THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH MEDIAEVAL CONTINUATION VOLUME 11 THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH MEDIAEVAL CONTINUATION EDITORIAL BOARD Gregory F. LaNave The Catholic University of America Press Editorial Director Peter Casarella Steven Marrone DePaul University Tufts University John Cavadini Barbara Newman The University of Notre Dame Northeastern University Frank A. C. Mantello Jan Ziolkowski The Catholic University of America Harvard University David J. McGonagle Director The Catholic University of America Press Carole Monica C. Burnett Staff Editor THOMAS AQUINAS THE ACADEMIC SERMONS Translated by MARK-ROBIN HOOGLAND, C.P. THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS Washington, D.C. Copyright © 2010 THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standards for Information Science—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI z39.48 - 1984. ∞ Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, 1225?–1274. [Sermons. Selections. English] The academic sermons / Thomas Aquinas ; translated by Mark-Robin Hoogland. p. cm. — (The Fathers of the Church, mediaeval continuation ; v. 11) Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 978-0-8132-1728-4 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Church year sermons. 2. Catholic Church—Sermons. 3. Sermons, Latin—Translations into English. 4. Church year sermons—Early works to 1800. I. Hoogland, Mark-Robin. II. Title. III. Series. BX1751.3.T4913 2010 252'.02—dc22 2009036243 To all who study God’s Word carefully, meditate on it attentively, and proclaim the Good News in word and deed with a sincere heart CONTENTS Preface ix Abbreviations xi Select Bibliography xiii Introduction 3 The “Unknown” Thomas 3 Time and Place 7 The Composition 8 Some Characteristics 10 Main Themes 13 The Translation of the Texts 18 THE ACADEMIC SERMONS SERMON 01: Veniet desideratus 23 SERMON 02: Lauda et letare 34 SERMON 03: Abjiciamus opera 44 SERMON 04: Osanna filio David 46 SERMON 05: Ecce rex tuus 62 SERMON 06: Celum et terra transibunt 79 SERMON 07: Ecce ego mitto 85 SERMON 08: Puer Jesus 87 SERMON 09: Exiit qui seminat 108 SERMON 10: Petite et accipietis 129 SERMON 11: Emitte spiritum 138 SERMON 12: Seraphim stabant 159 SERMON 13: Homo quidam fecit cenam magnam 171 SERMON 14: Attendite a falsis 195 SERMON 15: Homo quidam erat dives 214 SERMON 16: Inveni David 233 SERMON 17: Lux orta 242 SERMON 18: Germinet terra 259 vii viii CONTENTS SERMON 19: Beati qui habitant 281 SERMON 20: Beata gens 295 SERMON 21: Beatus vir 313 Appendix: “Behind the Names” 329 INDICES General Index 339 Index of Holy Scripture 345 PREFACE One day, as I was preparing my lectures on St. Thomas Aqui- nas (1224/5–1274) as a theologian for today for the Summer Institute at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago, I came across a reference to one of his sermons. It was quite a shock to realize that I had been studying the life and the works of this member of the Order of Preachers for years, but had nev- er read or seen or even heard of a sermon of his—apart from the series on the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Ten Com- mandments. I found the sermon Homo quidam fecit cenam mag- nam (Sermon 13 in this collection), read it, and became totally fascinated with it. Hence, I translated the Collatio in sero (part 3) into English and read it together with my students. It was ab- solutely delightful to see the enthusiasm of the students; three hours were not enough to reflect on the text. This was the be- ginning of a search for all the sermons and the most reliable versions of the texts, in order to make their content available to a wider audience. Professor Louis Bataillon, O.P., has been studying Thomas’s academic sermons for years. He leads the project group of the Commissio Leonina, which is preparing the first critical and complete edition of the Latin texts. He has been most helpful: he provided me with the texts that I did not yet have, gave permission to publish the translations, and was always open to comments and willing to assist me with questions concerning the background of the sermons. For this I am very grateful to him. Furthermore, I would also like to thank Dr. Antoon Johan Vermeulen for his helpful comments concerning the Latin. This book has been compiled for my friends, Brethren, family, colleagues, students, and all who are interested in the ix