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DAUPHINAIS, Michael and Barry David and Matthew Levering, ed. Aquinas the Augustinian. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2007. xxiv + 291 pp. Paper, $39.95 - It is good to see a volume that acknowledges Thomas's status as a follower of Augustine and the debt which he owed the great theologian. This is especially important since it is all too easy, given Aquinas's stance on issues such as illumination, to view Aquinas as an opponent of Augustinians rather than as an Augustinian himself. This volume, a collection of eleven essays, is intended to give a researched account of Augustine's influence on Thomas in several specific areas.
Not surprisingly, the focus of the essays is theological: there are two essays on the Trinity, one on man as the image of the Trinity, and one on Thomas's theory of the word, which is informed by Trinitarian thinking. There are also essays on original sin, Christian charity, the Eucharist, and the Gospel of John. Those essays that attempt a more philosophical approach are still heavily tied to theological themes: John Rist's essay, though it contains a short discussion of the essence/existence question, is also involved with the issues of original sin...