Pope Leo XIII. in his Encyclical, "_Eterni patris" (August 4, 1879), declared that the phi losophy and theology of Aquinas was the proper basis for all such teaching in Catholic Christen dom. His life was spent in such great toil, not only as an author but as a teacher and as the trusted servant of his order and the adviser of popes, that it was comparatively brief. Vet its literary product was enormous. His mind was remarkably clear, so that although he was the very embodiment of the scholastic method of endless analysis and questionings, he wrote in a way intelligible and interesting to the modern reader. One of his great services is the promi nence he gives to Aristotle, upon whose works he wrote elaborate commentaries. Plato also was his master, and to the fathers he yielded loyal submission. Be also was a profound Bible student, as he showed in his Catena Aurea, which is an exhaustive theological interpretation of the Gospels. In fact, take him all in all, there is no theologian of the past who deserves and rewards study more than he, and the Roman Church does well in accepting him as her great master in theology.
His works, all written in Latin, were first printed by Pope Pins V. (Rome, 1570-71, 17 vols., folio: mod. ed., Paris, 1871-80, 34 vols., 8vo.; probably final form, sanctioned by Pope Leo XIII., Rome, 1882). The greatest of the works, the Summa Theologim was reprinted in eight volumes (Paris, 1809) ; German trans lation, 12 volumes (Ratisbon, 1880-92). The
Summit de Veritate Catholica• Pidei has been published in French, with Latin text (Paris, 1854). Modern English translations of parts of all the works have been published as fol lows: Catena Aurea (8 volumes, London, 1841-45) ; On the Rulers and Members of Chris tian States, from De Regimine Prineipum (Lon don, 1860) ; Homilies upon the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays of the Christian Year, and the Pestiral Homilies (London, 1873) ; On the Two Commandments of Charity and the Ten Commandments of the Law (London, ISSO) ; :Votes on the Angels (London, 1888) ; Maxims and Prayers and the Little Office (London, 18901 ; On the Sacrament (Lon don, 18901; Aquinas Ethieus, or the Moral Teachings of Saint Thomas (London, 1892) ; The Lord's Prayer, made op of parts of the Stemma, in condensed translation ( London, 1892). For interpretation of his work in gen eral, consult: L. Schiltz, Lexicon. Sammlung, send Erlaiirung der in siimmtlichen TVerken des heiligen Thomas; rot: A quinas rorkornmemden Kunstausdriieke and wissensehaft lichen A usspruehe (Paderborn, 1895). For his biography, consult: In English, R. B. Vaughan (London, 1893), Pius Cavanagh (1800) ; in German, C. Verner (Regensburg, 1858-59), J. Tansen (Kevelaer, I89S) ; in Dutch, H. J. Sehaepman (Utrecht, I898).