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Thomas Aquinas,
one of the greatest philosopher theologians in Christian history, was
a child of the aristocracy, whose parents intended him for religious life
from a very young age. When he was only 5 years old, his parents sent
him to a Benedictine monastery to begin his training. When he was around
20, he joined the Dominicans, a fairly new order dedicated to poverty
and preaching. His family, who had envisioned a more respectable church
career for him, were so outraged by this choice that they kidnapped him
and held him prisoner for 2 years, but he remained committed to his vows.
Eventually, his family relented and allowed Thomas to resume his studies.
He studied under Albert Magnus, the greatest theologian of his day, and
eventually became a teacher of theology at the University of Paris. The
stereotype of Thomas is that he was the supreme rationalist, and it is
certainly true that his writing reveals a rigorously logical mind and
a high level of trust in the power of reason. However, Thomas was also
known to his own followers as a mystic, who experienced ecstatic states
of union with Christ throughout his life. In December of 1273 he had a
particularly intense ecstatic experience while at Mass, after which he
refused to write any more, saying, "I can do no more. Such secrets
have been revealed to me that all I have written now appears to be of
little value" He died a few months later. Bibliography
The Cambridge
Companion to Aquinas edited by Norman Kretzmann and Eleonore Stump. Thomas Aquinas,
Spiritual Master by Robert Barron Saint Thomas Aquinas:
"The Dumb Ox" by G. K. Chesterton The Philosophy
of St. Thomas Aquinas by Etienne Gilson Links:
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 Nancy Zylstra |
