Publisher's Synopsis
THE author of the original work asked me personally to translate his book into English. I have done so; but the genius of the English language did not permit a literal translation. The present book is therefore in some sense rather an adaptation than a literal translation, although the latter has been strictly adhered to wherever possible. In the original work the answer always repeats the whole question word for word; in the cause of brevity and sometimes for clearness' sake, I have adopted the simple answer of "yes" or " no " lest the reader tire with the insistency of the ceaseless repetition. Those readers who wish to study the doctrine more deeply will find much help in the references quoted at the end of most of the answers to the questions; they refer to the Summa Theologica itself, which has been translated literally into English by the Dominican Fathers of the English Province. To take an example: On p. 9 of this book there is the question: Does the Providence of God extend also to inanimate things? And the answer: Yes, for they are a part of God's handiwork (XXII. 2, Obj. 5). The reference here quoted means that the doctrine in its every detail is to be found in the reply to the 5th Objection of the 2nd Article of the 22nd Question of the First Part of the Summa. It should be noted that the citation of "First Part" is not added to the quotation for the simple reason that the particular " part" of the Summa to which the quotation refers may easily be found by consulting the table of Contents. Moreover, whenever necessary and in order to give additional strength to the doctrines of St. Thomas, reference has been made to the new Code of Canon Law; e.g., on p. 289 (Code, Canon 1936). Thus this work is brought up to date.
