The Sentences of Peter Lombard was the standard theological text from the twelfth through the fifteenth century. Thomas Aquinas's Commentary on the Sentences (ca. 1252–1256) was written by a young Aquinas in fulfilling the qualifications for becoming a teaching master at the University of Paris; it is perhaps the most comprehensive and detailed of all his works. The Commentary on the Sentences is not a commentary in the sense of a line-by-line analysis of the Lombard's text, but instead, it is the product of lively classroom discussion, in which Aquinas enjoys the liberty to take up any inquiry inspired by the text, treating topics not found anywhere elsewhere in his opus. The second book of the Sentences is concerned with questions revolving around creation.
Notes on the Text:
The Latin text used in this volume is based on the 1929 edition prepared by R. P. Mandonnet, op, further edited and revised by the Aquinas Institute. Certain key passages have also been corrected according to the provisional Leonine edition, as indicated in the footnotes.
The English translation of the Commentary on the Sentences in this volume was prepared by Dr. Christopher Decaen, Rev. Dylan Schrader, and Dr. Beth Mortensen. Translations of the Sentences of Peter Lombard have been adapted from The Sentences, Book 2: On Creation (Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 2008), translated by
Giulio Silano, and used with permission.
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An intellectual giant of the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas is best known for the clarity of thought in his philosophical and theological writings. His primary occupation at the University of Paris was as a theologian and a commentator on Sacred Scripture, and his philosophical work was always at the service of his Scriptural meditations. The writings of Thomas Aquinas remain widely influential to this day. “In his thinking, the demands of reason and the power of faith found the most elevated synthesis ever attained by human thought.” (John Paul II, Fides et Ratio)
