The Summa Theologica (Latin: "Summary of Theology" or "Highest Theology") is the most famous work of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274). It was intended as a manual for beginners as a compilation of all of the main theological teachings of the time. It summarizes the reasoning of all points of Christian theology, which before the Protestant Reformation subsisted solely in the Roman Catholic Church. The Summa's topics follow a cycle: the existence of God; God's creation, Man; Man's purpose; Christ; the Sacraments; and back to God. It is famous for its five arguments for the existence of God, the Quinquae viae (Latin: five ways). Throughout his work, Aquinas cites Augustine of Hippo, Aristotle, and other Christian, Jewish, Muslim and ancient pagan scholars.

This is an electronic edition of the complete book and includes an author biography. This book features a table of contents linked to every chapter.

The best one-volume Latin Summa Theologiae. It is finely crafted, with high quality paper, clear type, and well spaced columns. It has excellent footnotes and cross-references with scholarship up to the 1950s. It can only be purchased new from Rome. ( )

This is perhaps the best edition of Saint Thomas Aquinas's famous magnum opus. I was given this set as a very expensive, very generous gift from a friend, and I could not believe how exquisite it was. The original Latin is a nice touch, it offers a more intimate study simply by being present, even if one cannot understand the text. I truly love my eight-volume Summa Theologiæ, and it is the most prized book in my collection. ( )

This giant work is worthy of the Great Ideas. However, if there's one entry for which a well-chosen sampling is sufficient, this is it. Aquinas lived in the middle part of the 1200's. He was born to better-than-average means and was often offered high places within the church. He declined the latter in order to teach. He was a defender of the Dominican sect, bringing a new rigor to the form of religious "science" and also great reputation for himself. He brings the dialectic format of Socrates and the precision of Aristotle to the ongoing refinement of religious doctrine. Within that context, his ideas and style were novel and for this he did indeed offer a new, great idea. He falls short, however, of offering the type of religious truth one might hope for. His premise begins with the Bible, existing Catholic doctrine, and a number of philosophers, those other than Aristotle primarily religious. He quotes the vulgate and Aristotle most frequently. With this base of "facts," it is hard for his great format to proceed to build anything other than a solid castle built on that which might not be. The new leap he made was the setting of a hypothesis, along with supporting evidence, followed by rejection based more evidence. He also argues a lot of points that, while surely important at the time, strike me as something I could just as well wait to find out (Whether God is the Same as His Essense, Whether the Human Soul Was Produced Before the Body, Whether the Body of Man was Given a Fitting Disposition, How Angels Move). I'm sure the church felt differently, having a strong scholarly drive and a need to be able to project a doctrine consistent within itself. ( )

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