Tuesday, February 5 2013

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Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was an Italian theologian, philosopher and doctor of the Catholic Church.

According to the The Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy (IEP) “Saint Thomas Aquinas was a Catholic Priest in the Dominican Order and one of the most important Medieval philosophers and theologians. He was immensely influenced by scholasticism and Aristotle and known for his synthesis of the two aforementioned traditions.

Although he wrote many works of philosophy and theology throughout his life, his most influential work is the Summa Theologica which consists of three parts.” The first part dealt with the existence of God, the second on Ethics, and on Christ was unfinished at the time of his death. The website CatholicCulture.org reported that on June 16, 2010, at a public audience Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the importance of St Thomas describing him as “a theologian of such importance that the study of his works was explicitly recommended by Vatican Council II.”

The Pope said in the 13th Century the “burning question” was whether Greek philosophy could be reconciled with Christian theology.

He remarked, “Thomas was firmly convinced that they were compatible, and that the philosophy elaborated without Christ was awaiting only the light of Jesus in order to be made complete.” Benedict said the great contribution of the “Angelic Doctor” was to underline the interaction between theology and philosophy, faith and reason.