One of the most renowned saints of the Middle Ages is Saint Thomas Aquinas, doctor of the Church. Though widely known for his vast intellectual work, he lived a life of great holiness. With a great youthful piety, he would enter religious life and become a canon regular. However, being enamored with the radical life of the new Order of Preachers, Saint Thomas would join this group of friars and begin his life as a professor, authoring some of the most profound writings ever written. Adopting the newly translated philosophical works of Aristotle, Thomas used these to develop theology far beyond his predecessors. His writings were so revolutionary, that he would eventually be named Universal Doctor of the Church.
Even as a youth, signs of this saint’s great intellect were apparent. At the age of five, Thomas began his education at Monte Cassino, where he asked the monks advanced questions about who God was. [1] The Monks simply replied that we are not able to understand God, but that we must rely on faith. [2] Tradition says that this moment is what started the lifelong desire of Saint Thomas to make God better understood. He would remain faithful and devout though his adolescence, which stirred up the envy of his impious brothers. [3] Hoping to corrupt his innocence, the jealous siblings locked him in a room with a prostitute. [4] As the lady of ill repute was attempting to allure the young saint, Thomas grabbed a log from the fire and threatened to burn the unbecoming woman. [5] Even in this time of great temptation where many men would have fallen, Thomas remained strong. Following this heroic victory, an angel came and girded his waist with a cord of chastity. After this, the vice of lust would never again return. [6]
As a fervent young man, Thomas followed his love of Christ and entered religious life. Starting his life as a religious canon, he later discovered that this was not his vocation, and enlisted in the distinctive new Order of Preachers. [7] This order would give Thomas the intellectual foundation he needed to initiate his career as a scholar. Thomas began as a pupil under Saint Albert the Great. [8] As a student, Thomas excelled in humility and virtue, patiently listening and only speaking when it was becoming. This caused many of his peers to think he was stupid. [9] This appearance of stupidity and his abnormally large size, led the fellow students to mockingly refer to him as the dumb ox. [10] However, this was simply a test from God, for his teacher could see the brilliance of Thomas and proclaimed that if Thomas was an ox his bellow would be heard around the world. [11] We can see that it was not only a great intellect that allowed Thomas to acquire a deep understanding and knowledge of divine truths, but rather his life of prayer, humility, and virtue.
It was through the many labors of Saint Albert, translating the writings of Aristotle into Latin that Saint Thomas built his unabating philosophical foundation which would allow him to write his unprecedented works on theology. [12] It was the integrity and completion of Aristotelian philosophy that allowed Thomas to define more concepts than the theologians of old, even the great Saint Augustine, who relied on weaker philosophical systems, such as Platonism. [13] For through Aristotle’s works on ontology and the soul, Thomas would increase our knowledge of humanity and the Holy Eucharist.
As a philosopher, Thomas was able to correct many of the errors brought about through the writings of Plato, such as the thought that a person had multiple souls. [14] Plato held that man had a vegetative, animal and human soul, whereas Aristotle explained to the world how his teacher was mistaken. [15] This would form the core of Thomas’s understanding of man, and eventually be defined as a dogma of the Church, becoming a truth binding on the conscience of all Catholics. [16] He did not make advancements in philosophy for philosophy’s sake, nor some vain cause. Rather, his work provided the tools needed to understand and explain theology. Through this new system, using philosophy as the handmaid of theology, Thomas was able to more perfectly illustrate the divine presence in the Holy Eucharist.
It was the Aristotelian concepts of matter and form that gave Thomas the tools to explain the Eucharistic presence. Unlike the Platonic system that failed to explain the relationship between form and matter accurately, Aristotle wed the concepts in a system that conformed to reality and experience. From this new ontology, Thomas explained the change during the consecration at Mass as a change of substance, but not of accident. [17] The word transubstantiation was coined to explain this unusual occurrence and has been adopted by the universal Church, even being formally defined at an ecumenical council. [18] This teaching along with many more groundbreaking insights led to Thomas’s most famous work, the Summa Theologiae, which was placed on the altar before the convening of the Council of Trent. This series, as a work of theology, was so perfect and influential, that it is one of the primary texts used in seminaries today.
While many great scholars have become pridefully absorbed in their profound understanding of God, Thomas was always known for possessing great humility and knew that his knowledge was nothing compared to the intellect of the infinite God. While approaching the completion of his Summa Theologiae he had a vision of God. Our Lord told Thomas that he had written well of Him, but compared to the vast knowledge of God, it was mere chaff. [19] Feeling inadequate and defective, Thomas attempted to burn his great work in the fire. Thankfully, it was saved by a fellow brother. [20] Unfortunately, Thomas grew sick at a young age and died before he was able to finish his most excellent work. [21] However, what was completed of the Summa Theologiae would be highly praised by Holy Mother Church, being considered her only complete theology [22]. Though only living to an age of forty-nine years, Thomas additionally wrote copious amounts of works and facilitated subsequent generations in exploring the wisdom of God.
The Universal Doctor was one of the greatest theologians in history, and generations of scholars have cherished his writings. Not only was he a scholar, but his vast knowledge and understanding flowed from his life of holiness and love, which began in his youth. Aquinas excelled in virtue, not losing his purity despite brutal temptations. He faithfully followed his calling, entering the Order of Preachers, laying firm scholastic foundations under Saint Albert the Great. He used his philosophy as a tool for diving deep into theological issues, becoming renowned for this work. The most esteemed of these works was the great Summa Theologiae. He died at a young age but accomplished far more than most theologians. After examination, there can be no doubt that Saint Thomas is one of the greatest intellectual treasures of humanity.
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Footnotes:
[1] Cavanaugh, Pius, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Friar Preachers, (New York, NY: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1881), 144.
[2] Pius, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Friar Preachers, 8.
[3] Pius, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Friar Preachers, 32.
[4] Pius, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Friar Preachers, 35.
[5] Pius, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Friar Preachers, 36.
[6] Pius, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Friar Preachers, 36-37.
[7] Pius, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Friar Preachers,17.
[8] W. A. Wallace, “Thomas Aquinas, St.,” in New Catholic Encyclopedia, ed. Berard L. Marthaler, 2nd ed., vol.14 (Detroit: Gale, 2003), 8.
[9] Pius, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Friar Preachers, 50.
[10] Pius, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Friar Preachers, 49-50.
[11] Pius, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Friar Preachers, 53.
[12] Vidmar, John, The Catholic Church Through the Ages, (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2014), 144.
[13] Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, I, q. 7, a. 3 at New Advent, www.newadvent.org.
[14] Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, I, q. 7, a. 3 at New Advent, www.newadvent.org.
[15] Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, I, q. 7, a. 3 at New Advent, www.newadvent.org.
[16] Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma (Fort Collins: Roman Catholic Books, 1952), 93.
[17] Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, I, q. 75 at New Advent, www.newadvent.org.
[18] Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 379.
[19] Wallace, “Thomas Aquinas, St.,” 22.
[20] Pius, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Friar Preachers, 50.
[21] Wallace, “Thomas Aquinas, St.,” 22.
[22] Vidmar, The Catholic Church Through the Ages, 145.
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