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Primary sourceBook15th century

Summa theologiae, Part I (Basel Manuscript)

Thomas Aquinas · 15th century

A 15th-century manuscript copy of the first part of Aquinas's Summa theologiae, one of his major works, made about 150 years after his death.

This manuscript preserves Aquinas's own major theological work, copied by later scholars who valued his writing.

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Page 150 of a handwritten medieval manuscript in dark brown ink with red and blue decorated initials, set in two columns of Latin script with a Roman numeral heading at top. Dark background at edges.
Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, Part I, 15th century. Universitätsbibliothek Basel, A I 14, f.149v.

About this source

What it is

This is a page from a handwritten manuscript copy of the first part of Thomas Aquinas's Summa theologiae, made in the 15th century. The manuscript, written in Latin in two columns with decorated red and blue initials, comes from the library of Johannes de Lapide, a Carthusian monk in Basel.

Why it matters

The Summa theologiae is one of Aquinas's most important works, covering theology and philosophy in great detail. This manuscript shows how his writings continued to be carefully copied and studied by monks and scholars long after his death, demonstrating his lasting influence on Christian thought. The careful craftsmanship also reveals how much value was placed on preserving his ideas.

Look closer

  • What does the careful decoration of the initials suggest about how important this text was considered?
  • Why might a Carthusian monk like Johannes de Lapide have owned a copy of this work?
  • What challenges do historians face when reading medieval handwriting like this?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Thomas Aquinas on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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