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The Library

Forty Centuries of Christian Writing

1577 works catalogued century by century, from the literature the Bible was written among to the present — each with a note on what it is, why it lasted, and where to read it.

1201–1300

The Thirteenth Century

2 works

c. 1257

Latin

The Breviloquium

Bonaventure · 1221–1274

A compact summary of the whole of theology in seven parts, written for students who found the full commentaries impossible.

Franciscan · Systematic theology

c. 1265–1273; unfinished

Latin

Compendium of Theology

Thomas Aquinas · 1225–1274

The whole of theology organised around faith, hope, and love, written for a secretary who wanted something he could carry — and abandoned partway through hope.

Scholastic · Handbook