Circa 1225 - 1274
Philosopher And Theologian

The Synthesis of Philosophy and Theology. The two defining influences on the great medieval philosopher-theologian Thomas Aquinas were Scholasticism and Aristotelianism. At the time of Thomas's birth, the dominant approach to theology was that of the university Schoolmen (or Scholastics), who considered reason a necessary complement of faith and emphasized the use of logic and the importance of rational inquiry. One of the greatest aids to their task of systematizing Christian doctrine along philosophical lines was the rediscovery, in the late twelfth century, of certain major writings of Aristotle. Thomas was, therefore, born at a time when Scholasticism was reaching its height and the intellectual weight of Aristotelianism was just beginning to be felt. His great contribution to theology was his effort to synthesize Christianity and Aristotelianism, which resulted in one of the most comprehensive philosophical systems in history and the...