Summa Theologica, Band 2: Prima Pars, Quaestiones 43- 83

The Summa Theologica (translated as 'Summary of Theology'), often simply referred to as the Summa, is the most well-known work of Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), a scholastic theologian and Doctor of the Church. It serves as a compendium of the key theological teachings of the Catholic Church, intended as a guide for theology students, seminarians, and laypeople. The topics of the Summa, which present the arguments for nearly all content of Christian theology in the West, follow this cycle: God, creation, man, the purpose of man, Christ, the sacraments, and back to God. Although unfinished, the Summa is not only one of the classics of the history of philosophy but also one of the most influential works of Western literature, remaining Aquinas's most complete writing, the fruit of his mature years, in which the thoughts of his entire life are condensed. The author repeatedly cites Christian, Muslim, Hebrew, and pagan sources, including the Holy Scriptures, Aristotle, Augustine of Hippo, Avicenna, Averroes, Al-Ghazali, Boethius, John of Damascus, the Apostle Paul, Pseudo-Dionysius, Maimonides, Anselm of Canterbury, Plato, Cicero, and several others. This is volume two of ten, containing Questions 43 - 83 of the Prima Pars.