Thomas de Vio Cajetan

The In De Ente et Essentia is a polemical work of a brilliant young Dominican professor, Thomas de Vio Cajetan (1469-1534), eager to defend the philosophical legacy of Thomas Aquinas. Drawing from the full range of St. Thomas's writings, the work offers a coherent Thomistic metaphysical theory set against the rival Scotist and Averroist positions defended at Italian Universities in the 1490s. This new English translation is an invitation to philosophers and historians to re-engage with Cajetan, with his 15th Century rivals, and, of course, with Thomas Aquinas himself. It is also a challenge and inspiration to do metaphysics through dialectical engagement with the greatest rival theories of our own time and place.

When Leo XIII promulgated Aeterni Patris in 1879, he stipulated that the "Leonine," or official, edition of the Summa should always be printed in conjunction with Cajetan's Commentary. For five hundred years they were studied together. Generations were trained by reading through the Summa article by article with Cajetan's commentaries in hand. Early printed editions of the Summa typically included them in a Talmudic arrangement, as marginal text running around each article by Aquinas. This edition imitates that example. Recently, serious thinkers of all denominations—and none—have found new reasons to be interested in St. Thomas. His text is deceptively simple, yet important issues are handled in every article, sometimes below the surface. Cajetan extracts these hidden issues, and explains and elaborates on them with remarkable affinity to modern analytical philosophy. Part of that affinity lies in the use of modal logic, a tool whose importance was overlooked between the Renaissance and the twentieth century. The time is ripe for an analytically-inspired translation of Thomas: hence this volume. Never until now has Cajetan's Commentary been put into English in its entirety. William Marshner's translation is consistent with fidelity to the technical force of the original. The translator's footnotes acknowledge what empirical science has made obsolete in the work of St. Thomas, and also make clear how much today's science would have saved Thomas useless labor. This volume will, for the first time, make Cajetan's help available to the modern reader.

When Leo XIII promulgated Aeterni Patris in 1879, he stipulated that the "Leonine," or official, edition of the Summa should always be printed in conjunction with Cajetan's Commentary. For five hundred years they were studied together. Generations were trained by reading through the Summa article by article with Cajetan's commentaries in hand. Early printed editions of the Summa typically included them in a Talmudic arrangement, as marginal text running around each article by Aquinas. This edition imitates that example. Recently, serious thinkers of all denominations—and none—have found new reasons to be interested in St. Thomas. His text is deceptively simple, yet important issues are handled in every article, sometimes below the surface. Cajetan extracts these hidden issues, and explains and elaborates on them with remarkable affinity to modern analytical philosophy. Part of that affinity lies in the use of modal logic, a tool whose importance was overlooked between the Renaissance and the twentieth century. The time is ripe for an analytically-inspired translation of Thomas: hence this volume. Never until now has Cajetan's Commentary been put into English in its entirety. William Marshner's translation is consistent with fidelity to the technical force of the original. The translator's footnotes acknowledge what empirical science has made obsolete in the work of St. Thomas, and also make clear how much today's science would have saved Thomas useless labor. This volume will, for the first time, make Cajetan's help available to the modern reader.

The Analogy Of Names And Concept Of Being is a philosophical treatise written by Thomas De Vio Cajetan, a prominent 16th-century Italian theologian and philosopher. The book explores the concept of analogy in language and the relationship between language and reality. Cajetan argues that words and concepts have both univocal and equivocal meanings, and that the meaning of a word depends on its context and the intention of the speaker. He also examines the nature of being and existence, and the relationship between essence and existence. The book is considered an important contribution to the field of metaphysics and has been influential in the development of philosophical thought. Written in Latin, the book has been translated into various languages and is still studied and debated by scholars today. Duquesne Studies Philosophical Series No. 4. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.