This is a brief and accessible introduction to the thought of the great Franciscan theologian St. Bonaventure (c. 1217-74). Cullen focuses on the long-debated relation between philosophy and theology in the work of this important but neglected thinker, revelaing Bonaventure as a great synthesizer. Cullen's exposition also shows in a new and more nuanced way Bonaventure's debt to Augustine, while making clear how he was influenced by Aristotle. The book is organized according to the categories of Bonaventure's own classic text. De reductione artium ad theologiam. Part I is devoted to...

The great Franciscan theologian St. Bonaventure (c.1217-74) engaged in philosophy as well as theology, and the relation between the two in Bonaventure's work has long been debated. Yet, few studies have been devoted to Bonaventure's thought as a whole. In this survey, Christopher M. Cullen reveals Bonaventure as a great synthesizer, whose system of thought bridged the gap between theology and philosophy.

The book is organized according to the categories of Bonaventure's own classic text, De reductione artium ad theologiam. Cullen follows Bonaventure's own division of the branches...

Maritain and America explores the engagement of his thought with the American political experiment in representative democracy and the culture of liberal individualism that it has fostered. The book begins with a consideration of the sources for the American founding - English common law, Protestant Christianity, Lockean natural rights theory - and then proceeds to examine the American political order from the perspective of various philosophers in the tradition of Thomas Aquinas. These scholars are concerned with, among other things, the relationship of natural law and natural rights,...