Two years before he died, St. Thomas Aquinas probably the greatest teacher the Church has ever known was asked by his assistant, Brother Reginald, to write a simple summary of the Faith of the Catholic Church for those who lacked the time or the stamina to tackle his massive Summa Theologica. In response, the great saint quickly set down in language that non-scholars can understand his peerless insights into the major topics of theology: the Trinity, Divine Providence, the Incarnation of Christ, the Last Judgment, and much more. Here, then, is not only St. Thomas' concise statement of the key elements of his thought, but a handy reference source for the essential truths of the Catholic Faith. St. Thomas will show you: Why faith is reasonable, not blind Why evil can never be as powerful as good Solid arguments for Christ's Resurrection Powerful arguments for God's existence Why angels are necessary in creation How Adam's sin differed from Eve's Why Jesus descended into Hell Why we must suffer for Adam's sin Why the truths that you can know only through Revelation are nevertheless rational Startling details about God's forgiveness How a soul's damnation can be compatible with God's goodness What Christians should think about fate and chance What life after resurrection will be like Three ways in which God is in all things Eternal life: what it is; how to understand it How you can know God through reason Why God became man Why God allows evil How Jesus grew in wisdom How Christ can have existed for all eternity and yet be God s Son The Beatific Vision: what it really is Why God's knowledge of the future doesn't deny man's free will How the Holy Trinity is three distinct Persons, yet one God Much more that will help you know and love God with greater understanding!
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Philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican friar and theologian of Italy and the most influential thinker of the medieval period, combined doctrine of Aristotle and elements of Neoplatonism, a system that Plotinus and his successors developed and based on that of Plato, within a context of Christian thought; his works include the Summa contra gentiles (1259-1264) and the Summa theologiae or theologica (1266-1273). Saint Albertus Magnus taught Saint Thomas Aquinas. People ably note this priest, sometimes styled of Aquin or Aquino, as a scholastic. The Roman Catholic tradition honors him as a "doctor of the Church." Aquinas lived at a critical juncture of western culture when the arrival of the Aristotelian corpus in Latin translation reopened the question of the relation between faith and reason, calling into question the modus vivendi that obtained for centuries. This crisis flared just as people founded universities. Thomas after early studies at Montecassino moved to the University of Naples, where he met members of the new Dominican order. At Naples too, Thomas first extended contact with the new learning. He joined the Dominican order and then went north to study with Albertus Magnus, author of a paraphrase of the Aristotelian corpus. Thomas completed his studies at the University of Paris, formed out the monastic schools on the left bank and the cathedral school at Notre Dame. In two stints as a regent master, Thomas defended the mendicant orders and of greater historical importance countered both the interpretations of Averroës of Aristotle and the Franciscan tendency to reject Greek philosophy. The result, a new modus vivendi between faith and philosophy, survived until the rise of the new physics. The Catholic Church over the centuries regularly and consistently reaffirmed the central importance of work of Thomas for understanding its teachings concerning the Christian revelation, and his close textual commentaries on Aristotle represent a cultural resource, now receiving increased recognition.
