Summa Divi Thomae Aquinatis Ordinis Praedicatorum Contra Gentiles quam Hebraice Eloquitur / Kitzur MeHaKadosh Thomas Me’Aqunio MiKet HaDarshanim Neged HaGoyim [systematic exposition against non-Christians].

AQUINAS, THOMAS

Jacob son of Andrew

Rome

1657

FIRST EDITION IN HEBREW. Three parts in one. Latin and Hebrew in parallel columns. Hebrew translation by Giuseppe Ciante.

Vinograd, Rome 31.

Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) wrote this seminal work of Christian doctrine in order to defend the faith against attack from other religions. When Pope Urban VIII launched his campaign to convert the Jews of Rome, Joseph Ciantes, a Dominican friar and student of Oriental languages, was tasked to translate this work into Hebrew. Most notably, Ciantes only translated the first three of the four books, which appeal to human intellect, while leaving out the fourth book, as it covers topics pertaining to revelead truth, and would likely not impress the Jewish reader. See EJ, Vol. III, col. 229-31.