Religion · Philosophy · Literature · 1225–1274
Born: 25 January 1225 · Died: 7 March 1274 · Age: 49
Italian Dominican friar whose Summa Theologica combined Christian faith with Aristotle's philosophy and shaped Catholic theology
Did you know?His classmates at university nicknamed him the Dumb Ox because he was a quiet and physically large student.
Aquinas set out to show that faith and reason are not enemies but partners. Drawing heavily on the newly rediscovered works of Aristotle, he built a vast system of thought explaining how human reason could support Christian belief. His Summa Theologica, left unfinished, became one of the most important works of theology ever written. His famous 'five ways' offered logical arguments for the existence of God that philosophers still debate. The Catholic Church later named him a saint and Doctor of the Church, and his thinking remains central to its teaching.
Thomas Aquinas ( ə-KWY-nəs; Italian: Tommaso d'Aquino, lit. 'Thomas of Aquino'; c. 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest, theologian, and philosopher. He is considered one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Catholic theology and Western philosophy.
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Profile
Italian theologian, born 1225
Thomas Aquinas was born in Roccasecca on 25 January 1225.
He joined the Dominican order against his family's wishes.
He wrote the Summa Theologiae.
He was declared a saint in 1323.
Career highlights
Did you know?His family once locked him in a castle for a year to stop him becoming a friar.
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