Better to Illuminate than to Shine The Life and Thought of the Dumb Ox, Angelic Doctor and Common Teacher of the Catholic Faith – Thomas Aquinas

“Just as it is better to illuminate than only to shine, so is it better to pass on contemplated truths to others than only to contemplate them.” – Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 188, a. 6

The Thirteenth and Greatest of Centuries VS

Cartoon in Los Angeles Times

“The astronomer and the physicist prove the same conclusion, namely, that the earth is round, but the astronomer does so through mathematics... but the physicist through a material consideration.” - Summa Theologiae I, q. 1, a. 1

Roccasecca Castle Rome Monte Cassino Naples Pope Emperor Landolfo Theodora

Roccasecca Castle Naples Rome

Paris Rome Cologne Albert the Great Bonaventure Orvieto Naples Thomas

The Dumb Ox "when he was passing, the peasants in the fields left their labors and came near to look at him, full of admiration for a man of such corpulence and beauty."

Thomas’s famous… infamous handwriting

“The way to make him return to himself is always the same— someone pulls strongly on his cape.”

Death, Condemnation and Canonization “All that I have written seems to me as straw compared with what I have seen.” Died on March 7, 1274, traveling to the Council of Lyon Condemnations of 1277 (not papal) Canonized in 1323

The Existence of God What is the first thing we need to know?

Meaning of the God First Cause of Everything Else Intelligent

The Necessary Must there be something that simply is? Something that can neither come into nor go out of existence?

The Non-Necessary E verything that is not necessary requires a cause in order to exist

The Non-Necessary The non-necessary cannot be the cause of the non-necessary unless it Itself has been caused to exist.

The Non-Necessary The non-necessary must be ultimately caused by the necessary

One or Many? The necessary causes the non- necessary. But is the necessary one or many?

Plurality Needs a Cause When two or more things are related to each other, there must be a cause above them that accounts for their relation.

One First Cause There is therefore one first cause. But is it material or immaterial, Intelligent or unintelligent?

Immaterial Material things always involve a multiplicity of parts, but such Multiplicity requires cause.

Intelligent An effect cannot be greater than its cause Intelligence in the world, therefore in the first cause

Big Bang? Too Easy

Aristotelian and Neo-platonic Eternity of the world and immortality of the soul Strong on logic and theory of knowledge Evil is a privation God is first agent, final end, and exemplar

Faith and Reason Revelation is twofold Natural to wish to understand one’s faith Anti-fideism Faith should not be defended with bad arguments Theology employs philosophy for our benefit

Human Knowledge Arises from sense experience of the world Ideas are drawn out from by sense experience No innate ideas Sense different from reason

Nature and Creation Distinguished from grace and redemption A means by which we can know God Inherently good Attributing something to nature does not detract from God’s glory

Thomism: From Then To Now March of the Common Doctor

Thomism: From Then To Now Council of Trent:

Thomism: From Then To Now Doctor of the Church: 1567 Augustine JeromeAmbrose Gregory the Great

Thomism: From Then To Now Aeterni Patris Thomism to be - charter for taught to priests Thomist revival in seminary and laity at university Pope Leo XIII

Thomism: From Then To Now Pope Pius X: Doctor Angelici The capital theses in the philosophy of St. Thomas are not to be placed in the category of opinions capable of being debated one way or another, but are to be considered as the foundations upon which the whole science of natural and divine things is based; if such principles are once removed or in any way impaired, it must necessarily follow that students of the sacred sciences will ultimately fail to perceive so much as the meaning of the words in which the dogmas of divine revelation are proposed by the magistracy of the Church

Thomism: From Then To Now Varieties of 20 th Century Thomism Existential Thomism River Forest / Laval Thomism Analytical Thomism Scholastic Thomism

Are humans animals? How are humans different from angels? Do animals have souls? What do we share in common with inanimate matter? What do we share in common with plants? What do we share in common with animals? What is special about humans? Do animals have emotions? Are you your soul?