Aristotle and Aquinas

[Montie_Claunch]

If I understand correctly St. Thomas Aquinas studied Aristotles’ Logic. I am interested in getting into that kind of stuff to and I was wondering what parts of Aristotle did Aquinas study? Metaphyics? Any Plato? What else did he [Aquinas] study? What of Plato and Aristole be worth reading? Thanks and God bless.

 

[mosher]

Montie Claunch:

If I understand correctly St. Thomas Aquinas studied Aristotles’ Logic. I am interested in getting into that kind of stuff to and I was wondering what parts of Aristotle did Aquinas study? Metaphyics? Any Plato? What else did he [Aquinas] study? What of Plato and Aristole be worth reading? Thanks and God bless.

Literally he studies all of it. I would start with the Nichomachean Ethics and then move to the Politics of Aristotle but even before that you will have to read the collected works of Plato. Any short cut will only serve as a disservice.

 

[Ghosty]

And not just Aristotle, but also the Eastern Church Fathers such as St. John the Damascene, and even Rabbi Moses ben Maimon. The man literally studied nearly every philosophical and theological text available in his day and area.

As far as Aristotle goes, though, he read not only all available works of Aristotle, but those of his commentators as well, including the Muslim ones.

Peace and God bless!

 

[WanderAimlessly]

Actually, I would start with Metaphysics. I think he used that for the existance of God. There are books out on Aquinas’ philosophy that could give you a better understanding of what he studied and how he applied it.

PF

 

[Donald45]

When you eventually get to the point where you want to study Aquinas’ philosophical adaptation of Aristotle, there’s a fine text available:

Peter Kreeft, *Summa of the Summa: The Essential Philosophical Passages of St. Thomas Aquinas’ *Summa Theologica Edited & Explained for Beginners (Ignatius Press, 1990); ISBN 0-89870300-X

Happy reading!
Don

 

[Contarini]

Montie Claunch:

If I understand correctly St. Thomas Aquinas studied Aristotles’ Logic. I am interested in getting into that kind of stuff to and I was wondering what parts of Aristotle did Aquinas study? Metaphyics? Any Plato? What else did he [Aquinas] study? What of Plato and Aristole be worth reading? Thanks and God bless.

I don’t think Aquinas would have known much Plato directly. The Timaeus was known in the Middle Ages–I can’t remember what else. Aristotle’s works had in many cases been obtained from the Islamic world and translated from Arabic versions. Some NeoPlatonic writings were attributed to Aristotle, so the “Aristotle” known to the Middle Ages was a mixture of Aristotle and Platonism.

Edwin