St. Thomas Aquinas

I've read somewhat into this mans history which seems to be interesting. I have mostly read about him on the philosophical aspect.

But, i've been looking for something. Ever since I saw the movie Stigmata, and they spoke of his gospel about god not wanting us to have churches and how the catholic church denied his writtings so it wouldn't cause any ruckus.

Now I may be incorrect so please correct me, but if anyone knows anything about this, it would be helpful.

Thanks

ASk the pope!!

All information relating to your topic is most likely speculation, lies and hoolywood hype.

If the Catholic church does have such information it would be heavelly guarded.

I could well believe that it was never the intention to have an organised religion the way that Christianity is structured today, and that Jesus truly wanted people to worship in their own way and make their own church, away from central dogamtic law. But it would be almost impossible to prove. If that's what you believe (and obviously if you believe in God) then don't go to mass. I stopped years ago, man it was sickening. But that was more out of a lack of faith than an irritating priest...

I think the encyclopedia will tell you all you want to know (apparently Stigmata rather... over-dramatized and outright fictionalized things in the interests of "making a good story.")

], 1225�74, Italian philosopher and theologian, Doctor of the Church, known as the Angelic Doctor, b. Rocca Secca (near Naples). He is the greatest figure of scholasticism, one of the principal saints of the Roman Catholic Church, and founder of the system declared by Pope Leo XIII (in the encyclical Aeterni Patris, 1879) to be the official Catholic philosophy.

Reality has never stopped Hollywood.

Encyclopedia article here (much less dramatized and more accurate than any film):
www.bartleby.com...

Originally posted by Maddas
If the Catholic church does have such information it would be heavelly guarded.

Hardly. They would be a difficult read for many folks, however:
His works may be classified according to their form and purpose. The principal ones are Commentary in the Sentences (a series of public lectures; 1254�56), his earliest great work; seven quaestiones disputatae (public debates; 1256�72); philosophical commentaries on Aristotle�s Physics, Metaphysics, De anima, Ethics, part of the De interpretatione, and the Posterior Analytics; treatises on many subjects, including the Summa contra Gentiles (1258�60); and, most important of all, Summa theologica (1267�73), an incomplete but systematic exposition of theology on philosophical principles. St. Thomas�s philosophy is avowedly Aristotelian; the methods and distinctions of Aristotle are adapted to revelation. (from the site cited above)


A google search shows some 18,000 references to these books, including copies of them in many translations and published at many different times.

Aquinas had a very systematic mind, his Summa Theologica is actually a good read if you are interested in exploring his proofs for the existance of God. Although it is considered theology, it reads more like a philosophical treatise than a theological one.

Yes, there are definitely things that the Catholic church has suppressed. For example, why do you think they were burning people at the stake for gazing at the stars & suggesting that changes in the 'natural order' needed to be made? The Catholic church knew exactly what was happening, and they needed to keep people away from the discovery of an observable, objective reality. They did this by controlling the population through fear.

Incidentally, Aquinas was a portly fellow. His body was allegedly boiled & the bones extracted, and then pulverized. The remains were then sold as indulgences - pay money to the Church and you get a passport to heaven.

"Now I may be incorrect so please correct me,"

You are incorrect.
Information on Aquinas must be available on approximately 200 trillion web sites.
Never trust Hollywood -even on events and people of a few years ago.

Thanks for the responses, I never trusted Hollywood, but I do believe "Jesus truly wanted people to worship in their own way and make their own church."

If you can believe in god without the help or forced influence of someone else, don't you think your faith is more powerfull?

As for Aquinas being converted into bonemeal and vegemite: no doubt a charming tale; but I fancy it would cause consternation in Toulouse where most of Aquinas reposes in magnifence at St Sernin - a fact known to almost everyone whose head is right.
Aquinas himself gave up on writing the Summa: a decision to be heeded carefully by anyone attempting to read any part of it in translation ( or the Latin, for that matter): it has no canonical status and is pretty much inaccessible and uninteresting, therefore, unless one has a fairly strong interest in ,and good knowledge of, the subject-matter.
"Where do such topics come from, O wise Uncle Estragon?", loveable urchins ask me on a daily basis. "Who can say?" I reply.

Originally posted by OverStand
Thanks for the responses, I never trusted Hollywood, but I do believe "Jesus truly wanted people to worship in their own way and make their own church."

He probably did NOT -- not if he wanted his teachings accurately transmitted. If you're skeptical, just take a gander at the different flavors of the Wiccan faith that have arisen since the Buckland revival of the 1960's. Many of them are VERY far from Buckland's teachings.

However, Wicca is a "worship in your own way and make your own church/grove/circle" religion.