Authors and Works Cited
Authors and Works Cited
The following authors and works are cited explicitly by Aquinas in the text of his Quodlibetal Questions.
Alexander Alexander of Aphrodisias (fl. 200 ad) was a peripatetic philosopher and the most famous ancient Greek commentator on the works of Aristotle. He sought to retrieve Aristotle’s thought in its purity, and was often called “The Commentator,” a title he shared with Averroes.
Al-Ghazali Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (c. 1058–1111 ad) was an Islamic philosopher, theologian, and jurist. He developed and defended Sunni theology against Shiite theology and Aristotelian philosophy.
Ambrose St. Ambrose of Milan (c. 340–397 ad) was a bishop of Milan, renowned preacher, and defender of Christian orthodoxy against Arianism. His influential works on faith and morals draw on both ancient and eastern sources. He had the distinction of baptizing St. Augustine.
Anselm St. Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033–1109 ad) was a Benedictine monk, abbot of Bec, and archbishop of Canterbury. He used dialectic to investigate Christian doctrines as an exercise of faith seeking understanding, which earned him the name “The Father of Scholasticism.”
Apostle St. Paul (c. 5–67 ad), born Saul of Tarsus, was a Jewish convert to Christianity. He founded several early Christian churches and authored many of the letters contained in the New Testament. Although he was not one of the original twelve apostles, he called himself an apostle to the gentiles (cf. Romans 11:13), and eventually came to be known simply as “The Apostle.”
Aristotle Aristotle (384–322 bc) was an ancient Greek scientist and philosopher, student of Plato, and teacher of Alexander the Great. He founded the Lyceum in Athens and the peripatetic school of philosophy. He wrote on a wide range of topics and was so influential in the Middle Ages that he eventually came to be known simply as “The Philosopher.”
Augustine St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 ad) was a rhetorician, convert to Christianity, bishop of Hippo, and defender of Christian orthodoxy against Manicheanism, Pelagianism, and Donatism. He was much influenced by Neoplatonism and had an incomparable effect on western Christian thought.
Averroes Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Rushd (1126–1198 ad) was an Islamic philosopher, jurist, and physician. He sought to retrieve Aristotle’s thought in its purity, and to defend philosophy from its Islamic critics. He was often referred to as “The Commentator.”
Avicebron Solomon Ben Yehuda ibn Gabirol (c. 1020–1070 ad) was a Jewish philosopher and poet. He combined Neoplatonic doctrines with those of the Old Testament, and was best known for his view that all creatures (even the incorporeal) are composed of matter and form.
Avicenna Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abdallah ibn Sina (c. 970–1037 ad) was an Islamic polymath most famous for his influential works of philosophy and medicine. His philosophical thought was more Aristotelian than Neoplatonic, and very controversial within medieval Islam.
Basil St. Basil the Great (c. 330–379 ad) was a bishop of Caeserea, and defender of Christian orthodoxy against Arianism. He is one of the “Cappadocian Fathers,” along with his brother St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Gregory of Nazianzus. He had a great impact on eastern monasticism.
Bede St. Bede the Venerable (c. 672–735 ad) was a Benedictine monk, priest, theologian, and historian. His renowned Ecclesiastical History of the English People earned him the title “The Father of English History.”
Benedict St. Benedict of Nursia (480–543 ad) was a monk, abbot, and religious founder. The Rule of St. Benedict synthesized earlier sources into a more balanced set of guidelines for the life of monks, and became the basis for most forms of western monasticism.
Bernard St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153 ad) was an abbot, theologian, and leader of the Cistercian reform of Benedictine monasticism. He was heavily involved in the politics of his day, and famous for his deeply affecting sermons, which earned him the title “Mellifluous Doctor.”
Boethius Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (c. 477–525 ad) was a Roman statesman and philosopher. His translations and commentaries transmitted Aristotle’s logic to the Middle Ages. He wrote his famous Consolation of Philosophy while awaiting his own unjust execution.
Book on Causes The Book on Causes or Book on Pure Goodness is an anonymous ninth-century work of Neoplatonic philosophy originally attributed to Aristotle but actually based largely on Proclus’s Elements of Theology—a fact first recognized by Aquinas.
Cassiodorus Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c. 490–585 ad) was a Roman statesman, scholar, and monk. He wrote on both secular and sacred themes. The monastery of Vivarium, which he founded, preserved and transmitted classical learning to the Middle Ages.
Chrysostom St. John Chrysostom (c. 349–407 ad) was a bishop of Constantinople, famous preacher (“Chrysostom” means “Golden-Mouthed”), and defender of the Antiochian school of literal interpretation of scripture against the Alexandrian school of allegorical interpretation.
Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 bc) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, and philosopher. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Latin prose stylists of the ancient world. He helped to make Latin more suitable for philosophical reflection and the transmission of Greek thought.
Conferences The Conferences is a work of spiritual theology by the monk John Cassian (c. 360–435 ad) based on conversations that he had with elder monks about the spiritual life.
Damascene St. John Damascene (c. 675–749 ad) was a monk, priest, and early defender of icons in the controversy over their use by Christians. His most influential work, On Orthodox Faith, gathers the teachings of the early Church fathers on a wide range of Christian doctrines.
Decretum The Decretum was a collection of papal decrees, conciliar canons, and patristic judgments compiled by the canon lawyer Gratian (fl. 1150 ad). It is part of what came to be known as the Body of Canon Law, which remained in use in the Catholic Church until 1918.
Decretals The Decretals was a collection of papal letters containing judgments about matters of discipline within the Church. It is part of what came to be known as the Body of Canon Law, which remained in use in the Catholic Church until 1918.
Dionysius Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (fl. 500 ad) was a philosopher and theologian who put Neoplatonic thought into a new Christian form. He was long mistaken for the Athenian convert of St. Paul (cf. Acts 17:34), which made his works hugely influential in the Middle Ages.
Gennadius Gennadius of Marseilles (d. c. 498 ad) was a Semipelagian priest and historian, best known for his continuation of St. Jerome’s series of biographies On Illustrious Men. His work On Church Dogmas was long misattributed to St. Augustine.
Gregory St. Gregory the Great (c. 540–604 ad) was a monk, abbot, and the first pope of his name. He oversaw a great expansion of papal power, a reform of the liturgy, and the conversion of England. He wrote far more than any previous pope and greatly influenced moral theology.
Gloss The Gloss was a running commentary on the Bible made up of quotations from the Church fathers. It originated in the twelfth century, and became standard throughout the later Middle Ages. The Ordinary Gloss appeared in the margins, and the Interlinear Gloss appeared between the lines.
Hilary St. Hilary of Poitiers (c. 310–367 ad) was a Christian convert, theologian, bishop of Poitiers, and defender of Christian orthodoxy against Arianism, for which he was known as “The Athanasius of the West.” His theological works draw on both ancient and eastern sources.
Hugh of St. Victor Hugh of St. Victor (c. 1096–1141 ad) was a canon regular, philosopher, theologian, and mystic. The monastic school of St. Victor achieved its great success under his headship. His mastery of St. Augustine’s thought earned him the name “Another Augustine.”
Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV (c. 1195–1245 ad), born Sinibaldo de Fieschi, was a count, canon lawyer, and later pope. He convened the First Council of Lyons.
Isidore St. Isidore of Seville (c. 560–636 ad) was a scholar, theologian, archbishop of Seville, and defender of Christian orthodoxy against Arianism. His encyclopedic Etymologies preserved much classical learning, and became a standard textbook throughout the Middle Ages.
Jerome St. Jerome (c. 342–420 ad) was a priest, hermit, historian, theologian, and defender of Christian orthodoxy against Arianism, Pelagianism, and Origenism. He is most famous for his Latin translation of the Bible (“The Vulgate”) and his commentaries on scripture.
Martin St. Martin of Tours (c. 316–397 ad) was a Roman soldier, Christian convert, hermit for a time, and later bishop of Tours. He is most often depicted cutting his military cloak in two in order to give half of it to a cold beggar.
Master Peter Lombard (c. 1100–1160 ad) was a theologian, canon, and bishop of Paris. His Four Books of Sentences drew together previous Christian teaching, and became the standard textbook of theology, earning him the title “Master of the Sentences,” or simply “The Master.”
On Intelligences The book On Intelligences or Memorial of Difficult Things is a work of metaphysics by Adam de Puteorum Villa, also known as Adam Pulchrae Mulieris, an early thirteenth-century philosopher and theologian who expounded the “metaphysics of light.”
Origen Origen of Alexandria (c. 184–254 ad) was a theologian and biblical exegete. He wrote prolifically, founded a famous school in Caesarea, promoted the allegorical interpretation of scripture, and popularized the homily as a genre. The heresy of Origenism is named after him.
Pope Leo St. Leo the Great (c. 400–461 ad) was the first pope of his name and a defender of Christian orthodoxy against Pelagianism, Manicheanism, and other heresies. He promoted the Christology of the Council of Chalcedon, and convinced Attila the Hun not to invade Rome.
Pope Urban Blessed Urban II (c. 1035–1099 ad) was a bishop of Ostia and later pope. He is most famous for launching the First Crusade.
Porphyry Porphyry of Tyre (c. 234–305 ad) was a Neoplatonist philosopher and student of Plotinus. He wrote on a wide range of topics, and sought to reconcile the thought of Aristotle and Plato. Boethius translated some of his works on Aristotle’s logic, which became quite influential.
Seneca Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 1–65 ad) was a Roman statesman, playwright, and stoic philosopher. He was a teacher and advisor of Nero, at whose command he famously executed himself on (likely false) charges of conspiracy.
Valerius Maximus Valerius Maximus (early first century ad) was a rhetorician and historian during the reign of Tiberius (14–37 ad). Almost nothing is known of his life.
Vegetius Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus (late fourth century ad) was a Christian student of the art of war and medicine. His work On Military Affairs drew on previous accounts of Roman warfare, and became one of the most popular books of military strategy in the Middle Ages.