One of our blog readers kindly reminded me that Peter Kreeft published an even shorter subset of the Summa than the Summa of the Summa called simply "A Shorter Summa" containing the essential philosophical passages of St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica. The Summa itself was declared by the Council of Trent to be second only to the Bible in importance for Christians to read. the Summa incorporates the teachings of philosophers over the prior 2,000 years therefore it is a very efficient introduction to philosophical methodology. Now, the Summa itself is approaching 4,000 pages and the Summa of the Summa 500+ but the Shorter Summa is 162 short pages including the glossary and extensive footnotes. Before you start your next book you need to find an excuse not to read this fascinating introduction to Christian Theology. You have a one month head start before I prompt the students to go home and ask their parents to explain some of the basic philosophical theories that govern our daily lives as a Catholic community! Enjoy your long weekend and if you happen to need some reading material...
PS "The Dog ate my Summa" was 1st claimed several hundred years ago although "the dog ate my I-pad with the Summa on it" might just buy you some sympathy.
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