Christ the Center discusses some aspects of the life and thought of Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas. Specifically Thomas’ doctrine of God and the nature/grace distinction come in for consideration. Especially useful is the discussion of the nature of Scholasticism and what value there is in reading Thomas. At the end of the day, the lesson is, do not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Bibliography
Kretzmann, Norman. The Cambridge companion to Aquinas. Cambridge; New York NY USA: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
McInerny, Ralph. Aquinas. Oxford: Polity, 2003.
Stump, Eleonore. Aquinas. London; New York: Routledge, 2003.
Thomas. An exposition of the On the hebdomads of Boethius. Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2001.
———. Aquinas scripture series. Commentary on Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. Albany N.Y.: Magi Books, 1966.
———. On evil : disputed questions. Notre Dame Ind.; New York: University of Notre Dame Press; Wiley, 2002.
———. On love and charity : readings from the Commentary on the sentences of Peter Lombard. Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2008.
———. St. Thomas Aquinas on politics and ethics : a new translation, backgrounds, interpretations. 1st ed. New York: Norton, 1988.
———. St. Thomas Aquinas Summa theologiæ. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967.
———. Summa contra gentiles Saint Thomas Aquinas. Notre Dame Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1975.
———. The commentary of St. Thomas Aquinas on Aristotle’s Treatise on the soul. [St. Paul Minn.]: College of St. Thomas, 1946.
———. Thomas Aquinas : disputed questions on the virtues. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
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Participants: Camden Bucey, James Dolezal, Jeff Waddington
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Excellent discussion!
Dominicans aren’t monks but friars. Monks live life in a tight cloister, but friars are mendicants. They are able to travel and take different vows. You correctly identified the differences, but didn’t apply the correct terms. The Dominicans aren’t primarily in universities, but preach in parishes. Also, Aquinas was condemned by a local bishop, not an ecumenical council or a pope speaking infallibly. Hence there is no issue with the ‘Church changing her mind.’
I disagree with your comments about the high middle ages not being a highly exegetical period. His main task as a university professor was to comment on Sacred Scripture.
Aquinas’ thoughts on the importance of the necessity of divine revelation even for natural theology are given in ST I q1 a1. He says “Even as regards those truths about God which human reason could have discovered, it was necessary that man should be taught by a divine revelation; because the truth about God such as reason could discover, would only be known by a few, and that after a long time, and with the admixture of many errors.” He discusses the problems of original sin on the human person. He would hardly advocate the idea that it is easy or common for the human person to even achieve a natural knowledge of God. When arguing about the possibility of natural revelation, he would say it’s possible, but not necessarily obtained without a great many helps. Moreover, Aquinas would advocate that the mind is direct to the truth by God as its first cause. Hence, in a natural way, one always requires God to know the truth. It seems to me to be unfair to decry Aquinas’ lack of appreciation for the effects of original sin.
In understanding St. Thomas, I think it would have been enlightening to discuss his engagement with his Patristic sources and the exitus-reditus pattern of the Summa Theologica.