Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar, priest, theologian, and philosopher whose influence on Catholic theology and Western philosophy is immense. He founded Thomism, a system of thought that bridges theology and philosophy. A key figure in natural theology, Aquinas taught that both natural reason and faith ultimately come from God. He adopted many of Aristotle’s ideas and worked to harmonize them with Christian teachings. His most famous contributions include the Five Ways to demonstrate God’s existence, his virtue-based ethics, and his theology of the sacraments.

Born around 1225, likely at the family castle of Roccasecca near Aquino in the Kingdom of Sicily (now Lazio, Italy), Thomas was the youngest of nine children. His father, Landulf VI, was a knight serving Emperor Frederick II, and his mother, Theodora Galluccio, was of Norman descent; Landulf was of Lombard origin. The family intended Thomas for a religious career, hoping he would become abbot of Monte Cassino like his uncle Sinibald. At age five, he began his education at that monastery. When conflict between Frederick II and Pope Gregory IX disrupted the abbey in early 1239, his parents enrolled him at the studium generale in Naples (now the University of Naples Federico II). There, Petrus de Ibernia taught him arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music, while Martin of Dacia taught grammar and logic. It was likely at this university that Thomas first encountered the works of Aristotle, Averroes, and Maimonides, all of whom shaped his theological philosophy. Peter of Ireland was teaching Aristotle’s recently translated works, as commented on by Averroes. During his studies, Thomas was also influenced by John of St. Julian, a Dominican preacher recruiting for the order.

At nineteen, Thomas decided to join the Dominicans. His family opposed this. To avoid his mother’s interference, the Dominicans planned to move him to Rome and then to Paris. But on the journey to Rome, his brothers seized him while he was drinking from a spring and brought him back to the family castle at Monte San Giovanni Campano. He was held prisoner for nearly a year in the family castles at Monte San Giovanni and Roccasecca, as his family tried to make him renounce his Dominican aspirations. Political concerns prevented the Pope from ordering his release, prolonging his detention. During this time, Thomas tutored his sisters and stayed in contact with Dominican members.

Desperate to change his mind, his family tried extreme measures. Two of his brothers hired a prostitute to seduce him, hoping sexual temptation would break his resolve for celibacy. According to official canonization records, Thomas drove her away with a burning log, used it to mark a cross on the wall, and fell into a mystical ecstasy. Two angels then appeared to him as he slept, saying, “Behold, we gird thee by the command of God with the girdle of chastity, which henceforth will never be imperilled. What human strength can not obtain, is now bestowed upon thee as a celestial gift.” For the rest of his life, Thomas wore a girdle symbolizing perfect chastity; after his death, it was given to the monastery of Vercelli in Piedmont and now resides at Chieri, near Turin. By 1244, seeing she could not dissuade him, Theodora arranged for Thomas to escape at night through a window, hoping a secret escape would preserve the family’s dignity better than an open surrender to the Dominicans. He was sent first to Naples, then to Rome to meet Johannes von Wildeshausen, the Dominican Master General.

In 1245, Thomas was sent to Paris.