Commentary on Isaiah

by Thomas Aquinas

Publishers:

Emmaus Academic; Aquinas Institute

, 2021

Overview

Christians have called the Book of Isaiah a “fifth gospel” because of its striking foretelling of the principal mysteries of the life of Jesus. But how do these prophecies of a still far-off Savior relate to the circumstances of Isaiah’s own time?

St. Thomas Aquinas’s Commentary on Isaiah is believed to be his first major theological work, produced as part of his academic training as a bachelor of theology. Carefully attending to the language and structure of Isaiah’s prophecy and using Scripture to shed light on Scripture, Aquinas explains how Isaiah’s message brought comfort to Israel and pointed forward to the coming of the Christ.

Key Features

• Provides a practical and theological guide to a fruitful reading of the commentary
• Makes use of the New Testament where authors cite Isaiah and extents to others which aren't directly referring to Isaiah
• Contains a penetrating interpretation of Isaiah, an insightful introduction to the exegetical method, and a valuable overview of the theology at an early stage of formation

Praise for Commentary on Isaiah

St. Thomas Aquinas’ Commentary on Isaiah is a great treasure of the Church. The Angelic Doctor’s capacious grasp of both Scripture and reality is brought to bear in illuminating the sweep of the prophet’s words. . . . Louis St. Hilaire’s readable and fluent English translation is itself a notable accomplishment. Professor Wawrykow’s introduction provides a practical and theological guide to a fruitful reading of the commentary. This is simply a splendid volume.

—John F. Boyle, Chairman, Department of Catholic Studies, University of St. Thomas

The past decade or so has seen a great revival of interest in pre-modern commentaries to biblical books. But most of the efforts have been directed to Patristic sources, leaving scholars and students with very few resources from the Middle Ages and beyond. This is a major step in correcting that problem. Everyone learns that St. Thomas was a master of the Sacred Page yet very few attend to these texts. The appearance of his commentary on Isaiah is long overdue!

—Gary A. Anderson, Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Theology, Notre Dame

Carefully wrought translation in a winsome format. Brilliant reminder that one of the most influential theologians in the West was first and foremost an exegete of Sacred Scripture. We are fortunate to have this commentary available for wide readership.

—Christopher R. Seitz, Senior Research Professor of Biblical Interpretation, Wycliffe College in the University of Toronto

Aquinas’s Isaiah commentary, though the subject of a few excellent articles by Jean-Pierre Torrell and others, has been generally neglected. After all, it is a mere ‘cursory’ commentary, composed when Aquinas was still quite young. But as this superb translation by Louis St. Hilaire reveals to an English-language audience, this ‘cursory’ commentary is over five hundred pages long! In its combination of a Christological reading with deep attention to what Isaiah’s words would have communicated in a pre-Christian Jewish context, Aquinas’s commentary challenges many of our notions about what medieval biblical commentary must be. This commentary merits careful study by anyone who aims to read Scripture within Tradition—and, indeed, by anyone who is open to reading Isaiah with fresh eyes today.

—Matthew Levering, James N. and Mary D. Perry Jr. Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

I wholeheartedly recommend St. Thomas’s first substantial theological work, the Commentary on Isaiah, to all those interested in receiving a penetrating interpretation of Isaiah, an insightful introduction to his exegetical method, and a valuable overview of his theology at an early stage of his formation.

—Vincent DeMeo, Associate Professor of New Testament, International Theological Institute, Austria

Product Details

• Title: Commentary on Isaiah
• Author: Thomas Aquinas
• Publishers: Emmaus Academic, Aquinas Institute
• Print Publication Date: 2021
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 592
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible. N.T. › Relation to Isaiah; Bible. O.T. Isaiah › Relation to the N.T; Bible. O.T. Isaiah › Commentaries--Early works to 1800; Bible. O.T. Isaiah › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9781949013856, 1949013855
• Resource ID: LLS:COMMISAIAH
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T19:28:16Z

About Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas (1225–7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church. An immensely influential philosopher, theologian, and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism, he is also known within the latter as the Doctor Angelicus and the Doctor Communis. He was the foremost classical proponent of natural theology and he argued that reason is found in God. His influence on Western thought is considerable, and much of modern philosophy developed or opposed his ideas, particularly in the areas of ethics, natural law, metaphysics, and political theory.

Unlike many currents in the Church of the time, Aquinas embraced the philosophy of Aristotle—whom he called “the Philosopher”—and attempted to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with the principles of Christianity.

His best-known works are the Disputed Questions on Truth (1256–1259), the Summa contra Gentiles (1259–1265), and the unfinished but massively influential Summa Theologica (1265–1274). His commentaries on Scripture and on Aristotle also form an important part of his body of work. Furthermore, Thomas is distinguished for his eucharistic hymns, which form a part of the Church’s liturgy. The Catholic Church honors Thomas Aquinas as a saint and regards him as the model teacher for those studying for the priesthood, and indeed the highest expression of both natural reason and speculative theology. In modern times, under papal directives, the study of his works was long used as a core of the required program of study for those seeking ordination as priests or deacons, as well as for those in religious formation and for other students of the sacred disciplines (philosophy, Catholic theology, church history, liturgy, and canon law).

Thomas Aquinas is considered one of the Catholic Church’s greatest theologians and philosophers. Pope Benedict XV declared: “This (Dominican) Order . . . acquired new luster when the Church declared the teaching of Thomas to be her own and that Doctor, honored with the special praises of the Pontiffs, the master and patron of Catholic schools.”

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