Works of St. Bonaventure

Without exception, every word of philosophy Bonaventure ever wrote is contained in works explicitly religious-in sermons, works of spiritual direction, and theology. For this reason, we begin by looking at Bonaventure's conception of theology and the place of philosophical reasoning within it. In his attempt to present a theology that is a "science" which leads us to "wisdom," Bonaventure uses language that might at first glance seem to be merely metaphorical. But Bonaventure's care in making his language precise and philosophical in understanding God is a tribute to the optimism the greatest Masters of Theology at mid-thirteenth century Paris had in the rational possibilities of the human mind. This volume has not been designed to cover all the profound points Br. Bonaventure made in treating God philosophically in his Commentary, but only to highlight a few important issues, so that the reader will have a preliminary view of the whole, before plunging into the vast and refreshing pool that is his "philosophy of God. Noone and Hauser have made a major contribution to the study of Bonaventure and medieval philosophy by providing a clear translation that introduces his Commentary on the Sentences to English-speaking readers. Their introduction to the volume is a model of scholarship and provides an invaluable tool for the study of Bonaventure and his philosophy of God. - Christopher Cullen, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University

This volume is the first to offer an English translation of St. Bonaventure's Commentary on the Sentences: Book Four, the scope of which is all seven sacraments. Annotations help situate his thinking in the broader theological tradition; explanatory notes as well as introductions help the reader navigate the text. This volume does not translate all of Bonaventure's articles or questions on the sacraments found in his Commentary. According to the judgment of the editors, the translation covers the broad scope of Bonaventure's treatment on sacraments; it presents thereby the foundational principles and fundamentals found in Bonaventure's sacramental theology, especially as these pertain to the integrity of the external sign and the interior reception of grace. For this selection, the Breviloquium, Bonaventure's own outline of his theology, was used as a guide. Thus, peripheral or specifically canonical questions were not included in this translation. Otherwise, the task and the final product would have become unmanageable and even less useful in view of the principal goals mentioned above. Given the centrality of the Eucharist, however, nearly all the questions pertaining to it are included.