The Middle Ages and Philosophy

By Anton C. Pegis

The Middle Ages and Philosophy, delivered in 1962 as the inaugural James R. Bayley Lecture at Seton Hall University, examines the character of Thomistic theology and the place of philosophical ideas within it. The key insight is that philosophy—for Thomas Aquinas and the other scholastics—is both properly its own science and a necessity instrument in the development of a bona fide theology. With no pretensions to be an exhaustive treatment of its topic, The Middle Ages and Philosophy is worthy of close and considerate attention for its succinct presentation of the abidingly complicated question of what constitutes “Christian” philosophy.

“The present-day Thomist will not achieve his own philosophical aim in the modern world until he comes to terms with the theology of St. Thomas in its unity and on its own ground.” (Anton C. Pegis)

Anton C. Pegis (1905–1978) was an American philosopher and prominent figure in the twentieth-century advancement of Thomistic thought. A protégé of Étienne Gilson, he taught at Marquette University, Fordham University, and the University of Toronto. In 1975, Pegis received the American Catholic Philosophical Association’s Aquinas Medal.

Paperback: 114pp.

ISBN: 978-1950970711