Did you know? Catholic Studies News Dr. John Boyle’s most recent book, Aquinas on Scripture: A Primer (Emmaus Academic Press, 2023), is the result of 30 years of devoted study to the Angelic Doctor. Boyle introduces St. Thomas Aquinas’ approach to the Sacred Scripture and its inextricable relationship with the Church’s tradition. The book has received high praise among Boyle’s peers and fellow Aquinas scholars, including Reinhard Hütter of the Catholic University of America who shares, “John Boyle’s Aquinas on Scripture is the clearest, most succinct, and most satisfying introduction to Thomas Aquinas’ comprehensive vision of Scripture that I have had the privilege of reading.” J ohn F. B oyle A quinAs A Primer s cripture on “John Boyle’s Aquinas on Scripture is the clearest, most succinct, and most sat- isfying introduction to Thomas Aquinas’s comprehensive vision of Scripture that I have had the privilege of reading. . . . I warmly recommend this book to every lover of the Holy Scriptures and to every student of Thomas Aquinas’s thought, especially of his exegetical commentaries.” Reinhard Hütter The Catholic University of America “John Boyle unpacks Thomas Aquinas’s thinking about biblical interpretation with clarity and conciseness. . . . In an age dominated by the conflict of inter- pretation theories, Boyle’s commentary on Aquinas’s commentaries is a model of its kind, an essay to aid in understanding both Thomas and the Scriptures.” Kevin J. Vanhoozer Trinity Evangelical Divinity School “It is a joy to commend this volume. You will sense yourself in the hands of a master, and so you are.” Christopher Seitz Wycliffe College, University of Toronto “A wonderful entryway to Thomas as exegete and master of the sacred page.” Michael Allen Reformed Theological Seminary W ith precision and profundity born of 30 years of devoted study, John Boyle offers an essential introduction to St. Thomas Aquinas on Scripture, shed- ding helpful light on the goals, methods, and commitments that animate the Angelic Doctor’s engagement with the sacred page. Because the genius of St.Thomas’s approach to the Bible lies not so much in its novelty but rather in the fidelity and clarity with which he recapitulates the riches of the preceding interpretive Tradition, this initi- ation into St. Thomas’s vision of Scripture is itself an orientation to the Church’s vision of Scripture, from the Fathers through and beyond the Middle Ages. Drawing on writings from across St. Thomas’s corpus, but especially his work On the Commendation and Division of Sacred Scripture and the prologues to his biblical commentaries, Boyle masterfully elucidates both the hermeneutical principles and deep wisdom of the Angelic Doctor’s approach to Scripture, imparting invaluable guidance not only for reading and understanding St. Thomas and other great masters of the Tradition, but also—and ultimately—for understanding Scripture in light of this Tradition and reading it with greater ben- efit and joy. (continued from front flap)
WELCOME, PRESIDENT VISCHER! Catholic Studies warmly welcomes Robert K. Vischer as the 16th president of the University of St. Thomas. Vischer, a longtime friend of Catholic Studies, served on the Catholic Studies Advisory Board from 2015 until his appointment as interim president in March 2022. Vischer assumed the permanent role on Jan. 1.
St. Thomas’s embeddedness within the Church’s Tradition and his own histori- cal context is integral to his approach to Scripture, yet it sets him at some distance from modern readers, for whom his inter- pretive vision may seem perplexing or even impenetrable. In this Primer , Boyle first provides an acclimation to this medieval context through a survey and explanation of pertinent technical terminology used by St. Thomas and characteristic of the scholastic theology of the time. With an eye to the medieval practice of considering Scripture according to the fourfold division of causes, Boyle builds on this initial foundation by exploring in turn St. Thomas’s accounts of the end or use of Scripture (final cause), its divine and human authorship (efficient cause), its order and division (material cause), and its literary styles or genres (formal cause).
Vischer served as dean of the university’s law school from 2013-22. During his highly regarded tenure, he collaborated with Dr. Michael Naughton as they oversaw the Terrence Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy, a partnership between the Center for Catholic Studies and the School of Law. In sharing his vision of a Catholic university, Vischer says, “Bringing our Catholic lens to the most pressing challenges of our time is not just a key component of our mission, it will be a key component in the future flourishing of St. Thomas as a university. It is central to the formation of our students. And it is a tremendous gift to be able to lead from this perspective.” “St. Thomas is blessed to have a man of such vision and ability as its new president,” Dr. John Boyle says. “Dr. Naughton and I have appreciated Rob’s friendship and collaboration over many years and look forward to working with him in his new role. St. Thomas is in good hands.”
“This book is absolutely unique in its kind because its composition requires the level of knowledge, skills and love for Sacred Scripture and St. Thomas’s reading of it which John Boyle has continuously displayed over the years. . . . It should be required reading for anyone engaging St. Thomas on Scripture and deserves to be placed on one’s bookshelf next to introductions to St. Thomas by Boyle’s illustrious colleagues like Chenu, Weisheipl, and Torrell.” Jörgen Vijgen Pontifical Academy of Saint Thomas
John F. Boyle is Professor of Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. A graduate of the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies and the University of Toronto, he has received a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, the Aquinas Medal from the University of Dallas, and has delivered the Aquinas Lecture at the National University of Ireland.
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Monsignor Martin Schlag edited the recently published special issue of the Business and Professional Ethics Journal (Vol. 41, No. 3, Fall 2022). It offers 12 academic peer-reviewed reflections on diverse aspects of work in the future, including Schlag’s essay, “The Future of Work.” Among the authors is Kristin Gottron ‘14 CSMA who writes on how to design big data systems with the worker in mind.
Dr. Robert Kennedy was recently appointed to the team of Catholic theologians participating in the Reformed-Catholic Dialogue sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Reformed Churches in America. Kennedy joins four other Catholic theologians. Kennedy was also a named
contributor to “Mensuram Bonam,” a document on ethical investing recently published by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
ALUMNI NOTES Michael Blissenbach '09, '15 J.D. is an attorney editor at Thomson Reuters in Eagan, Minnesota. In October, he was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. Susan Mulheron '04 recently earned a doctorate in canon law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. She is currently the chancellor for canonical affairs for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Elizabeth Kelly Stanchina '08 CSMA was the keynote speaker for the National Council of Catholic Women’s convention in November in Minneapolis. In December, Stanchina published a book for Lent called A Place Called Golgotha: Meditations on the Last Words of Christ (Word Among Us Press).
Catholic Studies faculty members attended the Catholic Studies Consortium Annual Symposium hosted by Loyola University Chicago last fall. This three-day conference brings together Catholic Studies faculty from across the country to discuss participants’ essays on a variety of topics in Catholic Studies. Dr. Erika Kidd wrote on “How to Put the ‘catholic’ in Catholic Studies.” Dr. John Boyle wrote on “Catholic Studies and the Interdisciplinary Classroom” and “Catholic Studies in Rome.” Dr. Michael Naughton gave a presentation on Logos , the journal of the Catholic Studies movement.
Kathryn Wehr, managing editor of Logos, edited a new scholarly edition of Dorothy L. Sayers’ life of Christ radio drama series The Man Born to be King (IVP Academic, 2023). First
Shawna Wicker joined the Catholic Studies staff in October as graduate program manager. Wicker received her bachelor’s degree, TESL
certificate, and master’s degree in second language education from the University of Minnesota. She has extensive experience in higher education in various roles at the University of Minnesota and Concordia University, St. Paul. “Shawna’s energy and enthusiasm are a great boon for the CSMA program and for Catholic Studies as a whole,” says Dr. Billy Junker, graduate program director. “She has a wonderful rapport with our current students and doubtless will help us attract even more students in the future.”
aired during World War II, these plays have been longtime favorites of readers and classical educators.
Scan here to access Susanna Bolle Parent's '13 story about alumna Katie Erickson '14, who hosts mornings of reflection for classmates and friends.
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