Book reviews

Aquin, matre spirituel, -had a significant impact on the popularization of a renewed view of Aquinas' person and work.By presenting Thomas's thought grounded in the historical context of his life -that is, that of a Dominican preacher and 13th-century magister in Sacra Pagina -they made it possible to discover in him an authentic master of the spiritual life, fervently dedicated to the mission of his order, which was defined as the service of "preaching the Gospel and saving souls."This ever-fresh perspective on the work of the Master of Aquino guided the organizers of the conference -"St.Thomas Aquinas as Spiritual Teacher: Theology in a Culture of Grace" -which took place at Ave Maria University in Florida in February 2022.The publication we are reviewing, which contains thirteen essays, is the fruit of that conference.As one of the editors of this volume -Andrew Hoffer OP -wrote in the Introduction: "The contributors give new insights into the sources, context, breadth, wisdom, and influences of Aquinas's spiritual teaching and reveal him to be extraordinarily fruitful in the Holy Spirit."Being constrained by the limited form of this review, instead of discussing individual articles, let me make a few observations.