ABSTRACT
In the past many college courses in the history of political theory moved directly from Cicero to Machiavelli, a space of more than 1,500 years, regarding the writings of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas and the Middle Ages as works of theology rather than political philosophy. More recently Augustine has received attention for his pessimistic view of the possibilities of politics and human justice. In the case of Aquinas it is now recognized that his theory of natural law is an original synthesis of earlier approaches that can be applied to many contemporary moral problems, including war, sexuality, economics, and the relation of religion and politics. In addition, the revival of interest in Aristotle’s philosophy as providing a possible solution to the dilemmas of modern philosophy has increased interest in Aquinas as one of his most influential interpreters. Also, the increased diversity of opinion among Roman Catholic interpreters (Kerr 2002) since the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) has produced a large and controversial interpretive literature in recent decades. And the increased recognition of the influence of religious assumptions on political behavior has heightened interest in the relation between theology and political philosophy.
