ST.

THOMAS
AQUINAS
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (1225 – 1274)
• St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Dominican friar,
Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church.
• He was an immensely influential philosopher,
theologian, and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism,
within which he is also known as the Doctor Angelicus
and the Doctor Communis
• He was the foremost classical proponent of natural
theology, and the father of Thomism.
• The Catholic Church honours Thomas Aquinas as
a saint and regards him as the model teacher for those
studying for the priesthood, and indeed the highest
expression of both natural reason
and speculative theology.
Theology and Philosophy
 St. Thomas Aquinas believed that the existence of
God could be proven in five ways:
1) OBSERVING MOVEMENT IN THE WORLD AS PROOF OF GOD, THE
"IMMOVABLE MOVER“
2) OBSERVING CAUSE AND EFFECT AND IDENTIFYING GOD AS THE
CAUSE OF EVERYTHING
3) CONCLUDING THAT THE IMPERMANENT NATURE OF BEINGS
PROVES THE EXISTENCE OF A NECESSARY BEING, GOD, WHO
ORIGINATES ONLY FROM WITHIN HIMSELF
4) NOTICING VARYING LEVELS OF HUMAN PERFECTION AND
DETERMINING THAT A SUPREME, PERFECT BEING MUST
THEREFORE EXIST
5) KNOWING THAT NATURAL BEINGS COULD NOT HAVE INTELLIGENCE
WITHOUT IT BEING GRANTED TO THEM IT BY GOD
• Based on Averroes' "theory of the double truth,"
the two types of knowledge were in direct
opposition to each other. St. Thomas Aquinas'
revolutionary views rejected Averroes' theory,
asserting that "both kinds of knowledge
ultimately come from God" and were therefore
compatible. Not only were they compatible,
according to Thomas's ideology, they could work
in collaboration: He believed that revelation
could guide reason and prevent it from making
mistakes, while reason could clarify and
demystify faith.
“ There is nothing on this
Earth more to be prized
than true friendship
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
”
“ Beware of the person
of the book.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS ”
“ To one who has faith, no
explanation is necessary; To one
without faith, no explanation is
possible.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS ”
Some of his works:
• SCRIPTUM SUPER LIBROS SENTENTIARIUM (COMMENTARY
ON THE SENTENCES)
• IMPUGNANTES DEI CULTUM ET RELIGIONEM (AGAINST
THOSE WHO ASSAIL THE WORSHIP OF GOD AND
RELIGION)
• SUMMA THEOLOGICA; SUMMA CONTRA GENTILES
• HE IS ALSO KNOWN FOR WRITING COMMENTARIES
EXAMINING THE PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY
ESPOUSED IN ARISTOTLE'S WRITINGS: ON THE
HEAVENS, METEOROLOGY, ON GENERATION AND
CORRUPTION, ON THE SOUL, NICOMACHEAN
ETHICS AND METAPHYSICS
References:
HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/THOMAS_AQUINAS
HTTPS://
WWW.BIOGRAPHY.COM/PEOPLE/ST-THOMAS-AQUINAS-9187231
HTTPS://
WWW.SLIDESHARE.NET/MERRYCHRISDELACRUZ5/ST-THOMA-SAQUI
NAS