“The Dumb Ox.”
Thomas Aquinas earned this nickname in school owing to his size and his shyness. He didn’t talk much, and when he did, his speech came out slowly. Nevertheless, St. Albert, one of his instructors, famously said in response to Thomas Aquinas’ nickname, “We call this man a dumb ox, but his bellowing in doctrine will one day resound throughout the world.”
How does one go from being a “dumb ox” to one of the most influential figures in Christianity?
St. Thomas Aquinas, born in the 13th century, pursued a life of monasticism, philosophy, and prolific writing. He became a strong authority in the Catholic church, and his works still influence Christianity today.
In this article, we’ll dive briefly into the life of Thomas Aquinas, how he influenced the Catholic church, and why his teachings matter to us today.
The Biography of Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas began his studies at five in a Benedictine monastery and became enchanted with Aristotle’s teachings and the ways of the Dominicans. For those unaware of the different orders of monks, the Dominicans and Benedictines certainly weren’t rivals, but they did things differently.
So when Thomas Aquinas pursued a Dominican life instead of a Benedictine one, his parents didn’t receive this news well. In fact, they kidnapped him for over a year to prevent him from furthering his Dominican education.
Nevertheless, Thomas Aquinas eventually broke free and finished his education under St. Albert the Great, a fellow Aristotelian enthusiast. From there, he served as a papal theologian in Rome and while he taught, he wrote his most famous work, Summa Theologica.
He created a plethora of works until he fell sick in 1274 and subsequently passed away. He received his saintly status five years later.
How Did Thomas Aquinas Influence the Catholic Church?
Although he didn’t live as long as some of the other theologians in church history, Thomas Aquinas dedicated himself to his writing, and his prolific nature and affinity for philosophy paid off.
As mentioned in this article, we have to understand the “threat” Aristotle’s teachings posed to the church. Often many of Aristotle’s beliefs ran counter to Christianity, and so the Church tried to fight with Aristotle’s teachings, often disregarding them as suspect at best.
Thomas attempted to find a way to show how Aristotle’s logic actually points to the existence of God.
In other words, he showed how faith and reason don’t stand at odds with one another. This seems to be one of the earliest attempts we witness of the Classical Apologetics method. He developed five ways to know the existence of God and prove the probability of theism.
He also fervently pursued truth and prayer, as mentioned in this article. Thomas showed not only the Roman Catholic church but the church as a whole, the importance of pursuing truth and a relationship with God. Some have argued that he relied too heavily on human logic rather than faith.
In Summa Contra Gentiles, he specifically argues the importance of the Roman Catholic church through the lens of an Islamic worldview.
How Do Thomas Aquinas’ Teachings Affect Us Today?
For those of us, particularly those of us not in the Roman Catholic denomination, we may wonder how Thomas Aquinas affects us today. After all, he has become a household name, but do we see his practices upheld in our own households?
First, Thomas Aquinas matters because he shows that both faith and reason belong to God.
Often, we can see false dichotomies when it comes to faith: Faith/reason, faith/science, etc. Philosophers like Thomas Aquinas can show us that the two don’t have to stand at odds with one another, but rather, they reflect each other.
Second, Aquinas shows how even non-Christian thinkers can help us to learn more about God. Aristotle certainly didn’t believe in Jesus, but through his innovations in logic, Aquinas helped form five strong arguments for the proof of God’s existence.
Finally, Aquinas highlights the importance of apologetics. We should constantly pursue truth and know the reasons for why we believe what we believe.
People have a running list of reasons why they don’t believe in Christianity, and sometimes they will attempt to throw you off course. They will pose some of the most difficult questions. The more you investigate the truth, like Aquinas, the better of a chance you have to defend your faith and beliefs.
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Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
