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#7 Summary and Conclusion to Aquinas and the Trinity

Thomas Aquinas established in Summa Theologica: The creative power of God is common to the whole Trinity: to the Father is appropriated power – He is the Creator; to the Son is appropriated wisdom – He is the Word; and to the Holy Spirit is appropriated goodness and the giving of life. Creation had aContinue reading “#7 Summary and Conclusion to Aquinas and the Trinity”

#6 To Be or Not to Be? That is the Question

When William Shakespeare put this in his play Hamlet he was, of course, quoting Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica Volume 2. Hamlet asks the skull of a man who has ceased to be whether it is better to live or die? In the original reference Aquinas states that every contingent thing has in it something necessary.Continue reading “#6 To Be or Not to Be? That is the Question”

#5 Creation and Act

The creative power of God is common to the whole Trinity and belongs to the essence of God.God is the Father of the Son from eternity; while He is the Father of the creature in time. Reference: Summa Theologica Volume 1: Treatise on the creation: The mode of emanation of things from the first principle:Continue reading “#5 Creation and Act”

#4 The Trinity

Who is God?This is the most fundamental question for any believer who feels God’s presence but does not comprehend the Being who is felt, the One who calls. The vision of Thomas Aquinas is truly sublime. It is he who consolidated the Christian concept of God as Trinity. This is what Thomas Aquinas writes inContinue reading “#4 The Trinity”

#3 What Thomas Aquinas Achieved

Ancient Greek philosophers initiated a dialogue about science and the nature of reality from about 600 BC. The texts written by Greek philosophers were copied and conserved by Orthodox Christians in libraries belonging to the Byzantine Empire prior to the fall of Alexandria in 642 AD, surviving in a reduced way up to the fallContinue reading “#3 What Thomas Aquinas Achieved”

#2 Life of Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 in Aquino, Italy and died aged 49 in France in 1274. Thomas Aquinas’ father was Count Landulf of Aquino, near Naples. Landulf and his brother Ronald seized the castle of Roccasecca and became the overlords of that area. Thomas’ mother was Theodora; she may have been sister to theContinue reading “#2 Life of Thomas Aquinas”

#1 Thomas Aquinas on the Trinity and Creation

Article written by Clare Merry in February 2022 1. Introduction Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) summarized human knowledge and philosophy up to 1270. His tour de force was Summa Theologica – Summary of the theology of Western Christianity. The Blackfriars edition of 1964 presents Summa in 61 volumes. Other editions have a lesser number of volumes, butContinue reading “#1 Thomas Aquinas on the Trinity and Creation”

#12 Chronology and Conclusion

This is the chronology: Jesus lived a quiet life in Nazareth working as a carpenter with Joseph. Jesus was in his 30s when he started his three year ministry. He moves to Capernaum on the shores of Lake Galilee. Jesus went to Jerusalem each year for Passover, first with his family and later with hisContinue reading “#12 Chronology and Conclusion”

#11 Slaughter of the Innocents

Herod sent the Magi to Bethlehem and instructed them: “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” (Matt. 2:8) This was trickery. His intentions are revealed in the verse Matthew 2:16: “When Herod realised that heContinue reading “#11 Slaughter of the Innocents”