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St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas

1 8.6
A medieval Italian thinker who used reason to explain Christian faith and argue that God exists
  • proper noun
  • /seɪnt ˈtɑːməs əˈkwɪnəs/
translation icon : Santo Tomás de Aquino
  • St. Thomas Aquinas says: "From the fact that she is the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin has a certain infinite dignity, derived from the Infinite Good.
  • St. Thomas Aquinas

Examples

  • The First Cause Argument - St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) is the author of this argument.

    Blog text (12)
  • The teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas continue to shape modern philosophy and theology.

  • "Even St. Thomas Aquinas said some silly things."

    Academic text (1994)
  • Indicative of the extent of the areas treated is the seventh chapter of St. Thomas Aquinas: The Person and His Work.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Thus, St. Thomas believed that teaching could belong to both the contemplative and active forms of life, since the active life in teaching flows from the richness of contemplation about teaching.

    Academic text (2001)
  • I do not think that St. Thomas Aquinas' humility was unrelated to the fact that he used a realistic philosophy that respected the X for being X and the Y for being Y, rather than trying to make the X a Y just by thinking it was one.

    Blog text (23)
  • In 1893, Pope Leo XIII issued his encyclical letter Aeterni Patris, which made the doctrine of St. Thomas Aquinas normative for the Church.

    Blog text (16)
  • St. Thomas Aquinas is renowned for his influential work on the existence of God.

  • Many scholars refer to St. Thomas Aquinas as a pivotal figure in the integration of faith and reason.

Synonyms

Aquinas
vsSt. Thomas Aquinas
19 9.1

A 13th century Catholic thinker and writer who used reason to explain faith

is the full name including a religious title
St. Thomas
vsSt. Thomas Aquinas
1 7.3

A priest and teacher from the 1200s who used reason to explain Christian beliefs

uses the formal full name with both honorific and surname
Saint Thomas Aquinas
vsSt. Thomas Aquinas
8.1

An Italian Catholic thinker who tried to connect faith and reason

is the same figure but often named with the abbreviated honorific
Thomas Aquinas
vsSt. Thomas Aquinas
  • Formal
7.7

A 13th-century Italian priest and thinker who argued that faith and reason agree

includes a religious title before the full name
Saint Thomas
vsSt. Thomas Aquinas
8.4

A medieval Christian thinker who used reason to explain faith and argue that God exists

refers to the same person with the scholarly doctrinal title

Surface Forms

Morphology

St. + Thomas + Aquinas

This is a referential proper name for a historical person; knowing the parts ("St." = saint, "Thomas" = personal name, "Aquinas" = surname) does not let a B1 learner infer the specific biographical meaning (Italian philosopher and theologian). While "St." gives a partial clue of religious status, the specialized role and historical significance are not predictable from the constituents.

Etymology

St. Thomas Aquinas shows his title and where he came from: St. means he is a saint, Thomas is his name, and Aquinas originally means 'from Aquino', a small town in Italy. He was a thinker and teacher from the 1200s who used clear logic to explain Christian belief, so remember him as the saint who joined 'faith' and 'reason'.