Overview

An impassioned interpretation of the great Catholic scholar’s views and teachings

Entering the controversial debate of who can truly know God, this religious commentary attempts to discredit both the claim that Christians are the only ones who can be close to God and the theory that the great Catholic thinker Thomas Aquinas was in support of this claim. Instead, this analysis posits that, according to Aquinas as well as to mainstream Catholicism throughout the centuries, all people have some access to and knowledge of God, regardless of their religion. An inclusive and spiritual reading of Aquinas and Catholic teaching, this concise book opens the doors to greater dialogue between Christians and non-Christians and demonstrates that Aquinas’ teachings can play an important role in interreligious relations today.

Reviews

"A serene contribution to an ongoing debate, yielding further evidence of Aquinas’ abiding intellectual valence." —David Burrell, CSC, Hesburgh Professor Emeritus, philosophy and theology, University of Notre Dame

"A model of clarity and intellectual precision."—Denys Turner, Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology Yale Divinity School

“A most impressive piece of work that deserves the attention of anyone with an interest in Aquinas, or in the issue of natural theology and its place in ecumenical dialogue.â€â€”Jean Porter, University of Notre Dame

Author Biography

Anna Bonta Moreland is a professor in the department of humanities and Augustinian traditions at Villanova University. She lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.