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 Saint Thomas Aquinas: 7th Century Of Death Scott 557a (1974) January 28 marks the Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas, who died on this date in 1274. Thomas Aquinas was born around 1225 into a Lombard noble family near Aquino, Italy. Initially, he studied at the Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino and later the University of Naples. While at Naples, he was attracted to the Dominican Order and eventually became a Dominican, much to the displeasure of his family. As a scholar-theologian, Aquinas divided his time between Italy and France, particularly Naples and Paris, both teaching and writing. Saint Thomas Aquinas is of monumental importance in the development of western thought and Roman Catholic theology. He is best known for his work, the Summa Theologica. Unfinished at the time of his death, the work is a concise comprehensive summary of Christian theology in a thesis/antithesis format, leading to a conclusion. Over time, it became the standard theological text in seminaries and universities into the 20th century. Historian David Farmer writes: His deep contemplative devotion at prayer, which was sometimes ecstatic, was matched by an intense power of concentration and an ability to dictate to four secretaries at once. In respect to his Summa, its intrinsic excellence, its insistence on Aristotle combined with Platonist philosophy, its patristic learning and clear reasoning, have commended it to generations of theologians.Aquinas was invited to appear at the Council of Lyons in France, but died on the way to that gathering on 28 January 1274. That date is also when his relics were transferred to the Church of the Jacobins in Toulouse, France. Among the hymns composed by St. Thomas Aquinas are: O Salutaris Hostia, O Saving Victim Opening Wide, and Sing my Tongue the Saviour Glory. In addition to the triptych release shown above for the 700th anniversary of the death of Saint Thomas Aquinas, fifty years later, in 2024, Vatican City issued the stamp below for the 750th anniversary of his death:  Saint Thomas Aquinas: 750th Anniversary Of Death Scott 1855 (2024) REFERENCES: |
