Gafney on Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas, 1224(?)-1274

Thomas Aquinas was simultaneously both philosopher and theologian, in the senses that we use these terms today. His most well-known, and likely his most significant, addition to the development of Christian thought and philosophical thought in the 13th century was his fusion of Aristotelian thought with Christian ideas. Aquinas wrote purely philosophical texts, most of which were commentary on Aristotle. But, his most significant works are those in which he explores Christian doctrine using an Aristotelian lens, as it were, to understand the theology better, and also to express it to others more clearly. His Summa Theologiae comprises a number of carefully crafted proofs which defend various principles inherent to the Christian tradition, such as God's existence, God's limitlessness, and God's oneness. Aquinas is not predominantly interested in using philosophy to prove these truths- they must already exist and be understood to exist without proof. This is Christian faith. I find, however, that in this Aquinas also imitates or embodies the teachings of Aristotle. The Nicomachean Ethics cannot teach one how to be a good person, for example. Rather, they reveal to such a person, already good, more about why goodness is the way it is. Similarly, for Aquinas philosophy cannot prove the truths of the Christian faith or explain all of its mysteries. Rather, philosophy proves a medium for an expression of those truths.