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Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, 1463

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Title: Summa theologiae, secunda pars, pars seconda
Author: Aquinas, Thomas
Description: 238 (of 248) leaves, lacking 4 text leaves, 2 index leaves, & 2 blanks. Rubricated initials and paragraph markings. Text in two columns. 15½x11½, early 20th century half morocco & boards. This is the rare first printing of any portion of the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas, considered the greatest work of Christian Philosophy, and one of the most influential books in the annals of Christianity. This is also the earliest obtainable book printed in France, being preceded only by Mentelin's Bible of c.1460, of which only one copy has appeared at auction since 1900, back in 1923. Of the present work, apparently only four different copies have been offered at auction during the past 50 years, although some of them multiple times. It is, by most estimations, the earliest obtainable book.

Written in the 13th century, the Summa Theologiae is a complete and scientifically arranged summary of Christian philosophy. The three books deal with God, man and Christ, respectively, and this second book - often called "The Moral Theology" - is itself split into two large parts. The various sections of the Summa Theologiae were separately printed, and reprinted, by different printers over a span of twenty years, with the first complete printing of all parts not being achieved until 1485. The portion printed here, the second part of Book II, is the most popular portion of the Summa, dealing with human ethics and based on Aristotle's philosophy. Besides its other attributes, this is important as being the first printed work on ethics.

St. Thomas Aquinas, c.1225-1274, of Aquino, Italy, a Dominican Friar, called both "The Angelic Doctor" and "The Christian Aristotle," wrote more that 60 works covering logic, natural philosophy, moral philosophy, metaphysics and theology, though the Summa Theologiae is by far his most famous and influential. He was endowed with a capacious mind and almost photographic memory, and his works abound with citations from both Christian and pagan authors. History records that he experienced multiple "ecstasies," and numerous miracles are associated with him. He was canonized fifty years after his death.
Place Published: Strassburg, France
Publisher Name: Johann Mentelin
Date Published: Before Advent, 1463

This copy lacking six text leaves, including the first two (one of which is the incipit leaf), the last two leaves of index (which are supplied in excellent facsimile), and two leaves in the middle; also lacking the four blanks, which were spaced through the work. The first leaf present is lacking about a third, being torn vertically; the 2nd leaf with top corner torn off not affecting text; the 7th leaf with piece torn from top margin; the 40th leaf stained on recto; the 184th leaf with 5x5" piece torn from lower corner affecting text; a few other marginal chips. Tiny wormhole through lower margin of about the first half of the leaves; some fairly minor soiling, a few marginal repairs, last signatures of six leaves laid in loose as a unit and slightly shorter, still very good, printed on fine thick paper, an important edition of one of the landmarks of human thought.

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