Aquinas, the Bible, and the University: A Brief Exposition of Thomistic Biblical Theology (original) (raw)
Related papers
Biblical Exegesis and Theology in Thomas Aquinas. Understanding the Background of Biblical Thomism
Studium, 2021
In the face of the dichotomy of biblical exegesis and theology, one of the main postulates of Biblical Thomism is the integration of both activities. In this sense, it is understandable why there are philosophical threads in exegesis, and why we fi nd many scripture references in sacra doctrina. The article, fi rst presenting modern attempts to separate exegesis from theology, analyzes the three aspects of studying Sacred Scripture in practicing theology according to Aquinas. For him, exegesis is the alphabet of theology, but the requirement is that the extraction of the meanings of Scripture should be complemented by theological activity.
The Theological and Pastoral Purposes of Aquinas’s Biblical Commentaries
Biblica et Patristica Thoruniensia, 2017
This article examines how St. Thomas Aquinas developed rich theological insights to be used ultimately in his preaching ministry as a thirteenth century magister in sacra pagina. His exegetical approach deploys a careful divisio textus to arrive at the literal meaning and doctrinal sense of the scriptural passage. The ambiguities of difficult passages are examined dialectically by short logical disputations that uncover the riches of the text. The fruits of these labors were then brought together in the master's university sermon for the conversion and perfection of souls. Thus, the three duties of the medieval master codified in the statutes of the University of Paris-namely, to teach, to dispute, and to preach-contextualize the task of the medieval theologian, rooting him in the revealed Word of God and requiring him to care for the souls of his students and colleagues in his preaching by announcing and explaining the sense and practical import of sacra doctrina. This article also examines the proximate historical source for these three duties as the practice of lectio divina was brought out of the monasteries and into the public sphere of the academies in the great cities of medieval Europe. There is much we could learn today from recovering this robustly ecclesial and pastoral way of pursuing biblical theology. Streszczenie. Artykuł analizuje, w jaki sposób bogaty dorobek teologiczny św. Tomasza z Akwinu jest wykorzystywany w jego praktyce kaznodziejskiej jako XIII-wiecznego "magister in sacra pagina". Jego egzegetyczne podejście wyraża się w ostrożnym "divisio textus", aby dotrzeć do dosłownego i doktrynalnego sensu danego tekstu biblijnego. Ambiwalentne interpretacje trudnych tekstów są dialektycznie analizowane za pomocą krótkich, logicznych dysput odkrywających bogactwo tekstu. Owoce tej pracy były niejako zbierane w kazaniu średniowiecznego mistrza ukierunkowanym na nawrócenie
2018
For many years, studies dedicated to Aquinas and his philosophy have concerned its potential for dialogue with postmodern thinking. In this new intellectual milieu, Aquinas " philosophy retains a certain vitality and he has been presented both as a supporter and opponent of cultivating theology in a postmodern context. This significant presence of Thomas in the writings of contemporary philosophers of Hermeneutics has been confirmed in the project of Oliver-Thomas Venard OP. The goal of this article is to conduct an analysis of the philosophical background of Aquinas " reading of the Bible, especially his theory of biblical senses (together with its reception in actual Hermeneutics). Following this analysis, we try to answer the question regarding the contribution of Thomism to contemporary thought. In this sense, Thomism is not a static entity, but a dynamic intellectual idea.
Sławomir Zatwardnicki, What Place Does Scripture Have in Thomas Aquinas's Reasoning?
2024
This paper emphasises the coexistence of biblical theology and systematic theology in the works of Thomas Aquinas. For this purpose, it draws on the study of biblical Thomism. It then shows how the Bible is linked to theological speculation in the opening questions of the Theological Summa, in which the author characterises the sacra doctrina. Aquinas's modus operandi in his discussion with adversaries who do not recognise the authority of Scripture, as well as his apology for the authority of sacra Scriptura, is then presented. A sample polemic with Christians conducted on the basis of inspired texts is demonstrated further on. The paper closes with conclusions regarding the place and function of Scripture in Thomas's argumentation, which depend firstly on the addressees of Thomas's works and secondly on the types of statements made by the Angelic Doctor.
Reviews in Religion and Theology, 2006
The chapters will provide a user-friendly introduction to the thought of St Thomas for undergraduates. However, the book is likely to have a broader appeal since it is, as the title suggests, a critical introduction. The authors do make reference to contemporary questions in their particular doctrinal sub-field. Herwi Rikhof, for example, explores similarities between the ecclesiology of Aquinas and the ecclesiology of Vatican II. The Select Bibliography is also a useful guide to contemporary work and it includes articles published in major European languages other than English. The Foreword has been written by Fergus Kerr OP who traces the eclipse of the theological side of Aquinas in the works of the early twentieth century neo-Thomists. This work has been written in response to the need to counterbalance the neo-Thomist tendency to focus on the philosophical dimensions of Aquinas. The collection begins with Christopher Baglow's treatment of the relationship between Sacred Doctrine and Sacred Scripture. He argues that for Aquinas Sacred Scripture and Sacred Doctrine are more than coextensive, they are perichoretic, so that the elaboration of the one includes and manifests the other. He notes that modern scholars generally would hold Thomas's identification of scripture and doctrine in contempt as a formulation that would necessarily either reduce speculative theology to exegesis or dismantle scripture for the sake of
The Philosophy of God in St. Thomas Aquinas’s Works. A Characterization of the Main Issues
Studia Gilsoniana, 2024
The topic of God in the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas will be treated in three aspects: the question of the existence of God, the essence of God, and the topic of the relations between man and God. In this article, we would like to show the key issues of Thomas’s philosophy of God in order to show how they serve as a starting point for the theology of Aquinas. With regard to the first matter, it was claimed that the only argument of Thomas for the existence of God is the reasoning conducted in De ente et essential, where Aquinas points at the existence of God (the subsistent act of existence – ipsum esse subsistens) as the external efficient cause of the existence of beings composed of two elements, the act of existence and the essence as potentiality. In this perspective, the famous ways of St. Thomas were accepted in numerous philosophical systems (Aristotelianism, Neo-Platonism, and their compilations) to be an illustration of the possibilities of arriving at the stance that the first cause exists. When it comes to the latter issue, we present a concise approach to God’s attributes in Thomas’s Compendium theologiae and show a strictly existential approach to these attributes in the Thomism of Mieczysław Gogacz. Regarding the relation of man to God, we turned our attention —following St. Thomas — to two orders of these relations: natural, related to justice, and supernatural, which is love (friendship) between man and God. As an example of the application of philosophical solutions in theology, we point to a Thomistic interpretation of the development of the religious life of man. In sum, we observe that the philosophy of God, in its version developed by Aquinas, is characterized by strict intellectualism and a naturalistic starting point for philosophical analyses.