Summa: A treatise, essay, or book that attempts to deal comprehensively with its topic, especially one that is meant to be the 'final word' on a subject. Although it may seem like hubris to modern readers to think a single book could answer every possible question that could arise about a topic, medieval theologians were not cowed from making the attempt. Probably the most famous summa is Peter Abelard's Sic et Non, a book that attempts to list every major argument about church doctrine. With atypical political reserve, Abelard does not attempt to solve each debate, but instead he merely lists all the 'pro-' arguments and authorities under the Sic column and all the 'con-' arguments and authorities under the Non column of each entry. (Such tact is definitely not typical of the fiery scholar.) Likewise Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica is probably the most influential intellectual document in Christian theology for its thorough attempt at completeness and its intricate, in-depth analyses. (Latin, 'highest' or 'all', cf. Modern English 'summation' and 'summit')