KNOWING THE LOVE OF CHRIST: An Introduction to the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas

This well-organized primer on St. Thomas Aquinas's theology will be a real boon to theology students. Brief and accessible at only 136 pages, the books' chapters cover the Trinity, creation, happiness and virtue, law and grace, Christ, salvation, and the Sacraments. Dauphinais and Levering do not bog the book down with complex discussions about Aquinas's theological distinctiveness, or debates about where he fits into the "canon" of Christian thinkers. They are attentive to the role of language in Aquinas's theology, and to the important philosophical questions that drive his thinking. However, they explore theology at the expense of Aquinas's historical context; readers are not given so much as his birth and death dates, let alone information on his family, education, or surroundings. Such single-minded devotion to theology at the expense of history will appeal to some readers while confusing others. (Nov.)