Detailed biography of saint thomas aquinas

Perhaps the most well-known and highly regarded theologian and philosopher of the Catholic Church, Thomas Aquinas was born the youngest son to a Sicilian noble family in 1225. Although Aquinas was intended from a young age to become an abbot, Italian political and papal infighting redirected him to a university in Naples, where his studies, including his earliest encounters with Aristotle, were directed by members of the newly founded Dominican Order, an order of which Aquinas eventually became a member despite prolonged, powerful objections from his family.

Traveling to France in 1245, Aquinas studied under the renowned Aristotelian commentator and fellow Dominican, Albert Magnus. He later joined the University of Paris’ faculty as regent master in theology, during which time he began work on his Summa contra Gentiles. Upon completion of his regency in Paris, Aquinas returned to Italy in 1259, where he was eventually called to Rome, in 1265, by Pope Clement IV to serve as a papal theologian. While in Rome, Aquinas continued to teach, now at a newly established Dominican school at Santa Sabina, and began to write his most famous work, the Summa Theologiae, sometimes called the Summa Theologica.

In 1268, Aquinas was called once again to serve as regent master in Paris, where “Averroism”—or heterodox Aristotelianism—had risen to prominence within the university. Upon the completion of his second regency in Paris, Aquinas returned to Naples, where he founded a new Dominican university and once again assumed the position of regent master and continued work on his Summa Theologiae. In 1274, Pope Gregory X called the Second Council of Lyons in an attempt to repair the great schism that had taken place within the Church in 1054. Summoned to the council, Aquinas suffered an accident while traveling, fell ill, and died several days later on March 7, 1274. Fifty years following his death, Aquinas ascended to sainthood and then, in 1567, was named a Doctor of the Ch

(1225-1274)

Who Was Saint Thomas Aquinas?

Combining the theological principles of faith with the philosophical principles of reason, Saint Thomas Aquinas ranked among the most influential thinkers of medieval Scholasticism. An authority of the Roman Catholic Church and a prolific writer, Aquinas died on March 7, 1274, at the Cistercian monastery of Fossanova, near Terracina, Latium, Papal States, Italy.

Early Life

The son of Landulph, count of Aquino, Saint Thomas Aquinas was born circa 1225 in Roccasecca, Italy, near Aquino, Terra di Lavoro, in the Kingdom of Sicily. Thomas had eight siblings, and was the youngest child. His mother, Theodora, was countess of Teano. Though Thomas' family members were descendants of Emperors Frederick I and Henry VI, they were considered to be of lower nobility.

Before Saint Thomas Aquinas was born, a holy hermit shared a prediction with his mother, foretelling that her son would enter the Order of Friars Preachers, become a great learner and achieve unequaled sanctity.

Following the tradition of the period, Saint Thomas Aquinas was sent to the Abbey of Monte Cassino to train among Benedictine monks when he was just 5 years old. In Wisdom 8:19, Saint Thomas Aquinas is described as "a witty child" who "had received a good soul." At Monte Cassino, the quizzical young boy repeatedly posed the question, "What is God?" to his benefactors.

Saint Thomas Aquinas remained at the monastery until he was 13 years old, when the political climate forced him to return to Naples.

Education

Saint Thomas Aquinas spent the next five years completing his primary education at a Benedictine house in Naples. During those years, he studied Aristotle's work, which would later become a major launching point for Saint Thomas Aquinas's own exploration of philosophy. At the Benedictine house, which was closely affiliated with the University of Naples, Thomas also developed an interest in more co

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January 28: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor—Memorial

1225–1274
Patron Saint of students, Catholic schools, apologists, booksellers, chastity, philosophers, publishers, scholars, theologians
Invoked against storms
Canonized by Pope John XXII on July 18, 1323
Proclaimed Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius V in 1567
Liturgical Color: White
Version: Full – Short

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Quote:
In order that the salvation of men might be brought about more fitly and more surely, it was necessary that they should be taught divine truths by divine revelation. It was therefore necessary that besides philosophical science built up by reason, there should be a sacred science learned through revelation. ~SummaTheologica, by Saint Thomas

Reflection: Among the greatest intellectuals in the history of the Church, Saint Thomas rises far above the rest. He is not only a Doctor of the Church but is given the titles Angelic Doctor, Common Doctor, and Universal Doctor. It is difficult to understate the impact that Saint Thomas has had on the Church’s doctrine and intellectual understanding of the faith.

Thomas was born in a grand castle in central Italy near the town of Aquino. His father was a nobleman, a knight in the army of the Emperor Frederick II. Thomas began his studies when he was only five at the famous Benedictine monastery, Monte Cassino, where his uncle was abbot. Thomas’s parents hoped he would one day become the abbot himself. When he was fourteen, because of military conflicts, Thomas moved from Monte Cassino to the newly founded University of Naples to continue his studies. It was there that he came in contact with the Dominicans who influenced him greatly and who made plans for Thomas to join their newly founded order. Thomas’ intellect shone forth at that time as he openly engaged in discussions, and his reputation for brilliance became widely known.

Italian Dominican theologian and philosopher (1225–1274)

"Aquinas" redirects here. For the ship that sank in 2013, see MV St. Thomas Aquinas. For other uses, see Aquinas (disambiguation).

In this medieval Italian name, the name Aquinas is an indicator of birthplace, not a family name; the person is properly referred to by the given name, Thomas.

Thomas AquinasOP (ə-KWY-nəs; Italian: Tommaso d'Aquino, lit. 'Thomas of Aquino'; c. 1