Thomas Aquinas wrote his Disputed Questions on the Power of God
(Quaestiones Disputatae de Potentia Dei) in Rome in 1265-66. Begun,
though probably not completed, before he wrote the first part of his
famous work, the Summa theologiae, the de potentia Dei considered
ten questions that evoked lively debate in Thomas' day and continue to
do so in our own.
This volume includes a new English translation of Question 3, in which
Thomas takes up questions and ideas about divine and human freedom,
whether or not the world is created, the problem of evil, the efficacy
of creatures, and the status of the developing human embryo. It offers a
comprehensive treatment of creation and the metaphysics and anthropology
Thomas employs in considering the general creation of the universe and
the particular creation of each human being.
Susan C. Selner-Wright's translation of the critical Leonine edition is
intended to make Thomas' contribution to the current discussion more
accessible. It constitutes a focused but extended example of Thomas at
the height of his intellectual powers. We find him here in conversation
with fifty different source works; engaged with the ideas of pagan,
Christian, Islamic, and Jewish thought; and demonstrating his
understanding of philosophy and theology as distinct but complementary
disciplines. Throughout the text, Selner-Wright directs the reader to
Thomas' own sources, related texts elsewhere in Thomas' corpus, and
secondary sources. Philosophical notes give background for particular
claims or arguments and trace important philosophical principles at work
throughout the text.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR:
Susan C. Selner-Wright is associate professor of philosophy at St. John
Vianney Theological Seminary.
