(Originally Written February 15, 2007 in Book 13)
Philosophy of Religion
Class Notes
Class Methodology: Disputatio
St. Thomas Aquinas
- born in Aquino, Italy around 1225 AD
- sent to a Benedictine Monastery at age 5
- Aquinas' life is marked by a number of historically significant events: the papacy struggles, the Crusades, political instability, Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire, the Mongol invasions of Eastern Europe, the rediscovery of Aristotle
- kidnapped from the monastery by his brothers to stop him from joining the Dominican Order
- Aquinas went to the University of Naples to study Aristotle and joined the Dominican Order
- Studied then at Paris and then at Cologne under Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great)
- He and his friend Boniface were asked to teach at the University of Paris but were too young. They had to get special papal permission.
- Left Paris and taught at a high school and wrote an "easy" textbook for children: The Summa Theologica
- Returned to Paris to find turmoil over the Aristotelianism in the University of Paris
- Thomas Aquinas' handwriting was utterly illegible
- Wrote for the reunification of the Eastern and Western Churches that was supposed to happen at the Council of Leon in 1274. But prior to this happening he had his mystical experience and declared that compared to this experience all he had written was as straw. He died and never wrote again.
Two main ways of teaching in Medieval Europe:
1) Master read and students were expected to listen and memorize.
2) Disputatio
Disputatio
Master's topic: Whether we can prove the existence of God?
Bachelor: States yes.
Class: Brings up all possible objections to 'yes'
objection 1
objection 2
objection 3...
Bachelor: repeat each objection in such a way so as to show he understands the objection thoroughly. Then give his response(s).
Master: give the definitive answer and give responses to the objection and responses to the responses to the objection.
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