This is a brief and accessible introduction to the thought of the great Franciscan theologian St. Bonaventure (c. 1217-74). Cullen focuses on the long-debated relation between philosophy and theology in the work of this important but neglected thinker, revealing Bonaventure as a great synthesizer. Cullen`s exposition also shows in a new and more nuanced way Bonaventure`s debt to Augustine, while making clear how he was influenced by Aristotle. The book is organized according to the
categories of Bonaventure`s own classic text. De reductione artium ad theologiam. Part I is devoted to the definition of Christian Wisdom. In Part II, "The Light of Philosophical Knowledge," individual chapters are devoted to Bonaventure`s physics, metaphysics, and moral philosophy. Part III, "The Light of Theological Knowledge," includes chapters on the Trinity, Creation, Sin, the Incarnation, Grace, the Sacraments, and the Last Things.