Summa and its diminutive summula (plural summae and summulae, respectively) are mainly used, in English and other modern languages, for texts that'sum up' knowledge in a field, such as the compendiums
Summa and its diminutive summula (plural summae and summulae, respectively) are mainly used, in English and other modern languages, for texts that'sum up' knowledge in a field, such as the compendiums of theology, philosophy and canon law which were used both as textbooks in the schools and as books of reference during the Middle Ages.
Some historians of theology cite Origen's peri archon as the first summary of Catholic theology. Others consider that the first in point of time is "De Trinitate" by St. Hilary of Poitiers. The distinction has also been accorded to Radu