knowledge on the part of his audience. And he frequently illustrated his themes with familiar examples. I believe that the lectures contained in this book were originally advertised under some such title as ‘An Introduction to Aquinas’. And this is what the text of the lectures looks like at the outset—for it begins with a brief account of Aquinas’s life and reception. As McCabe continued writing, however, he clearly lost interest (if he ever had any) in providing an overview of Aquinas’s thinking.