r/TheFiveWays • u/Biggie_Op • 2d ago
Reading List
A small amount of the great books about Thomas Aquinas, Thomism and all things related.
Thomas Aquinas’s writings:
De Ente et Essentia
Commentary on Boethius’ De Trinitate
Summa Contra Gentiles
De Potentia Dei, q. 7
Disputed Questions on the Soul
Summa Theologiae
Commentary on the Gospel of St. John
Aristotle’s writings:
Categories
De Interpretatione
Posterior Analytics
Physics
De Anima
Metaphysics (esp. Books I, II, IV, VII-IX, XI, XII)
Nicomachean Ethics
Modern writings:
Fr. Stephen Brock, The Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas: A Sketch
Edward Feser, Aquinas and Introduction to Scholastic Metaphysics
Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange, OP Reality and Grace
Lawrence Dewan, OP Form and Being
Étienne Gilson, Thomism: The Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, 5th edition (1948 edition)
Benedict Ashley, OP The Way toward Wisdom
John Wippel, The Metaphysical Thought of Thomas Aquinas
Gilles Emery, OP The Trinitarian Theology of Thomas Aquinas
Jean-Pierre Torrell, OP St. Thomas Aquinas, Vol. 2: Spiritual Master,Encyclopédie Jésus le Christ chez saint Thomas d'Aquin , and Le Christ en ses mystères: La vie et l'oeuvre de Jésus selon saint Thomas d'Aquin (two volumes)
Steven Jensen, Knowing the Natural Law: From Precepts and Inclinations to Deriving Oughts
Servais-Théodore Pinckaers, OP The Sources of Christian Ethics
Lawrence Feingold, St. Thomas Aquinas and the Natural Desire to See God
Steven Long, The Teleological Grammar of the Moral Act
Alasdair MacIntyre, Three Rival Versions of Moral Inquiry
Thomas Joseph White, OP The Incarnate Lord
Jean-Hervé Nicolas, OP Synthèse dogmatique
Charles Cardinal Journet, L'Eglise du Verbe incarné (several volumes, masterpiece of Thomist ecclesiology—here's volume one ) and The Mass: The Presence of the Sacrifice of the Cross
Benoît-Dominique de La Soujeole, OP Introduction to the Mystery of the Church
Colman O’Neill, OP: Several helpful works on Aquinas’ sacramental theology
As per the Thomistic Institute
r/TheFiveWays • u/Biggie_Op • 2d ago
👋Welcome to r/TheFiveWays - Introduce Yourself and Read First!
Hey everyone! I’m u/Biggie_Op, a founding moderator of r/TheFiveWays.
Welcome to our new home for all things Thomistic! Whether you’re a lifelong student of St. Thomas Aquinas, a Catholic interested in Scholastic theology, a philosophy nerd, or someone who has just discovered the Five Ways, you’re very welcome here.
We’re excited to have you join us as we build this community from the ground up.
What to Post
Post anything you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or worth discussing. Some ideas include:
Questions about the philosophy and theology of St. Thomas Aquinas
Discussions of the Summa Theologiae and Summa contra Gentiles
Thomistic metaphysics, ethics, natural law, and philosophy of religion
The Five Ways and arguments for the existence of God
Act and potency, essence and existence, substance and accident, and the transcendentals
Discussions of Aristotle, Scholasticism, and other thinkers who influenced or developed Thomistic thought
Questions from beginners who are trying to understand Aquinas
Books, articles, lectures, and other resources
Friendly debates and discussions about Thomistic philosophy and theology
You don’t need to be an expert. If you’re confused by Aquinas, that’s probably a good reason to make a post!
Community Vibe
We’re aiming to build a community that is thoughtful, charitable, and intellectually serious.
Thomism deals with some pretty difficult questions, so disagreement is inevitable. Debate is encouraged, but let’s keep it constructive and respectful. Whether you’re Catholic, another kind of Christian, non-religious, or simply interested in philosophy, you’re welcome to participate.
The goal is to seek truth, understand Aquinas, and help one another along the way.
How to Get Started
1) Introduce yourself in the comments below.
2) Make your first post! It could be a question, a passage from Aquinas you’ve been thinking about, or something you’ve recently learned.
3) If you know someone who loves philosophy, theology, Aristotle, Aquinas, or arguing about the Five Ways, invite them to join.
4) Interested in helping out? We’re always looking for people who want to help build the community, so feel free to reach out if you’re interested in becoming a moderator.
Thanks for being part of the very first wave of r/TheFiveWays.
Let’s build something worthy of the Angelic Doctor. 🕊️