Opinion
By Valentine Obienyem
Today is the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas. He is one Catholic theologian, alongside St. Augustine of Hippo, who has continued to fascinate me. My admiration for them has grown so deep that I tend to love and appreciate those who know these great minds intimately through scholarship. For example, Fr. Dr. Modestus Anyaegbu is a Thomist, as is Barrister Sonnie Ekwuwosi. I recall Sonnie’s engaging and literary debates with Prof. Okey Ikechukwu on Thomism. It resembles the debate between Bertrand Russell and Frederick Copleston in 1948 that was broadcast on BBC radio. You may listen to it for it is available online. Both gave excellent accounts of themselves. While Sonnie is a thorough Thomist, Ikechukwu, a cornucopia of knowledge, also knows Aquinas well. I recall some of the articles, “Earthbound Souls”, “Missing Links in Earthbound Souls” and “Overlooked Issues in Earthbound Souls” through which they crossed swords. While Sonnie defended the entire corpus of Thomism as I or Modestus would have done, Ikechukwu, both then and now, seeks to burn some of its views in the cauldron of his own thought. Please do not blame us; our theology is so closely bound to and driven by his that we feel injured in the attempt to find faults with him.
As a philosophy student, I remember how, one of my lecturers, Rev. Fr. Dr. Chika Okpalaike who thought us Philosophy of the Existence of God dissected Aquinas’ “Quinque Viae” as though he had constructed them himself alongside the saint.
Another theologian I hold dear is St. Augustine of Hippo. His profound transformation from a great sinner to inimitable saint has continued to inspire. Each time I discuss Augustine with Prof. Charles Nweke, I feel at home. Nweke knows Augustine like the back of his hand. For me, both Augustine and Aquinas stand as the greatest Catholic theologians of all time.
St. Augustine of Hippo, as ancient to Aquinas as Aquinas is to us (4th and 5th Centuries) laid much of the foundation for Western Christianity. His writings on original sin, grace, free will, and predestination have had a profound impact on Catholic thought. Works like “Confessions” and “The City of God” delve into the human soul and the relationship between the earthly and divine.
St. Thomas Aquinas (13th century), on the other hand, combined Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology. His “Summa Theologica” addresses nearly every aspect of Catholic doctrine and provides a rational framework for understanding faith. His teachings on the relationship between reason and faith have shaped Catholic doctrine and education for centuries.
Let there be no misunderstanding – Scripture was Aquinas’s primary and ultimate source. However, he did not interpret it in a purely literal or simplistic way. Building on the teachings of the Church Fathers and earlier theologians, he employed philosophical reasoning to illuminate and explain the deeper meanings within Scripture. Aquinas held that while the Bible conveys divine truths, understanding it necessitates a rational and thoughtful approach.
Though Aquinas died at the age of 49, the depth of his scholarship is reflected in his works. From synthesising Aristotelian thought with Christian theology to composing hymns like “Lauda Sion Salvatorem” and “O Salutaris Hostia”, his legacy endures. His writings such as “Summa Contra Gentiles”, “Disputed Questions”, and “Commentaries on Scripture” remain eloquent defences of the Church.
One famous anecdote recounts Aquinas at dinner with King Louis IX. Lost in meditation, he struck the table and exclaimed, “That is the decisive argument against the Manicheans!” The king, instead of reproving him, ordered an attendant to bring writing materials so the saint could record his thoughts.
In logic, Aquinas explored the relationship between reason, knowledge, and faith. He posited that human knowledge begins with sensory experiences, allowing reason to infer the existence and unity of God. Yet, unaided reason cannot grasp divine truths, such as the Trinity, which require supernatural revelation.
In metaphysics, Aquinas distinguished between essence (what something is) and existence (that it is). In God, essence and existence are identical, making Him the First Cause and Pure Act (actus purus). For all created beings, essence and existence are distinct, making them dependent on God.
His ethical framework centred on eternal happiness achieved through the Augustinian Beatific Vision. Earthly happiness, rooted in rational pursuits, is a foretaste of divine fulfilment. He integrated Aristotle’s virtues with theological ones like faith, hope, and charity, framing ethics in a Christian context.
Aquinas argued in his political philosophy that sovereignty originates from God and is vested in the people, who delegate authority to rulers. He supported constitutional monarchy and insisted that governance serve the common good. Economics, he maintained, must go with morality, advocating just pricing and opposing excessive wealth.
As usual, Aquinas psychology was influenced by Aristotle; Aquinas saw the soul as the “substantial form” of the body. He divided the soul’s faculties into vegetative (growth), sensitive (sensation), appetitive (desire), locomotive (movement), and intellectual (reason). For Aquinas, the soul survives bodily death but achieves completeness only in resurrection.
In all, St. Thomas Aquinas’s theological and philosophical works remain treasures of Christian thought, as do those of St. Augustine. Together, they continue to inspire scholars and believers alike.
28th January, 2025.
C.E.
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