A careful and scholarly work on the history of a small but important issue in thirteenth-century theology ... There is much of value in Moonan's work. The book is thorough, containing a huge wealth of detailed textual discussion. Moonan's treatment of texts, and his exegesis of sometimes very small passages, are exemplary: careful, scholarly, sensitive, and at the same time theologically and philosophically acute. But Moonan also has a clear overall thesis, and displays an admirable grasp of the wider contours of the power distinction: how it fits into thirteenth-century conceptions of the nature of God and of theology. Moonan clarifies a number of points which have long remained obscure ... Moonan has produced a captivating and challenging study of a fascinating and important area in intellectual history. * Journal of Theological Studies * A radically new interpretation of one of the key concepts of Medieval religious philosophy: the concept of the power of God. * The Medieval World * careful historical work to identify the various formulations of "the power distinction" and the rules that govern its legitimate use in medieval philosophy ... he has developed a novel but precise terminology of his own by which to assess whether a given author is using the precise distinction in question and to elucidate the more sophisticated maneuvers which this distinction requires ... fine book * Joseph W. Koterski, S.J. Fordham University, International Philosophical Quarterly, March '98 * A complex work...for students of 13th century theology and metaphysics, it is surely required reading. For those involved in contemporary theology or philosophy of religion, it offers a challenge that ought not be left unanswered. * American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly *