantially, a work of coordination and scientific rethinking, not a simple compilation of Sententiae of the Fathers and ancient writers […].

This work exercised an influence analogous to that which Peter Lombard's Sentences had previously exercised: it became the object of study and commentary.”

— Palemone Glorieux, Summae (SOMME), I. Theological Summae, Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. XI (1953)

In the encyclopedia's article on St Thomas, Cornelio Fabro calls it “his unfinished masterpiece”, “written for the benefit of the young students of the Order to guide them through the chaos in which theological teaching, tied to the commentaries on the Sentences of Peter Lombard, was often lost” (St Thomas Aquinas, II. Works, vol. XII, 1954).

Here in the English Dominican translation (2nd edition, 1920-25); at the foot of each question, the articles of the encyclopedia that cite it.