"St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) is a massively influential figure in the history of western thought and of the Catholic Church. In this major addition to the Cambridge Texts series R.W. Dyson (whose modern rendition of Augustine's City of God has already been widely acclaimed) has chosen texts by Aquinas that show his development of a Christian version of the philosophy of Aristotle, its contrast with the Augustinian thought that had coloured so much political thinking in the previous eight centuries, and St. Thomas's views as to the purpose of government, constitutions, and the relations between secular and ecclesiastical power. Property, slavery and usury are fully covered, as are St. Thomas's celebrated and influential writings on law. The translations are extremely accessible and the whole is supported by all of the usual series features designed to assist the reader, including brief biographies, notes for further reading and a concise critical introduction."--Jacket.