Christian theological text of the Scholastic school written (though
left incomplete) by Saint Thomas Aquinas between the years 1265 and 1273 AD.
Most of the Summa Theologica is in the fashion of a Socratic dialogue,
with questions being posed in rhetorical fashion and answered each in turn. The
similarity between this style of writing and Aristotle's accounts of Socratic
lessons is by no means coincidental; the texts and thought of classical
antiquity were germane to the debates that fueled Scholastic teachings, and
Aquinas' Summa Theologica was no exception.
For a better understanding of this work and the period of history that gave
rise to it, consider reading the following:
Encyclopædia Britannica (britannica.com)
Christian Classics Ethereal Library