The Theology of Fear in Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae

"Fear is a pervasive part of human life but, surprisingly, it is an under-studied topic in philosophy. Thomas Aquinas is one of the history of philosophy's most original and thorough theorists of fear--its nature and its connection to a flourishing human life. In this crystal clear study, Cartagena elucidates Aquinas's philosophy and theology of fear, situating it within the wider context of Aquinas's philosophical anthropology, moral psychology, and theology. Specialists will find a real contribution here, and non-specialists will benefit from Cartagena's patient and thorough exposition of Aquinas's texts. --Thomas M. Ward, associate professor, Baylor University Thomas Aquinas's psychological perceptiveness includes an especially rich account of fear and its role in the moral life, often overlooked precisely because it is spread throughout discussions of passions, habits, sin, gifts, and the person of Christ. Nathan Cartagena offers here a systematic study of Aquinas on fear, which serves both as an accessible introduction to Thomistic moral psychology, and a sophisticated engagement with philosophical and theological scholarship on the passions. Including critical reflection which will no doubt invite further scholarly discussion, Cartagena models sensitive and sympathetic exegesis, finding that the disparate parts of Aquinas's ""expansive theology of fear"" form a cohesive and unified whole. --Joshua P. Hochschild, professor of philosophy, Mount St. Mary's University"