In one series, the original writings of the universally acknowledged teachers of the Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Jewish, Islamic and Native American traditions have been critically selected, translated and introduced by internationally recognized scholars and spiritual leaders.

ALBERT AND THOMAS-SELECTED WRITINGS translated, edited, and introduced by Simon Tugwell, O.P. preface by Leonard E. Boyle, O.P.

"He who is the preeminent cause of all that the mind understands is not any of the objects of our understanding." Albert the Great (1200-1280)

This volume contains writings by two thirteenth-century Dominicans, both canonized saints, both doctors of the Church: Saint Albert the Great, patron saint of natural scientist, and the "common doctor," Saint Thomas Aquinas. Both are famous for their contributions to philosophy and theology, but they are also, in different ways, both important in the history of spirituality. In particular, Saint Thomas' huge common sense gives his message an abiding value which can be appreciated by ordinary Christians, trying to practice their faith, as well as by people who are concerned with more sophisticated attempts to articulate and understand their religion. The editor of the volume, Simon Tugwell, O.P., has supplied a full biographical introduction to each of the two saints, and an introduction to relevant aspects of their thought, so that this book serves as a real invitation to those who are unfamiliar with them, as well as making a contribution to the scholarly study of their lives and works.