Description
Book SynopsisThis new work clarifies Aquinas' concept of natural law through his biblical commentaries, and explores its applications to U.S. constitutional law.
- The first time the use of Aquinas on the U.S. Supreme Court has been explored in depth, and its applications tested through a rigorous reading of the biblical commentaries
- Shows how key judgments in the Supreme Court have rested on medieval natural law, and applies critical gender theory to discuss problems with these applications
- Offers new research data to give a different picture of Aquinas and natural law, and a fresh take on Aquinas' biblical commentaries
- New research based on passages in the biblical commentaries never before available in English
Trade Review"It is essential reading for any theologian engaging with Aquinas’s ethics and for any lawyer who wants to reflect on their calling after Aquinas." (Studies in Christian Ethics, 1 November 2015)
“A “must” for the theological-college library, this is not a book that can be ignored by anyone interested in this fascinating and deeply influential Dominican.” (Church Times, 17 January 2014)
“This book will be particularly useful for graduate students in philosophy and theology. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate students.” (Choice, 1 November 2013)
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments xi
Bibliographic Note xiv
List of Abbreviations xvii
1 Aquinas on the Supreme Court – and on the Bible, or How to Read This Book 1
Part I Aquinas on the Failure of Natural Law 23
2 What Aquinas Thinks We Cannot Know 25
3 How God Moves Creatures: For and Against Natural Law 63
4 How Aquinas Reads Scripture 97
5 How the Law of Nature Is a Character in Decline 118
6 How the Narrative Sexualizes Nature’s Decline 147
Part II Aquinas on the Redemption of Natural Law 177
7 How Aquinas Gets Nature and Grace Back Together Again: Aquinas Meets Karl Barth 179
8 How Faith and Reason Follow Glory 215
9 How Aquinas Makes Nature Dynamic All the Way Down: Aquinas Meets Judith Butler 232
10 How the Spirit Moves the Law 247
11 How Natural Science Becomes a Form of Prayer 265
12 How the Semen of the Spirit Genders the Gentiles: Rereading Romans 289
Conclusion: Questions Answered and Unanswered 298
Subject Index 305
Index of Thomistic Citations 313
