This monograph focuses on Aquinas’s examination of prophecy in the Summa Theologiae, giving a “structural interpretation” that moves across sections of the Summa to examine threads of Aquinas’s thinking related to prophecy. The book's central thesis is that reading prophecy in light of Aquinas’s account of sacra doctrina results in “striking parallels between the prophet and the “teaching of catholic truth” (1-2). In establishing this thesis, Rogers will treat a wide variety of topics, including faith, philosophy of knowledge, the doctrine of God, judgement, gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the ecclesial/social character of prophetic knowledge.

Chapter 1 examines sacra doctrina, focusing on its sub-alternate character as it gains its principles from faith. While much attention has been paid to this sub-alternate status, especially as it relates to scientia, Rogers hones in on Aquinas’s work on revelation and prophecy, arguing that prophecy is connected to faith “by extension, on the fact of revelation being made to certain individuals—prophets and angels” (19) and thus that it has a certain relevance to sacra doctrina.

Chapters 2 and 3 focus on human happiness as the end of humanity and contrasts faith and prophecy as means of pointing to that end, noting especially Aquinas’s focus on prophecy as a transient light, compared to the more stable nature of faith. Here, the discussion of how prophecy can exist without charity is interesting, as it shows how someone can indeed be an outstanding prophetic voice yet lack sanctifying grace.

Given all of the above, it might come as a bit of a surprise that these first three chapters Rogers sees as “structural background” (121) yet that is what Rogers tells us at the start of chapter 4. This chapter then situates prophecy in Aquinas’s theology of grace, locating it among the gratuitous graces and situates it firmly as an ecclesial—and thus social—good.

In the final chapter, Rogers draws together a number of points from Aquinas’s epistemology, focusing on the act of judgement intrinsic to prophecy, contrasting it with the beatific vision even though it bears certain important similarities.

A note for readers interested in current debates: Rogers is clear that his focus is on interpreting Aquinas, and thus readers will not find application to current theological debates or suggestions as to how Aquinas might inform those interested in prophetic action in the current ecclesial climate. Indeed, Rogers, interpreting Aquinas, indicates that “prophecy” really relates primarily to the intellect, and so something like a “prophetic stance”—related more to the will—isn’t a genuine possibility in this framework.

This is all the more tantalizing because Rogers goes out of his way to emphasize that Aquinas clearly has a social/ecclesial background in mind in his discussions about prophecy. The prophet prophesizes for the ecclesial community in light of their final end; without them and that end, prophecy makes no sense. There is room here, it seems, to develop a stronger systematic framework for prophetic action, supposing that Aquinas’s primarily intellectual focus on prophecy could be transposed in such a way that allows for action to flow from the transient light of prophecy.