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 THOMAS

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THOMAS

the decree being moderated by Gregory IX in 1231. There crept into the University of Paris an insidious spirit of irreverence and Rationalism, represented especially by Abelard and Raymond Lullus, which claimed that reason could know and prove all things, even the mysteries of Faith. Under the authority of Averroes dangerous doctrines were propagated, espe- cially two very pernicious errors: fir.st, that philoso- I)hy and religion being in different regions, what is true in rehgion might be false in philosophy; secondly, that all men have but one soul. Averroes was com- monly styled "The Commentator", but St. Thomas says he was "not so much a Peripatetic as a corrupter of Peripatetic philosophy" (Opusc. de unit, intell.). Applying a principle of St. Augustine (see I, Q. Ixxxiv, a. 5), following in the footsteps of Alexander of Hales and Albertus Magnus, St. Thomas resolved to take what was true from the "unjust possessors", in order to press it into the service of revealed religion. Objections to Aristotle would cease if the true Aris- totle were made known; hence his first care was to obtain a new translation of the works of the great philosopher (see A.Jourdain, "Recherches critiques Bur I'age et I'origine des traductions latines d'Aris- tote", Paris, 1819, 1843: Ueberweg, op. cit., I, p. 430; Barthclemy Saint-Hilaire). Aristotle was to be piu-i- fied; false commentators were to be refuted; the most influential of these was Averroes, hence St. Thomas is continually rejecting his false interpretations.

(2) Theology Systematized. — The next step was to press reason into the service of the Faith, by putting Christian doctrine into scientific form. Scholasti- cism does not consist, as some persona imagine, in useless discu.ssions and subtleties, but in this, that it expresses sound doctrine in language which is accu- rate, clear, and concise. In the Encyclical "^^i^tcrni Patris" Leo XIII, citing the words of Sixtus V (Bull "Triumphantis", 1588), declares that to the right use of philosophy we are indebted for "those noble endowTuents which make Scholastic theology so formidable to the enemies of truth", because "that ready coherence of cause and effect, that order and array of a disciphned army in battle, those clear definitions and distinctions, that strength of argu- ment and those keen discussions by which light is distinguished from darkness, the true from the false, ex"pose and' lay bare, as it were, the falsehoods of heretics wrapped around by a cloud of subterfuges and fallacies". When the great Scholastics had written, there was light where there had been darkness, there was order where confusion had prevailed. The work of St. Anselm and of Peter Lombard was perfected by the Scholastic theologians. Since their days no substantial improvements have been made in the plan and system of theology, although the field of apologetics has been widened, and positive theology has become more important.

C. Si. Thotna^'s Doctrine Followed. — Within a short time after his death the WTitings of St. Thomas were universally esteemed. The Dominicans naturally took the lead in following St. Thomas. The general chapter held in Paris in 1279 pronounced severe pen- alties against all who dared to speak irreverently of him or of his writings. The chapters held in Paris in 12S, at Honlcaux in 1287, and at Lucca in 1288 expressly required the brethren to follow t he doct rine of Thomas, who at that time had not been canonized (Const. Ord. Pra-d., n. 1130). The ITniversity of Paris, on the occasion of Thomas's death, sent an official letter of condolence to the general chapter of the Dominicans, declaring that, equally with his brethren, llie \miversity experienced sorrow at the loss of one who was their own by many titles (see text of letter in Vaughan, op. cit., II, p. 82). In the Encyclical " JDterni Patris" Leo XIII mentions the Universities of Paris, Salamanca, AlcaUl, Douai, Toulouse, Louvain, Padua, 15ologna, Naples, and

Coimbra as "the homes of human wisdom where Thomas reigned supreme, and the minds of all, of teachers as well as of taught, rested in wonderful harmony under the shield and authority of the Angelic Doctor". To the list may be added Lima and Manila, Fribourg and Washington. Seminaries and colleges followed the lead of the universities. The "Summa" gradually supplanted the "Sentences" as the text- book of theology. Minds were formed in accordance with the principles of St. Thomas; he became the gi'eat master, exercising a world-wide influence on the opinions of men and on their writings; for even those who did not adopt all of his conclusions were obliged to give due consideration to his opinions. It has been estimated that 6000 commentaries on St. Thomas's works have been written. Manuals of iheologj' and of philosophy, composed with the intention of impart- ing his teaching, translations, and studies, or digests (etudes), of portions of his works have been pubhshed in profusion during the last six hundred years and to-day his name is in honour all over the world (see Thomism). In every one of the general councils held since his death St. Thomas has been singularly honoured. At the Council of Lyons his book "Con- tra errores Gra'corum" was used with telhng effect against the Greeks. In later disputes, before and during the Council of Florence, John of Montenegro, the champion of Latin orthodoxj', found St. Thomas's works a source of nrefragable arguments. The "Decretum pro Annenis" (Instruction for the Arme- nians), issued by the authority of that council, is taken almost verbatim from his treatise, "De fidei articulis et septem sacramentis" (see Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 69.5). "In the Councils of Lyons, Viennc, Florence, and the Vatican", writes Leo XIII (Encychcal ".^^terni Patris"), "one might almost say that Thomas took part in and presided over the delibera- tions and decrees of the Fathers, contending against the errors of the Greeks, of heretics, and Rationalists, with invincible force and with the happiest results. But the chief and special glory of Thomas, one which he has shared with none of the Catholic doctors, is that the Fathers of Trent made it part of the order of the conclave to lay upon the altar, together with the code of Sacred Scripture and the decrees of the Supreme Pontiffs, the Summa of Thomas Aquinas, whence to seek counsel, reason, and inspiration.' Greater influence than this no man could have.

Before this section is closed mention should be made of two books widely knowTi and highly esteemed, which were inspired by and dr.awn from the wTitings of St. Thomas. The Catechism of the Council of Trent, composed by disciples of the AngeUc Doctor, is in reality a compendiinn of his theology, in con- venient form for the use of parish priests. Dante's "Divina Commedia" has been called "the Summa of St. Thomas in verse", and commentators trace the great Florentine poet's divisions and descriptions of the virtues and vices to the "Secunda Secunda?" (see Berthier, O.P., "La divina commedia con comment! secondo la scholastica", Turin, 1893; Ozanam, "Dante et la philosophic au trcizieme sicVle", Paris, 184,5, p. 319; Jourdain, op. cit., II, p. 128).

D. ApprecintinnnfSt.Thonids. — (1) In theCh\irch. — The esteem in which he was held during liis life has not been diminished, but rather increased, in the cour.se of the six centuries that have elapsed since his death. The position which he occu|)i('S in the Church is well explained by that great scholar Leo XIII, in the iMicyclical ".I'terni Patris", reconunending the study <it Scholastic philosophy: "It is known that neaiiy all the founders and framers of laws of religious orders (■(uiinianded their societies to study and reli- giously adhere to the teachings of St. Thomas. . . . To say nothing of the family of St. Dominic, which rightly claims this great teacher for its own glory, the statutes of the Benedictines, the Carmelites, tlie