Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

St. Thomas Aquinas is perhaps the greatest Christian philosopher that every lived, and certainly the greatest Catholic scholar in history. His contributions are difficult to overestimate -- Summa Theologica alone is perhaps the most important document in Christian literature, aside from the Holy Bible itself.

Aquinas lived in the 13th Century, which has been called by some scholars a "golden age" for scholasticism and Christian philosophy. Its importance is certainly underestimated by most secular historians, who often overlook the fact that there were something like 66 different universities during the time. At one point in the latter part of the 13th Century, the University of Paris boasted more than 40,000 students -- an astounding number by any estimation. Some of history's most important thinking and translating were done during this time, and most of the Western world's significant intellectual trends can trace their roots that century.

Rising head and shoulders above all other 13th Century scholars was Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican Friar who studied under the great philosopher, theologian and teacher, Albert Magnus. During his 16-year writing career, Aquinas wrote on hundreds of theological and philosophical topics.

The complete text of Summa Theologica is available on this site, divided into treatises (*NOTE: This is a work in progress, please be patient):

Access to Aquinas' complete list of public domain documents can be obtained at the The Catholic Encyclopedia.