Thomas Aquinas and Modern Christian Scholars

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There has never been a better time to be a Thomistic scholar. A hundred years ago, if you had wanted to read/and or study the works of St. Thomas, you would have had to be a Latin scholar and you would have had to spend a lot of time in the libraries of monasteries or seminaries. Even then, if you wanted to read all his works you would have had to go to Europe and do the same.

But today almost all of his works are available for online reading in either Latin or English and sometimes in side by side language editions. And they can also be purchased for a reasonable price the same way.

The point I want to make is that for those of you who are interested in St. Thomas and you are contemplating a life of scholarship, now is the time to commit youself to the study of St. Thomas. You can do this as a layman, a religious, or a priest. You can even do it in any of these states as a sideline while doing your " day job. "

So if anyone out there, especially those in a university or getting ready for the university, I want to encourage you to consider Thomistic scholarship. And if that is your path of choice, I wish to encourage you to become scholars of Latin as well and Greek if you can manage it. Of course you will not be able to convert this into a high paying job but college and university professors are well paid these days, so you won’t be sacrificing too much by taking the path of scholarship.

You will never regret making such a commitment. Linus2nd
 
Reasonably priced too. Yes, something like this would be good to read and reflect upon. Might help those trying to find a reason to dedicate themselves to the program I have suggested. If just one or two take up the challenge and pursue a lifetime of scholarship dedicated to the philosophy of St. Thomas, I will be content.

Linus2nd
 
I applaud your posting.

And I agree about the immediate accessiblity of Aquinas’ texts and the commentaries.

The problem is that Aquinas is tied to Aristotle, and Aristotle is tied to ealier Greek thinkers (Plato and back to the Pre-Socratics).

It’s an understatement to say that Greek philosophy has proven to be a “bear” - the meaning of the original Greek words is not at all immediately accessible. Just look at Heidegger’s work.

When the Greek “thoughts” got translated into the Latin “thoughts”, there may have been a dislocation of sorts. And then put all this into a Christian context and you’ve got your work cut out for you.

But this is just the beginning.

The only way to understand individual philosophers is by using other philosophers as a foil. Socrates did this with the sophists and the practice has continued down to the present day.

In other words, to understand Aquinas, not only do you have to understand ancient Greek philosophy, but also all the major modern and contemporary philosophers.

Hegel was on to this.

There’s no shortcut.

And some people think electrical engineering is the hardest major!
 
levinas12 said:
I applaud your posting.

And I agree about the immediate accessiblity of Aquinas’ texts and the commentaries.

The problem is that Aquinas is tied to Aristotle, and Aristotle is tied to ealier Greek thinkers (Plato and back to the Pre-Socratics).

It’s an understatement to say that Greek philosophy has proven to be a “bear” - the meaning of the original Greek words is not at all immediately accessible. Just look at Heidegger’s work.

When the Greek “thoughts” got translated into the Latin “thoughts”, there may have been a dislocation of sorts. And then put all this into a Christian context and you’ve got your work cut out for you.

But this is just the beginning.

The only way to understand individual philosophers is by using other philosophers as a foil. Socrates did this with the sophists and the practice has continued down to the present day.

In other words, to understand Aquinas, not only do you have to understand ancient Greek philosophy, but also all the major modern and contemporary philosophers.

Hegel was on to this.

There’s no shortcut.

And some people think electrical engineering is the hardest major!
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Thank you. Just hope one or two out there will take up the call. Linus2nd
 
Linusthe2nd said:
Thank you. Just hope one or two out there will take up the call. Linus2nd
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Not if tuition keeps rising, and parents become more anxious about their children finding jobs in the “practical” world, etc.

Philosophy may simply disappear on many college campuses.

Perhaps Nietszche was right after all, the desert is growing by leaps and bounds.

But enough of this “dismality”. Thank you for keeping the light on.
 
levinas12 said:
Not if tuition keeps rising, and parents become more anxious about their children finding jobs in the “practical” world, etc.

Philosophy may simply disappear on many college campuses.

Perhaps Nietszche was right after all, the desert is growing by leaps and bounds.

But enough of this “dismality”. Thank you for keeping the light on.
Click to expand...
Yes, getting very scary. Earning a living is top priority. The Jewish people used to have a great idea ( perhaps still do ). They insisted their children learn a practicle trade along with their scholastic education. Not a bad idea. Linus2nd
 
levinas12 said:
The problem is that Aquinas is tied to Aristotle, and Aristotle is tied to ealier Greek thinkers (Plato and back to the Pre-Socratics).
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This! 👍

When one reads “the Philosopher”, if one doesn’t understand exactly what Aristotle had said, then he is at a severe disadvantage when reading Aquinas. As if that weren’t enough, it’s important to know what “the Commentator” had said, as well as what Augustine had argued. Otherwise, the Aquinas ‘scholar’ is simply skipping over his references to these philosophers and accepting Aquinas’ statements about them uncritically and without thought.

Nevertheless, knowing Aquinas is important. Knowing only Aquinas, however, is dangerous; there are many on this board who are certain that they ‘know Aquinas’, and their perceptions of his thought are downright shocking… 😉
 
Gorgias said:
This! 👍

When one reads “the Philosopher”, if one doesn’t understand exactly what Aristotle had said, then he is at a severe disadvantage when reading Aquinas. As if that weren’t enough, it’s important to know what “the Commentator” had said, as well as what Augustine had argued. Otherwise, the Aquinas ‘scholar’ is simply skipping over his references to these philosophers and accepting Aquinas’ statements about them uncritically and without thought.

Nevertheless, knowing Aquinas is important. Knowing only Aquinas, however, is dangerous; there are many on this board who are certain that they ‘know Aquinas’, and their perceptions of his thought are downright shocking… 😉
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Aquinas is situated in a long philosophical tradition. We must not lose touch with the insights of that tradition.

As you point out, without a grounding in ancient Greek philosophy (and subsequent thought including the Neo-Platonists, Augustine and the Arab thinkers), it’s impossible to understand Aquinas.

In fact, without this grounding, it’s impossible to understand modern philosophy and, especially, 20th century philosophy (e.g., Heidegger).
 
levinas12 said:
Aquinas is situated in a long philosophical tradition. We must not lose touch with the insights of that tradition. Sometimes on this forum posters have a tendency to dismiss the past, e.g., Aristotle more often than not.

But Aristotle has much to teach us today. And, as you point out, without a grounding in ancient Greek philosophy (and subsequent thought including the Neo-Platonists, Augustine and the Arab thinkers), it’s impossible to understand Aquinas (and, in fact, any philosopher, including the moderns down to 20th century philosophers).

That’s why it’s a bit exasperating when some posters on this forum blithely dismiss the ancients and the medievals.
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Agreed. Linus2nd
 
There are three books I’d recommend to people who are just getting into Aquinas.

The first is* Saint. Thomas Aquinas* by G.K. Chesterton.

The second is St. Thomas Aquinas: the Person and His Work by Jean-Pierre Torrell, a Dominican.

The third is The Quiet Light, a novel about Aquinas by Louis de Wohl, tracing his life from his youth to his death.

I believe all are available in relatively inexpensive used copies from Amazon.com.

The most famous Thomist lay philosophers of the last hundred years were Jacques Maritain and Etienne Gilson.
 
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