Writings like straw

[John_Martin]

Perhaps he was given the vision so that he could tell us how actually his writings were the best mankind could do and even they were nothing compared to reality and the truth. That’s far more likely I think. It’s a way of telling us that no human being can ever grasp the immensity and awesomeness of God and heaven and the dimensions hidden to us poor creatures. In effect it was a subtle display of Gods truly awesome nature, and one which would last too since even now we are still discussing it.

Well said, Lee1.

 

[Roguish]

Consider what straw was used for in Thomas’ time. It was used to stuff mattresses, to cover the wet mud floors of the crude houses the peasants lived in. It was used in stables and barns to soak up the waste material of the animals. It had very little other uses.

True. For Thomas to compare his works to straw is a very strong and disparaging statement.

Thomas might have been thinking his writings should be used in a similar manner. In simple terms they were rather useless, perhaps in error, not true, or even complete nonsense, etc.

Of these three, I’d go with the first: rather useless.

I think that no matter how correct and conceptually elegant a rational exposition of Christianity may be – and Thomas’ exposition certainly is correct and elegant – ultimately such a rational exposition or model cannot be the thing that launches one into the Beatific Vision. Yet Salvation through attainment of the Beatific Vision is the final goal of religion, so where does that leave a correct and elegant rational exposition? It seems likely to me that Thomas realized when he had had his Vision, that his writings just didn’t matter (nearly) as much as he felt they did when he was writing them. (And he hasn’t been the only deeply insightful religious writer to come to that assessment near the end of his life.)

 

[HeDa]

If you have been “flooded” by God´s love then any human love is very pale indeed.

A short introduction to St Thomas of Aquinas and his writings would be something like 1.5 hours lectures * 10. Is there anyone who has written as much as he did before he passed away in 1274?

 

[Dan_Defender]

Never have I said anything against Thee:

Amen. May we all be able to say this at the point of death.