Traditional Scholastic Curricula in English

I put together two curricula (sing., "curriculum") for all of you autodidactic traditionalist Catholics who seek to quench your intellectual thirst in the flowing waters of Scholastic though. Links will take you either to the e-text or (if there is no e-text available online) to the website where you can purchase the cited work. Later I will put together a third curriculum, mainly in Latin, for advanced students of traditional scholastic thought.

I. BEGINNER LEVEL

This curriculum is for those who are at the "beginner level," that is, who have no formal training and are starting from scratch. I put it together with High-School-level students in mind. All of the books listed there are currently either in print or available online (as e-text). If you do not wish to go through the entire list, but only through the most essential book, then read only the philosophy textbooks by McInerny and the theology books by Laux and Garrigou-Lagrange.

A. Philosophy

1. Introduction to Philosophy

• Sullivan, An Introduction to Philosophy.
• Plato, Euthyphro.
• -----, Apology.
• -----, Crito.

2. Logic

• D.Q. McInerny, Logic (for info, contact Fraternity Publications).
• Plato, Sophist.
• Aristotle, Categories.
• ---------, On Interpretation.
• ---------, Prior Analytics.

3. Natural Philosophy

• D.Q. McInerny, The Philosophy of Nature.
• Aristotle, Physics.

4. Philosophical Psychology

• D.Q. McInerny, Philosophical Psychology.
• Plato, Phaedo.
• Aristotle, De Anima.

5. Ethics and Politics

• D.Q. McInerny, A Course in Thomistic Ethics (principles of ethics).
• Higgins, Man as Man: The Science and Art of Ethics (applied ethics).
• Plato, Republic.
• Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics.
• Aristotle, Politics.

6. Metaphysics

• D.Q. McInerny, Metaphysics (forthcoming; for info, contact Fraternity Publications).
• Plato, Parmenides.
• Aristotle, Metaphysics.

7. Epistemology

• D.Q. McInerny, Epistemology (forthcoming; for info, contact Fraternity Publications).
• Plato, Theaetetus.
• Aristotle, Posterior Analytics.

8. Natural Theology

• D.Q. McInerny, Natural Theology (forthcoming; for info, contact Fraternity Publications).
• St. Anselm, Proslogion.
• St. Thomas, Summa Contra Gentiles Book I.

B. Sacred Theology

1. Apologetics

• Laux, Catholic Apologetics.
• Rumble & Carty, Radio Replies.
• Gibbons, Faith of Our Fathers.
• Williams, A Textual Concordance of the Holy Scriptures.*
• Lemius, A Catechism of Modernism.

2. Sacred Scripture and Church History

• Laux, Introduction to the Bible.
• -----, Church History.
• The Douay-Rheims Bible.
• Williams, A Textual Concordance of the Holy Scriptures.*

3. Dogma

• Laux, Chief Truths of the Faith.
• Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma.*
• Williams, A Textual Concordance of the Holy Scriptures.*
• Denzinger, Sources of Catholic Dogma.*
• Glenn, A Tour of the Summa.*

4. Moral and Spiritual Theology

• Laux. Catholic Morality.
• Glenn, A Tour of the Summa.*
• Garrigou-Lagrange, Three Conversions of the Spiritual Life.
• Kempis, The Imitation of Christ.

II. INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

This curriculum is for those of you who are a bit more advanced and desire to build on an already-existing foundation. When I put this together I had college-level students in mind. While this "intermediate-level" curriculum does not strictly presuppose that you have already studied the texts listed in the "beginner-level" curriculum, it would nevertheless be very helpful to read some of the "beginner" texts, especially the ancient texts, like Plato, Aristotle, St. Anselm and Aquinas. You can also find a similar curriculum at Christ the King College (I designed the philosophy curriculum there!).

A. Philosophy

1. Logic

• Simmons, Scientific Art of Logic: An Introduction to the Principles of Formal and Material Logic. Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing, 1961 (Out of Print).
• St. Thomas, Commentary on Aristotle's De Interpretatione.

2. Natural Philosophy

• H.D. Gardeil, Introduction to the Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas: II. Cosmology. B. Herder Book Co., St. Louis, MO, 1956 (Out of Print).
• St. Thomas, Commentary on Aristotle's Physics.
• ------------, On the Principles of Nature.

3. Philosophical Psychology

• H.D. Gardeil, Introduction to the Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas: III. Psychology. B. Herder Book Co., St. Louis, MO, 1956 (Out of Print).
• St. Thomas, Commentary on Aristotle's De Anima.
• ------------, Disputed Questions on the Soul.
• ------------, On the Unity of the Intellect against the Averroists.

4. Ethics

• Oesterle, Ethics: The Introduction to Moral Science.
• St. Thomas, Commentary on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics.

5. Politics

• St. Thomas, On Kingship.
• ------------, Commentary on Aristotle's Politics.

6. Metaphysics

• H.D. Gardeil, An Introduction to the Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas: IV. Metaphysics, B. Herder Book Co., St. Louis, MO, 1956 (Out of Print).
• St. Thomas, Commentary on Aristotle's Metaphysics.
• ------------, On Being and Essence.

7. Epistemology

• Regis, Epistemology. New York: Macmillan, 1959 (Out of Print).
• St. Thomas, Commentary on Aristotle's Posterior Analytics.

8. Natural Theology

• Garrigou-Lagrange, God: His Existence and His Nature: A Thomistic Solution of Certain Agnostic Arguments. St. Louis: Herder, 1934 (Out of Print). The author gives a summary of this work in part 1 of Providence.
• St. Thomas, Commentary on The Book of Causes.
• ------------, Commentary on Boethius' De Hebdomadibus.

9. History of Philosophy

• Owens, A History of Ancient Western Philosophy. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1959 (Out of Print).
• Maurer, Medieval Philosophy.
• Coppleston, A History of Philosophy, Vols. 4-9 (Modern Philosophy).

10. On the Sciences

• Maritain, The Degrees of Knowledge.
• St. Thomas, Commentary on Boethius' De Trinitate (Books I and II published separately under the headings, Faith, Reason and Theology and The Division and Methods of the Sciences, respectively).

B. Sacred Theology

1. General Reference

• The Catholic Encyclopedia.*
• The New Catholic Dictionary.*

2. Introduction to Theology

• Tanquerey, Adolphe. Manual of Dogmatic Theology. Tournai: Desclée, 1959 (Out of Print).
• Garrigou-Lagrange, Reality: A Synthesis of Thomistic Thought.
• -----------, "Where is the New Theology Leading Us?" Catholic Family News, October 1998 (Reprint #309 available from publisher for $2.50 US postpaid).
• -----------, The One God: A Commentary on the First Part of St. Thomas’ Theological Summa. St. Louis: Herder, 1943 (Out of print); pp. 1-90.
• St. Thomas, Summa Theologiae I. proem. & Q. 1.

3. Apologetics, Sources of Theology, & Ecclesiology**

• Walsche, The Principles of Catholic Apologetics: A Study of Modernism Based Chiefly on the Lectures of Pere Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. London: Sans & Co., 1926 (Out of print).
• Agius, Tradition and the Church.

4. Positive Theology: Sacred Scripture

• The Douay-Rheims Haydock Bible.
• Williams, A Textual Concordance of the Holy Scriptures.
• St. Thomas, Commentary on the Book of Job.
• ------------, Commentary on the Book of Psalms.
• ------------, Catena Aurea on the Gospels.
• ------------, Commentary on St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians.
• ------------, Commentary on St. Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians.
• ------------, Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Colossians.
• ------------, Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians.
• ------------, Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews.

5. Positive Theology: Patristics and 'Symbolic' Theology

• Tixeront, History of Dogmas (Out of Print).
• Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers.*
• Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma.
• Denzinger, Sources of Catholic Dogma.*

6. Dogma: The One God

• Garrigou-Lagrange, The One God: A Commentary on the First Part of St. Thomas’ Theological Summa. St. Louis: Herder, 1943 (Out of print); pp. 90-end.
• St. Thomas, Summa Theologiae Ia.2-26.

7. Dogma: The Trinity and God the Creator

• Garrigou-Lagrange, The Trinity and God the Creator.
• --------------, Predestination.
• St. Thomas, Summa Theologiae Ia. 27-109.

8. Fundamental Moral Theology (Principles)

• Prummer, Handbook of Moral Theology. New York: PJ Kennedy & Sons, 1957 (Out of Print).
• Garrigou-Lagrange, Beatitude. Tr. by Patrik Cummins. St, Louis: Herder, 1956 (Out of Print).
• --------------, Grace: Commentary on the Summa Theologiaa of St. Thomas Ia-IIae, q. 109-114. St. Louis: Herder, 1952 (Out of Print).
• St. Thomas, Summa Theologiae Ia-IIae.

9. Special Moral Theology (Applications)

• Garrigou-Lagrange, On Faith.
• --------------, The Three Ages of the Interior Life.
• Tanquerey, The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology.
• St. Thomas, Summa Theologiae IIa-IIae.
• St. John of the Cross, Ascent to Mount Carmel & Dark Night of the Soul.

10. Dogma: Christology, Sacraments, & Eschatology***

• Garrigou-Lagrange, Christ the Savior: A Commentary on the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas.
• -----------. Life Everlasting.
• St. Thomas, Summa Theologiae IIIa & Supp.

* To be used as reference texts.

** I do not know of any solid full-scale ecclesiology textbooks available in English--and neither Aquinas nor Garrigou wrote extensively on that subject (see Garrigou's remarks on eccclesiology in his book, Reality.) However, you will find good ecclesiological treatises in the manuals of Ludwig Ott and Adolphe Tanquerey.

*** Garrigou's commentary on the Sacraments in the Tertia Pars has not been translated into English yet. For a solid exposition on the Sacraments, see Aquinas ST III.60-90 & Supplement 1-68, as well as Ludwig Ott's and Adolphe Tanquerey's manuals.

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