The Life of St. Thomas Aquinas - Report Example

Outline The life and affect of St. Thomas Aquinas Introduction Thesis ment: Saint Thomas was so influential that despite his existence manycenturies ago, some of his hand written work exist to date and are available in libraries. As such, this paper will provide a description of the life and affect of St. Thomas Aquinas otherwise referred to as a biography. 2. Early life 3. Education 4. Philosophy and theology 5. Major works 6. Later life and death 7. Conclusion 8. Work Cited The life and affect of St. Thomas Aquinas Introduction A great philosopher and theologist, Saint Thomas Aquinas was born in Aquino a small town in south Italy in January 1225. Some claim that the family acquired the name Aquinas from the small Italian town they lived in. Saint Thomas was an exceptional and extraordinary man, who rose above all human challenges to become what he became. The writings and teachings of Saint Thomas were and will be of great impact to humankind. Though he lacked much appreciation, Thomas came to recognition roughly three hundred years ago, when they realized that he was the greatest and most influential catholic teachers of all time (Anonymous). Saint Thomas was so influential that despite his existence many centuries ago, some of his hand written work exist to date and are available in libraries. As such, this paper will provide a description of the life and affect of St. Thomas Aquinas otherwise referred to as a biography. Early life His father was Landulph Aquinas the count of Aquino and his mother Theodore the countess of teano. The Italian family of Aquino was linked to several royals of Europe like Fredrick II and Henry VI. Despite being related to the royals, the Aquino family was poor and lacked all the glory that royalty brings along. Saint Thomas had eight siblings and the family youngest child, and the sixth son of the Aquino. Saint Thomas was of light complexion, big bodied and impressive physique. Like any other human being, Thomas had a thunderstorm phobia or in other words great fear of thunderstorms. This transpired after Thomas witnessed lightning killing his little sister one night and this experience lived with him forever (Schmitz 12). Thomas had a normal life as a child though it halted when he was taken to Monte Casino when he was only nine years old. Education Saint Thomas Aquino left of the abbey of Monte Casino to enroll in religious education when he was only nine years of age. This was the norm or tradition of those early days. Saint Thomas stayed at the abbey until he was 13 years old, the time he left for Naples University to further his religious education. He excelled tremendously and it is in the university where he explored both the natural and metaphysical work of Aristotle. At the age of nineteen years, Saint Thomas secretly joined the Dominican monks, who were enlisting young scholars at the time. In 1244, young Saint Thomas was ordained and a huge crowd of people attended the big ceremonial event. The good news spread everywhere like bush fire and eventually the family of Saint Thomas leant about the event (McInerny and OCallaghan). They were very annoyed and thus when they strategized to bring him home despite the family’s state of poverty. They tried all possible means of retrieving their son from the clutches of the Dominicans and even went further to consulting the pope to no avail. As the family was inventing other strategies to kidnap him, Saint Thomas left for Rome at a very short notice and the family was shocked. However, despite his relocation to Rome, his brothers who were in the imperial army captured him. His brothers took him to a family castle and imprisoned him for almost two years. The family of Saint Thomas then grasped the chance to discourage and dissuade him from resuming to the Dominican institution. His brother even went ahead and brought him a prostitute into the prison so as to tempt him, but Saint Thomas drove her away holding on in his faith. While still in prison Saint Thomas did not stop studying and learning in his own. His determination influenced his siblings who secretly read their imprisoned brothers’ books. Eventually Saint Thomas was let out of the prison in 1245. When he was released, his seniors saw his great desire for theological studies, they sent him to the Dominican school, in Cologne, Germany. On arrival, Saint Thomas found a lecturer named Albertus Magnus who bonded with him like a father, the lecturer was teaching philosophy as well as theology. The lecturer became his pillar of strength and mentor and guided him all the way. In 1245, the lecturer had to leave for Paris and Saint Thomas went along with him. They travelled by foot, ate by the roadside, and slept whenever they could lay their heads. They travelled for days until they eventually reached Paris. On reaching Paris, Saint Thomas excelled in his studies and was a very humble young man who strictly followed religious teachings. He went on to stay with the lecturer for three more years and after three years passed, Saint Thomas graduated with a Bachelor of Theology (Anonymous). In 1248, Saint Thomas returned to Cologne, Germany along with Albertus, and he got an appointment as a second lecturer. The saint taught under his lecturer Albertus, being a graduate Saint Thomas managed the classroom activities like assignment and others. Albertus teachings drew massive crowds, and Saint Thomas always accompanied him. This exposure granted Saint Thomas an experience platform in his latest job. After a few years, Saint Thomas returned to the University of Paris and served again as a theology lecturer. When Saint Thomas acquired his doctorate degree, he started his devotion to public life (Torell 346). He taught in Paris, Rome, and other towns of Italy and engaged himself in the public business of the church. Saint Thomas was excellent in teaching, writing and preaching and having learnt German language was an added advantage. He held many professional debates and taught massive amount of people publicly, teaching the benefits of upright morality as well as strict spirituality. On another note, Saint Thomas changed his perspective strategy and from this time onwards he tirelessly engaged in activities ordered unto him.He travelled everywhere teaching people the basics of life and elaborating unto them what spirituality is about. Subsequently, Saint Thomas was invited by the government who wanted advice from him. The saint had a high demand and even the ruling empires of the time consulted him on state matters. Philosophy and theology First, he differentiated philosophy and theology by vividly outlining the big difference between the two aspects. He laid out his principles into two, saying that there were two types of knowledge namely, the mysteries of a Christian life and the truths of human reason (Clarke 109). The difference between the two aspects according to Saint Thomas was that each aspect is a separate fountain of knowledge needed by human beings. He also added that the bottom line of the two aspects were revelation, which is the important factor of them all. He then concluded that revelation guides reason and prevents it from making mistakes while reason explains and demystify faith. Secondly, Saint Thomas taught and gave evidence on God’s existence by explaining the mystical reality of the world and what it contains, thus reminding people of their spirituality (Bauerschmidt 12.1). Thirdly, Saint Thomas taught proper social behavior towards God and that to be in good contact with God, one has to be morally upright. In addition, the saint discussed about death in a divine way, emphasizing on the reality of death (Dauphinais & Levering 85). Lastly, he identified three types of laws, which are eternal, natural, and positive. The philosopher further explained that natural law directs humankind to common sense, while positive law is the governing law and that it should be an obvious of natural law. Finally, eternal law puts into action through free will to achieve spiritual goals. Major works Apart from teaching, the young philosopher’s main work was witting. In addition, while still teaching at Cologne, Germany Saint Thomas wrote a long commentary on theologian Scholarpeter Lombard in 1250s and wrote on being the essence for the Dominican monks in Paris. In 1256, while teaching in theology in a Paris University, Saint Thomas wrote against those who assail the worship of God and religion. Between 1265 to 1274, Saint Thomas wrote two philosophical pieces stating his previous work (Torell 27, Saint Thomas). Later life and death On June 1272, Saint Thomas accepted to relocate to Naples and establish a theological studies program. On January 1274, Saint Thomas left for Lyon, France. They left on foot and they were intending to go and participate in second council. However, as fate had it, Saint Thomas never reached his destination. He fell sick on his way and the monks wanted to keep him in the castle but Saint Thomas refused and insisted on remaining in the monastery. On his deathbed, Saint Thomas told the monks that had gathered his last words and died at the monastery of Fossanova on March 7, 1274. Pope John XXII IN 1323 later sanctified the late Saint Thomas. Coincidentally, Saint Thomas died the same year with his colleague Saint Bonaventure (Clarke 137). Conclusion In conclusion, this paper has provided a concise description of the life and affect of Saint Thomas Aquinas with details from the given research materials. Therefore, the existence of this saint was a very important thing because he transformed people’s lives and brought them closer to God. He also opened up people’s minds about their existence and their philosophical existence, teaching them on how to handle nature. Annotated Bibliography Torell, Jean Pierre. Christ and spirituality of Saint Thomas Aquinas. American press, 2011. Print The book not only highlights the life of Saint Thomas Aquino but also the whole life of the Christian tradition. It discusses and teaches the gospel in deep by emphasizing on morality and obeying of the holy word. This also book discusses the Christ’s way of life as an example that Christians should follow. He further elaborates the teachings of Jesus Christ and how it should change the lives of Christians. Bauerschmidt, Fredrick Christian. Holy teachings: Introducing the summa theologiae of St.Thomas Aquinas. Brazos press, 2005. Print This book contains holy teachings that will be of great influence to pastors, students and any other individual who wants to learn more about Christianity. Clarke W. Norris, Professor Goldberg Jonathan. The Creative Retrieval of Saint Thomas Aquinas: Essays in Thomistic Philosophy, New, and Old. Fordham University press, 2009. Print This book’s content is broken down into essay form. The book highlights different human personalities according to Saint Thomas. It discusses ethics, democracy, conscience, and morality in general. Torell, Jean Pierre. Saint Thomas Aquinas V1: The Person and His Work. CUA Press, 2005. Print This book introduces saint Thomas Aquinas in a more clear perspective or way. It discusses his life deep analyzing all that happened to Saint Thomas and all his duties. This book therefore paints a clear picture of who exactly was Saint Thomas Aquila. Dauphinais Michael, levering Mathew. Reading John with St. Thomas Aquinas: Theological Exegesis and Speculative Theology. New York: CUA Press, 2005. Print Two authors in essay form wrote this book and it speculates and distinctively explains theology. It outlines theology in a plainer or easier understanding to the reader. Anonymous. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Thomas Aquinas. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. This source is a reliable source for the work since it gives a detailed synthesis of Thomas Aquinas. As a peer-Reviewed Academic source, it qualifies for this easy as it gives detailed and reliable information on the subject. Schmitz, Kenneth (2007). St. Thomas Aquinas (audiobook). Narrated by Charlton Heston. Ashland. This is an up-to-date source giving information on Thomas Aquinas hence a reliable source for the work. It narrates much of his work, which is a crucial part of the assignment. McInerny, Ralph and OCallaghan, John, "Saint Thomas Aquinas", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Web. 26 Feb. 2013. . In providing the necessary information about Thomas Aquinas, this articles qualifies as a reliable source since the authors provide information required in compiling the work. Read More