Saint Thomas Aquinas

[Michael16]

In the course of my reading, I came across a Wikipedia article that quoted someone saying you can’t do philosophy with the Bible.

I disagree. I’d invite this person to look over the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

I’ve been reading about Saint Thomas and this reading led me into reading Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. I’ve found much edification in reading this treatise, as well as understanding how Saint Thomas pretty much combined Aristotelian thought with Christian revelation.

This reading has deepened my love and appreciation for Saint Thomas Aquinas and indeed has sparked a devotion to him.

Now I do know that Saint Thomas really wasn’t a philosopher; he was a theologian. Plain and simple. In reading Saint Thomas and the other scholastics; I’ve come to appreciate that philosophy truly is the handmaid of theology and the value of Aristotle.

Traditionally, I’ve been more inclined to the Platonists and Stoics. Reading Aristotle, because of the scholastics; has shown me the human wisdom that can be found in his thought.

Another thing that I’ve come to appreciate with Saint Thomas is his teaching on faith and reason. Reason only goes so far and faith has to take over from there and reason can elucidate what faith reveals.

The other thing that blows my mind and I really admire about Saint Thomas is his reaction to what Our Lord said to him in a vision and he regarded all of his work as mere straw. Good food for thought; IMHO.

It was an eye opener.

 

[HeDa]

And his classmates and teachers at university called him “dumb as an ox”.

I don’t think there is anyone in the history of the Catholic Church that has written as much as he has done. Among Catholic scholars, he is mentioned as “Thomas said… / Thomas wrote…” and everyone knows that it is St. Thomas Aquinas.

As one of the deacons in my diocese said: “It is impossible to talk about Thomas in a 1.5 hour lecture! I’ll give you a short introduction to him and his works in 10 lectures, if the parish priest is OK with it.”. It is now a repeated lecture serie.

 

[Metis1]

Reading Aristotle, because of the scholastics; has shown me the human wisdom that can be found in his thought.

Absolutely, as so much of their approach is embodied in the NT, especially the concept of “essence”. With understanding that, it very much helps to better understand the Trinitarian concept and the Eucharist.