Saint Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274
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A n Italian scholastic philosopher
Generally acclaimed as the greatest Theologian of the Roman
Catholic Church.
-referred as the Angelic Doctor
*His teachings are mainly embodied in his two monumental works: works: a. The summa Theologica b. Summa Contra Gentiles * He followed fundamentally the teachings of his great predecessor, Aristotle (The Philosopher) * He saw and subscribed to the vision of Aristotle who relied immensely immensely on natural powers of human reason and experience in search for f or goodness and truth.
He proclaimed the supremacy of reason and every man and maintain that man will know the truth by the application of truth.
*Although, he emphasized that there are some truths which cannot be explained and known by simply the human reason alone and which can be perceived only with the old of the light of divine revelation which emanate from God, who is truth itself
CONCEPT OF GOD by Aristotle Man can know and validly prove Gods existence by reasoning (conclusions of Aristotles arguments).Thus, arguments).Thus, by said arguments, we can arrive at the knowledge of God as the Prime Mover, the First cause, the Perfect Good. The Final cause and Good of all Things Aquinas upheld these arguments as valid and true and adopted these proof sin his Quinque Viae (Five ways) to prove Gods Existence. Yet, he saw that they do not reveal the nature of God.
Philosophy of Happiness of Happiness -He taught that man naturally longs for perfection and happiness and this personal longing can be realized with the full development of all mans endowments rational, moral, emotional, social, physical and intellectual. -He saw the highest perfection and happiness possible possible to man beyond his temporal life, because the immortality immortality of the human soul. * The perfect happiness which all men seek can be found in God, according to St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas.
THE UNIVERSAL MAN OF ARISTOTLE The end- product of the aforedescribed all-rounded and total development of man.
In the transcendental vision of Aquinas and in accordance with the teachings of Christian faith and teaching, man, in his present state of existence of Earth, is mortal, imperfect, finite and transitory with the
attainments of his supreme purposeand union with God, he transcends to immortality of the human soul.
THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF LOVE The transformation described is also suggested in Platos Theory of Imitation of the Divine Model, The Good. By perfect imitation of the Good,
by constantly being good and doing good, we become and
eventually identify ourselves with the Good. It is also implied in the First Epistle of the St. John, chapter four and verse eight that reveals
God
as LOVE, then by loving we are likened to
God
who
is love, and if we love perfectly and constantly, we identify ourselves with love. This transformation by love elevates US to the rank of divinity as children of God, as revealed in an unparalleled passage of St. Paul.
TRANSFORMATION AND TRANSCENDENCE Aquinas links the aforedescribed transformation with the power of transcendence in man Man has the unique power to change himself and the things around him for the better indeed, in accordance with his urge to be perfect and happy, he can improve and even perfect himself; and what is still more marvelous is that he can even transcend himself.
BEYOND THE UNIVERSAL THE TRANSCENDENTAL
Aquinas defined Trascendental as a description of the man who has attained union with God.
Transcending the universal man of Aristotle as to perfection and destiny, the aforedescribed man of Aquinas is aptly called the Transcendental man.
Transcendent Humanism mentioned in the encyclical Progressio Popularum to signify the highest stage of mans perfection attainable through mans union with the all- Perfect Being, God.
TRANSCENDENTAL came from the Latin word transcendere, which means to transcend, go beyond, soar above, surpass. Thus, the universal man of Aristotle who is perfect in his own right, is still imperfect in comparison with the transcendental man of Aquinas.
PERFECTION BY PARTICIPATION We speak of the transcendental man as absolutely perfect but only insofar as he participates in the Absolutely Absolute Perfection of God,
In his monumental work, The Summa Theologica. Aquinas dealt with the question whether man or a higher being can raise man to the level of the infinitely perfect. He answered saying that neither man by his natural powers alone nor a higher being such an angel can effectuate said elevation or transformation. Between the finite creature and the infinite creator lies an infinite
Gap
which
can be bridged only by an infinite power, aptly called and indentified with LOVE because it unites and bespeaks of the nature of God.
BEYOND CONTRADICTION UNION Contradiction occurs only in the field of disclosure, between two absolutely opposed terms or propositions; it does not occur in the real world of things. Between two realities such as between Man and
God
there can never be a
contradiction.
THE TRANSCENDENTAL GOLDEN MEAN BETWEEN MAN AND GOD Finite transcendental infinite In the order of being and perfection, the the transcendental man is above the finite but below the infinite. Thus the transcendental transcendental man strikes the golden middle note in the harmony of the finite and the infinite. MAN, LOVE AND DESTINY
Man with his natural powers alone cannot attain a supernatural destiny. To actually reach his supernatural supernatural destiny he should s hould be elevated and empowered by supernatural grace by the power of love.
