I have always loved theology, but Thomas Aquinas was way too much for me.
The 3225 articles of the Summa Theological simply overwhelmed me.
He brilliantly explained Christian theology in philosophical terms created the foundational doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church.
Aquinas' goal was to teach the Bible to his students, but this got eclipsed as we wrote.
But he got to know the Bible and as he lived in it, He saw Jesus!
Thomas Aquinas* (1225-1274). Aquinas was the foremost scholar and philosopher of the Middle Ages. The leading scholastic of his time, he married Christian thought with Aristotle’s and the Greeks’ thinking and formulated what became known as Natural Law.
An asterisk* following a name means the person is in SPIRITUAL LIVES.
He had one of the greatest minds in history, but it was housed in a very unlovely body. A pudgy boy whose one eye was much larger than the other, he had little grace or even connection with his fellow students, who called him “the dumb ox.”
He began his studies when he was 5 with the goal of becoming an abbot, as his uncle had been. He became fascinated with the works of Aristotle (384-322BC) and Islamic philosopher Averroes (1126-1198) , and Jewish scholar Maimonides (1138-1204), all of whom influenced both his philosophical thinking and his theology.
When he was 19, Thomas was recruited by the Dominican Order of Priests, which his family opposed. They kidnapped him and took him home, holding him captive for a year and tempting him with a prostitute to renounce the priesthood.
Legend says angels appeared to him in a dream to strengthen his will to remain celibate. Seeing all of this, his mother arranged for him to go to Rome, where Pope Innocent IV offered him a position as abbot.
But Thomas refused and continued studying at the University of Paris. He received a master’s degree in theology and lectured on the Bible, particularly the Old Testament books. Thomas moved in elite circles, intellectually, socially, and politically. He dined with kings, disputed with professors, and was recruited by popes.
His chief task was to reconcile Christian faith and reason; all of his writing was to this end. He pored through Aristotle and took what he could to buttress Christian doctrine. The volume of his work is tremendous, but the Summa Theologiae, a systematic theological instruction book in the Christian faith, is the one he is remembered for.
Originally intended as a starting point for his students, the Summa Theologiae has become the foundational basis for Roman Catholic theology and doctrine to the present time. But while his monumental intellectual achievements are what he is remembered for today, Aquinas was also a preacher and humble follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared to him more than once in what is usually described as “mystical experiences.” I
In response to a question posed in one of these, “What reward would you have for your labor?” Thomas replied, “Nothing but You, Lord.” Shortly after this, Jesus appeared to him again. Thomas said nothing of this experience but simply refused to write anymore. As a result, the Summa Theologiae remained unfinished.
When his secretary pleaded with him to continue, Thomas said, “Reginald, I cannot because all that I have written seems like straw to me.” He further expained: To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
He also penned the words to Panis Angelicus, the antithesis of straw, a hymn still sung today as a testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ and His servant, Thomas. Sadly, his work was taken by the church and put in place of the Bible, the very Book Thomas was trying to explain.
Sadly, too, the faith that Thomas saw as the only means by which we can be saved was opposed by blind popes and prelates whose purpose was to establish their own kingdom.
************************** Please listen to this here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK3TeWqSAZk&ab_channel=drwestbury
Panis angelicus
fit panis hominum;
Dat panis cœlicus
figuris terminum:
O res mirabilis!
Manducat Dominum
pauper, servus et humilis.
Te trina Deitas
unaque poscimus:
Sic nos tu visita,
sicut te colimus;
Per tuas semitas
duc nos quo tendimus,
Ad lucem quam inhabitas.
Amen.
Thus Angels' Bread is made
the Bread of man today:
the Living Bread from heaven
with figures dost away:
O wondrous gift indeed!
the poor and lowly may
upon their Lord and Master feed.
Thee, therefore, we implore,
O Godhead, One in Three,
so may Thou visit us
as we now worship Thee;
and lead us on Thy way,
That we at last may see
the light wherein Thou dwellest aye.
Amen.
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