I have been a Catholic for 2+ years now and have been periodically studying Aquinas and Scholasticism (studying it more recently), but I have been recently concerned about the school of thought. I was told early that for a strengthening of faith through reason, you should read St. Thomas. However, I didn’t realize the criticism of some of his thought by others like Bl. Duns Scotus and William of Ockham. Plus, there are some Catholics that call themselves “Augustinians”. From what I have seen, that means that they follow St. Augustine’s/ Plato’s thought rather than St. Thomas/ Aristotle’s thought and think Plato was more correct than Aristotle. Can’t both be studied together? Which one should a Catholic study? Like I said, I have been thinking about this for a while; I’m thinking of just dropping my philosophy reading for now and focusing more of my attention on books about Jesus(books by Hahn, Pitre, etc.). Any thoughts?
The great work of Aquinas is his synthesis of the best of Plato, Aristotle, and the church fathers in explaining the catholic faith and that is compatible with the catholic faith. There are elements of both Plato and Aristotle in Aquinas’ philosophy and theology. Plato was more well known to the church fathers and there are elements of his natural theology that are compatible with the faith. There are elements of Aristotle’s natural theology that are compatible with the faith too but some things that are not such as his denial of divine providence over the world which Plato held too. I think the church fathers were more concerned about the natural theology of Plato and Aristotle at least on a surface reading of their thought than other areas of philosophy of which Aristotle wrote much on. Also, I don’t think the corpus of Aristotle’s writings were available to the west in translation until later around the scholastic age when his works came to the fore.
Yes, on some philosophical points Blessed Duns Scotus and William Ockham disagree with St Thomas Aquinas but that doesn’t mean that Scotus or Ockham are right. Scotus was like the last among the scholastics and he agreed with Aquinas and other scholastic theologians on many points of philosophy. Ockham is considered like the father of nominalism and he departed from the scholastics on some main philosophical points.
Neither Scotus or Ockham have reached the eminence of Aquinas in the Church. Aquinas is the universal doctor (Doctor communis) of the Church and the Church from a number of councils and the statements of many popes consider him as the pre-eminent teacher of catholic philosophy and theology because he achieved an unprecedented and the highest synthesis of faith and reason in explaining the faith. Aquinas is mentioned in the Vatican II document on the Training of Priests as the Teacher and principle teacher of the philosophical and theological studies of seminarians. This does not exclude Sacred Scripture of course which is the soul of theology. St Thomas is also mentioned in the Vatican II document on Christian education. The footnote in the document on the Training of Priests has Pope Paul VI address to the Gregorian University, 1964, in which he says “ Let teachers listen with respect to the Doctors of the Church among whom St Thomas Aquinas holds the principle place. For so great is the power of the Angelic Doctor’s genius, his love of truth so sincere, and his wisdom in investigating, illustrating, and collecting the highest truths in a most apt bond of unity so great, that his teaching is a most efficacious instrument not only in safeguarding the foundations of the faith, but also in profitably and surely reaping the fruits of its sane progress."
It would probably worth your while to read the encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, Aetreni Patris, ON THE RESTORATION OF CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY According to the mind of St Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor.
Pope Leo XIII cites the various praises that not a few popes have lavished on the teaching of St Thomas Aquinas such as this from Innocent VI ““His teaching above that of others, the canonical writings alone excepted, enjoys such a precision of language, an order of matters, a truth of conclusions, that those who hold to it are never found swerving from the path of truth, and he who dare assail it will always be suspected of error.”
Concerning Ecumenical Councils, Pope Leo says “The ecumenical councils, also, where blossoms the flower of all earthly wisdom, have always been careful to hold Thomas Aquinas in singular honor. In the Councils of Lyons, Vienna, Florence, and the Vatican one might almost say that Thomas took part and presided over the deliberations and decrees of the Fathers, contending against the errors of the Greeks, of heretics and rationalists, with invincible force and with the happiest results. But the chief and special glory of Thomas, one which he has shared with none of the Catholic Doctors, is that the Fathers of Trent made it part of the order of conclave to lay upon the altar, together with sacred Scripture and the decrees of the supreme Pontiffs, the Summa of Thomas Aquinas, whence to seek counsel, reason, and inspiration.
In conclusion, one will not stray from the path of the truth and the faith in studying the teaching of the Angelic Doctor.
