THOMAS
671
THOMAS
1.", VII Mar.; Vaughan, op. cit., II, 91). His
stasies have been mentioned. His abstractions in
esence of King Louis IX (St. Louis) and of distin-
ished visitors are related by all biographers. Hence,
en if allowance be made for great enthusiasm on
e part of his admirers, we must conclude that his
traordinary learning cannot be attributed to merely
tural causes. Of him it may truly be said that he
aoured as if all depended on his own efforts and
ayed as if all depended on God.
IV. Influence of St. Thomas. — A. Influence on
mcUty. — The great Scholastics were holy as well as
u-ned men. Alexander of Hales, Blessed Albertus
agnus, St. Thomas, and St. Bonaventure prove that
irning does not necessarily dry up devotion. The
igelic Thomas and the seraphic Bonaventure repre-
nt the highest types of Christian scholarship, com-
ning eminent learning with heroic sanctity. Cardi-
il Bessarion called St. Thomas "the most saintly
learned men and the most learned of saints", is works breathe the spirit of God, a tender and ilightened piety, built on a solid foundation, viz. e knowledge of God, of Christ, of man. The 5umma theologica" may be made a manual of piety
well as a text-book for the study of theology (cf. rane, op. cit., p. 446). St. Francis de Sales, St. lilip Neri, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Vincent ^rrer, St. Pius V, St. Antoninus constantly studied . Thomas. Nothing could be more inspiring than s treatises on Christ, in His sacred Person, in His e and sufferings. His treatise on the sacraments, pecially on penance and the Eucharist, would melt ■en hardened hearts. He takes pains to explain le various ceremonies of the Mass ("De ritu Eucha- ^tise" in "Sum. theol.". Ill, Q. Ixxxiii, and no riter has explained more clearly than St. Thomas le effects produced in the souls of men by this
- avenly Bread (ibid., Q. Ixxix). The principles
cently urged, in regard to frequent Communion, by ius X ("Sacra Trid. Svnodus", 190.5) are found in
- . Thomas (Q. Ixxix, a. 8, Q. Ixxx, a. 10), although he
not so explicit on this point as he is on the Commu- lon of children. In the Decree "Quam Singulari" 910) the pope cites St. Thomas, who teaches that, hen children begin to have some use of reason, so lat they can conceive some devotion to the Blessed icrament, they may be allowed to communicate J. Lxxx, a. 9, ad 3""). The spiritual and devotional spects of St. Thomas's theology have been pointed jt by Father Contenson, O.P., in his "Theologia lent is et cordis". They are more fully explained y Father Vallgornera, O.P., in his "Theologia iystica D. Thomse", wherein the author leads the )ul to God through the purgative, illuminative, and nitive ways. The Encychcal Letter of Leo XIII on le Holy Spirit is drawn largely from St. Thomas, and lose who have studied the "Prima Secundje" and le "Secunda Secund^-e" know how admirably the lint explains the gifts and fruits of the Holy Ghost, s well as the Beatitudes, and their relations to the ifferent virtues (see Froget, O.P. "De L'habitation u Saint Esprit dans les ames justes, d'apres la doe- -ine de S. Thomas d'Aquin", Paris, 1898). Nearly 11 good spiritual writers seek in St. Thomas defini- lons of the virt ues which they recommend . Recent ly is minor works on the reUgious hfe have been trans- ited into Enghsh ("An Apology for the Religious hders", by St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Louis, 1902; The Religious State", "The Episcopate", "The 'riestly Office", by St. Thomas, St. Louis, 1902).
B. Influence on Intellectual Life. — Since the days f Aristotle, probably no one man has exercised such , powerful influence on the thinking world as did It. Thomas. His authority was very great during lis lifetime. The popes, the universities, the stvHia if his order were anxious to profit by his learning and (rudence. Several of his important works were
written at the request of others, and his opinion was
sought by all classes. On several occasions the doc-
tors of Paris referred their disputes to him and grate-
fully abided by his decision (Vaughan, op. cit., II,
p. 544). His principles, made known by his writings,
have continued to influence men even to this day.
This subject cannot be considered in all its aspects,
nor is that necessary. His influence on matters purely
philo.sophical is fully explained in histories of philoso-
phy (see e. g. Gonzalez, O.P., "Hist, de la philoso-
phie", II, Paris, 1890; Turner, op. cit., pp.343sqq.;
Vallet, C.S.S., "Hi.st. de la phil.", Paris, 1886; Jour-
dain, "La Philosophic de S. Thomas d'Aquin ", 2 vols.,
Pari.s, 1858; Haureau, "Hist, de la Phil, scolastique",
Paris, 1872-80; Ueberweg, "Hist, of Philosophy",
2 vols., New York, 1903, I, pp. 443 sqq.). (Theolo-
gians who followed St. Thomas will be mentioned in
Thomism. See also Preachers, Order of. — II, A,
2, d.) His paramount importance and influence may
be explained by considering him as the Christian
Aristotle, combining in his person the best that the
world has known in philosophy and theology. It is
in this light that he is proposed as a model by Leo
XIII in the famous Encychcal "iEterni Patris". The
work of his life may be summed up in two proposi-
tions: he established the true i-elations between
faith and reason; he systematized theology.
(1) Faith and Rea.son. — The principles of St. Thomas on the relations between faith and reason were solemnly proclaimed in the Vatican Council. "The second, third, and foiu-th chapters of the Consti- tution "Dei Filius" read hke pages taken from the works of the Angehc Doctor. First, reason alone is not sufficient to guide men: they need Revelation; we must carefully distinguish the truths known by reason from higher truths (mysteries) known by Revelation. Secondly, reason and Revelation, though distinct, are not opposed to each other. 'Thirdly, faith pre- serves reason from error; reason should do service in the cause of faith. Fourthly, this service is rendered in three ways: (a) reason should prepare the minds of men to receive the Faith by proving the truths which faith presupposes (prceambxda fidci) ; (b) reason should explain and develop the truths of Faith and should propose them in scientific form; (c) reason should defend the truths revealed by Almighty God. This is a development of St. Augustine's famous saying (De Trin., XIV, c. i), that the right use of reason is "that by which the most wholesome faith is begotten ... is nourished, defended, and made strong". These principles are proposed by St. Thomas in many places, especially in the following: "In Boethium, de Trin. Proem.", Q. ii, a. 1; "Sum. cont. gent.", I, cc. iii-ix; "Summa", I, Q. i, aa. 1, 5, 8; Q. xxxii, a. 1; Q. Ixxxiv, a. 5 (cf. Vaughan, op. cit., cc. viii, ix, x; Man- ning, "The Vatican Council and Its Definitions", New York, 1905, pp. 206 sqq.). St. Thomas's .services to the Faith are thus simimed up by Leo XIII in the Encyclical "jEterni Patris": "He won this title of distinction for himself: that single-handed he victo- riously combated the errors of former times, and supplied invincible arms to put to rout those which might in after times spring up. Again, clearly dis- tinguishing, as is fitting, reason and faith, he both preserved and had regard for the rights of each; so much so, indeed, that reason, borne on the wings of Thomas, can scarcely rise higher, while faith could scarcely expect more or stronger aids from reason than those which she has already obtained through Thomas." St. Thomas did not combat imaginary foes; he attacked living adversaries. The works of Aristotle had been introduced into France in faulty translations and with the misleading commentaries of Jewish and Moorish philosophers. This gave rise to a flood of errors which so alarmed the authorities that the reading of Aristotle's Physics and Mela- physics was forbidden by Robej-t de Courjon in 1210,
