Where the Middle Ages Begin
Within western civilization, there is a long-running dispute over which authority, the Christian tradition or Greek philosophical tradition, is the more trustworthy and comprehensive. Like other topics written about by Plato and Aristotle, friendship became part of this controversy. During Thomas Aquinas’ time, this struggle was focused on whether the works of Aristotle could be reconciled with Christianity.
Thomas’s treatment of the problem of war in the Summa Theologiae is refreshingly simple.
The Spiritual and the Supernatural according to Thomas Aquinas Murray, Andrew A paper delivered at the Biennial Conference in Philosophy, Religion and Culture, ‘The Supernatural’, Catholic Institute of Sydney, 3 – 4 October (1998) Abstract As we investigate in this conference what is meant by “supernatural” and whether or not we wish to admit anything […]
To hold on to the values of the original university might allow to cope with the current crisis.
Some Educational Aspects in England in the 16th Century Pacheco Lucas, Margarita (University of Extremadura – Cáceres) Proceedings of the II Conference of SEDERI (1992) It is well known that the term Renaissance refers to a new age in the history of western civilization supposed to separate the Middle Ages and the Modern times or, […]
God, the Devil, and Cupid: A Tripartite Formula for a Sinful Death Leaños, Jaime (University of Nevada – Reno) eHumanista: Volume 9, (2007) Abstract Can there be evil without good? Do people have freedom of choice, or is what they do always outside their control? Is there such a thing as sin? If so, what […]
Towards Modernity and Absolute Power: Interpretation of Kingship in The Book of the Twelve Wise Men and The Seven Books of Law McLean, Benjamin Transcultural Studies: A Series in Interdisciplinary Research,Volumes 2-3 (2006-7) Abstract In Castile (Spain) of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, one finds signs of a vigorous debate on the nature and limits […]
One subject that has never been closely investigated is the saint’s relationship to another famous saint, Nicholas of Myra, on whose feast in 1273 Thomas experienced the mystical vision that led to the definitive cessation of his writings.
The Medieval Synthesis Lecture by Professor Keith Ward Given at Gresham College on December 7, 2007 Religion and Philosophy. Aquinas and Aristotle. The Christain Rationalists – Anselm and Abelard. The cradle of autonomous reason and the rise of science. Was Christian faith the midwife of science? The Medieval Synthesis – Professor Keith Ward DD FBA […]
Hero or Tyrant: Images of Julius Caesar in Selected Works from Vergil to Bruni By Sarah M. Loose Master’s Thesis, Brigham Young University, 2007 Abstract: Gaius Julius Caesar is not only the most well-known figure in Roman history, but he is also one of the most difficult to understand. Since his assassination, Caesar has played […]
The Legal Character of Natural Law According to St. Thomas Aquinas By Stephen L. Brock PhD Dissertation, University of Toronto, 1988 Abstract: The claim is that Aquinas conceives of natural law as something that perfectly fulfills his general definition of law. It is a law in even a fuller sense than human positive law. The […]
Can Atheism be Rational? A Reading of Thomas Aquinas BROCK, STEPHEN L. Acta Philosophica, vol. 11 (2002) Abstract Does St Thomas Aquinas have anything to teach us on the subject of atheism? We might doubt it, even if we share his basic outlook. The reason would be the very fact that in his day there were […]
If God is eternal Muller, Pe. Dilonei Pedro Mirabilia 11, Tempo e Eternidade na Idade Média, Jun-Dez (2010) Abstract This study focuses on comprehending some of the aspects about God’s eternity in São Tomas. He talks about the question of the eternity of God in the first part of the Summa Theologiae, the tenth question. The eternity […]
MENTAL EXISTENCE IN THOMAS AQUINAS AND AVICENNA Black, Deborah L. Mediaeval Studies, Vol. 61 (1999) Abstract Traditionally it was the case that in philosophical circles, when the name of Thomas Aquinas was raised, the doctrine that would most readily come to mind was the distinction between essence and existence, and the related claim that the act […]
Analogy, Semantics, and Hermeneutics: The “Concept versus Judgment” Critique of Cajetan’s De Nominum Analogia P. Hochschild, Joshua (Wheaton College) Medieval Philosophy and Theology 11 (2003) Abstract Cajetan’s treatment of analogy in De Nominum Analogia is well known as the most influential and sophisticated theory of a central issue in Thomistic philosophy. The late twentieth century […]
Power Made Perfect in Weakness: Aquinas’s Transformation of the Virtue of Courage Konyndyk De Young, Rebecca (Calvin College) Medieval Philosophy and Theology 11 (2003) Abstract In Plato’s Republic, the moral education necessary to live the just life requires a transformation of the learner, a transformation that is both moral and intellectual. The result of the […]
Aquinas’s Impediment Argument for the Spirituality of the Human Intellect Lang, David P. (Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston) Medieval Philosophy and Theology 11 (2003) Abstract In several texts, Thomas Aquinas employs a controversial demonstration for the spirituality (that is, intrinsic independence from matter) of the human potential intellect—an argument deriving from a famous, though somewhat […]
The Angelic Doctor and Angelic Speech: The Development of Thomas Aquinas’s Thought on How Angels Communicate Goris, Harm (Catholic Theological University Utrecht) Medieval Philosophy and Theology 11 (2003) Abstract The doctrine of angels is not currently one of the most studied parts of Aquinas’s thought, and this goes a fortiori for the topic of angelic […]
Aquinas on Attributes Leftow, Brian (Oriel College, Oxford) Medieval Philosophy and Theology 11 (2003) Abstract Aquinas’ theory of attributes is one of the most obscure, controversial parts of his thought. There is no agreement even on so basic a matter as where he falls in the standard scheme of classifying such theories: to Copleston, he […]
Suárez and the Problem of External Sensation South, James B. Medieval Philosophy and Theology 10 (2001) Abstract In this article I will demonstrate Francisco Su´arez’s coherent and powerful method for addressing Lear’s concerns. I will outline Su´arez’s account against the background of Aquinas’s theory of sensation, emphasizing those areas where Su´arez believes that Aquinas’s theory […]
Aquinas’s Abstractionism Houston, Smit (University of Arizona) Medieval Philosophy and Theology 10 (2001) Abstract According to St. Thomas, the natures of material things are the proper objects of human understanding. And he holds that, at least in this life, humans cognize these natures, not through innate species or by perceiving the divine exemplars, but only […]
God as Nature’s Goal Kretzmann, Norman Medieval Philosophy and Theology, Volume 9, Number 2, September 2000 Abstract IV. GOD AS NATURE’S GOAL 1. Reorientation At the end of Book III’s first, introductory chapter, Aquinas divides his projected investigation of divine providence into three big topics, the first of which he characterizes as having to do […]
Badness Kretzmann, Norman Medieval Philosophy and Theology, Volume 9, Number 2, September 2000 Abstract 1. The Badness Thesis Badness’ is not a good word. It sounds faintly infantile, perhaps especially now, at the end of the twentieth century. Still, ‘imperfection’ and its bland companions are too broad to serve all the purposes of this investigation, […]
Agents, Actions and Ends Kretzmann, Norman Medieval Philosophy and Theology, Volume 9, Number 2, September 2000 Abstract Aquinas concludes his introductory chapter by announcing that his first task in Book III, a task to which he devotes sixty-two chapters, is to investigate “God himself in so far as he is the end of all things” […]
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