Four Books of Defenses of the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas

work by Capreolus

Also known as: “Defensiones”

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June 26, 2026

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Jean Capreolus's Four Books of Defenses of the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Defensiones, is a significant work in Thomistic theology. Written between 1409 and 1333, this four-volume treatise was instrumental in reviving interest in the theological and philosophical system of St. Thomas Aquinas. Capreolus, a Dominican scholar, aimed to defend Aquinas's teachings against prevailing philosophical currents, particularly nominalism, which emphasized the will over the intellect. His work contributed to establishing Aquinas's thought as a standard within the Dominican order and influenced subsequent generations of theologians and philosophers. Capreolus earned the title "Prince of the Thomists" for his dedicated defense and exposition of Aquinas's doctrines.12

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Thomism
The 14th and 15th centuries
His Four Books of Defenses of the Theology of Thomas Aquinas (1409–33) inspired numerous other writings by philosophers and theologians drawing mainly from the works of Aquinas. Another Dominican scholar, Antoninus of Florence, discussed in specialized treatises various ethical issues arising from Aquinas’s philosophy. Another Florentine…
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His Four Books of Defenses of the Theology of Thomas Aquinas (1409–33) inspired numerous other writings by philosophers and theologians drawing mainly from the works of Aquinas. Another Dominican scholar, Antoninus of Florence, discussed in specialized treatises various ethical issues arising from Aquinas’s philosophy. Another Florentine…
Read More

Jean Capréolus
…was a Dominican scholar whose Four Books of Defenses of the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas (written 1409–33), generally known as the Defensiones, contributed to a revival of Thomistic theology and won for the author the sobriquet Prince of the Thomists. He began the project while lecturing at the University…
Read More
…was a Dominican scholar whose Four Books of Defenses of the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas (written 1409–33), generally known as the Defensiones, contributed to a revival of Thomistic theology and won for the author the sobriquet Prince of the Thomists. He began the project while lecturing at the University…
Read More