Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/726

 THOMAS

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THOMAS

were Pietro Martini and Petrus Hibernus. The chronicler says that he soon surpassed Martini in grammar, and he was then given over to Peter of Ireland, who trained him in logic and the natural sciences. The customs of the times divided the liberal arts into two courses: the Trivium, embracing grammar, logic, and rhetoric; the Quadrivium, comprising music, mathematics, geometry,and astron- omy (see Arts, The Seven Liberal). Thomas could repeat the lessons with more depth and lucidity than his masters displayed. The youth's heart had remained pure amidst the corruption with which he was surrounded, and he resolved to embrace the religious life.

Some time between 1240 and August, 1243, he received the habit of the Order of St. Dominic, being attracted and di- rected by John of St. Julian, a noted preacher of the convent of Naples. The city wondered that such a noble young man should don the garb of a poor friar. His mother, with mingled feelings of joy and sorrow, hastened to Naples to see her son. The Dominicans, fearing she would take him away, sent him to Rome, his ultimate desti- nation being Paris or Cologne. At the instance of Theodora, Thom- as's brothers, who were soldiers un- der the Emperor Frederick, c a p - tared the novice near the town of Aquapendente, and confined him St. Thomas Aquinas in the fortress of

Piero deila Francesca. Poldi-Pezzoli San Giovanni at Gallery. Milan Rocca SeCCa.

Here he was detained nearly two years, his parents, brothers, and sisters endeavouring by various means to destroy his vocation. The brothers even laid snares for his virtue, but the pure-minded novice drove the temptress from his room with a brand which he snatched from the fire. Towards the end of his life, St. 1'homas confided to his faithful friend and companion, Reginald of Piperno, the secret of a remarkable favour received at this time. When the temptress had been driven from his chamber, he knelt and most earnestly implored God to grant him integrity of mind and body. He fell into a gentle sleep, and, as he slept, two angels appeared to assure him that his prayer had been heard. They then girded him about with a white girdle, saying: "We gird thee with the girdle of iierpelual virginity." And from that day forward he ne\cr e.xperii^nced the slightest motions of concupisc^ence.

The time spent in captivity was not lost. His mother relented somewhat, after the first burst of anger and grief; the Dominicans were allowed to provide him with new habits, and through the kind offices of his sister he procured some books — the Holy Scriptures, Aristotle's Metaphysics, and the "Sen- tences" of Peter Lombard. After eighteen months or two years spent in prison, either because liis mother

saw that the hermit's prophecy would eventually be fulfilled or because his brothers feared the threats of Innocent IV and Frederick II, he was set at hberty, being lowered in a basket into the arms of the Domini- cans, who were dehghted to find that during his captivity "he had made as much progress as if he had been in a studium generale" (Calo, op. cit., 24). Thomas immediately pronounced his vows, and his superiors sent him to Rome. Innocent IV examined closely into his motives in joining the Friars Preachers, dismissed him with a blessing, and forbade any further interference with his vocation. John the Teutonic, fourth master general of the order, took the young student to Paris and, according to the majority of the saint's biographers, to Cologne, where he arrived in 1244 or 1245, and was placed under Albertus Magnus, the most renowned professor of the order (on chronology of this period see Priim- mer, op. cit., p. 25). In the schools Thomas's humihty and taciturnity were misinterpreted as signs of dul- ness, but when Albert had heard his brilhant defence of a difficult thesis, he exclaimed: "We call this young man a dumb ox, but his bellowing in doctrine will one day resound throughout the world."

In 1245 Albert was sent to Paris, and Thomas accompanied him as a student. In 124S both re- turned to Cologne. Albert had been appointed regent of the new studium generale, erected that year by the general chapter of the order, and Thomas was to teach under him as Bachelor. (On the sys- tem of graduation in the thirteenth century see Pre.ichers, Order of. — II, A, 1, d; Fleury, "Hist. Eccl.",diss. v.; Touron, " Vie deS. Thomas d'Aquin", Paris, 1740, II, v; Drane, "Christian Schools and Scholars", London, 1881, 41.3; Douais, "L'organisa- tion des etudes dans I'ordre des FF. Precheurs, au 13^™^ siecle", Paris, 1884.) During his stay in Cologne, probably in 1250, he was rai.sed to the priesthood by Conrad of Hochstaden, archbishop of that city. Throughout his busy life, he frequently preached the Word of God, in Germany, France, and Italy. His sermons were forceful, redolent of piety, full of solid in- struction, abounding in apt citations from the Scrip- tiu-es (see " D. Th. Aquinatis sermones et opuscula con- cionatoria", 2 vols., Pari.s, 1881). In the year 1251 or 1252 the master general of the order, by the advice of Albertus Magnus and Hugo a S. Charo (Hugh of St. Cher), sent Thomas to fill the office of Bachelor (sub-regent) in the Dominican studium at Paris. This appointment may be regarded as the beginning of his public career, for his teaching soon attracted the attention both of the professors and of the students. His duties consisted principally in explain- ing the "Sentences" of Peter Lombard, and his commentaries on that text-book of theology furnished the materials and, in great part, the plan for his chief work, the "Summa theologica".

In due time he was ordered to prepare himself to obtain the degree of Doctor in Theology from the University of Paris, but the conferring of the degree was postponed, owing to a dispute between the uni- versity and the friars. The conflict, originally a dispute between the university and the civic authori- ties, arose from the slaying of one of the students and the wounding of three others by the city guard. The vmiversity, jealous of its autonomy, demanded satisfaction, which was refused. The doctors closed their schools, solemnly swore that they would not reopen them until their demands were grantetl, and decreed that in future no one should be admitted to the degree of Doctor unless lie would take an oath to follow the same line of conduct under .similar circumstances. The Dominicans and Franciscans, who had continued to teach in their schools, refused to take the prescribed oath, and from this there arose a bitter conflict which was at its height when St. Tliomas and St. Bonaventure were ready to' be