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Glite Dictionary
Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas

7.7
A 13th-century Italian priest and thinker who argued that faith and reason agree
  • proper noun
  • Formal
translation icon : Tomás de Aquino
  • Many scholars study the works of Thomas Aquinas to better understand Christian philosophy.

Examples

  • In philosophy class, we studied Thomas Aquinas's five ways to prove the existence of God.

  • St. Thomas Aquinas is renowned for his arguments that reconcile faith and reason.

  • Many of today's philosophical arguments about faith and reason trace back to Thomas Aquinas and his writings.

  • The teachings of Thomas Aquinas continue to influence Christian doctrine and education worldwide.

  • Read Thomas Aquinas!

  • Is Thomas Aquinas important?

  • The teachings of Thomas Aquinas continue to influence modern theological debates.

Synonyms

Aquinas
vsThomas Aquinas
19 9.1

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

emphasizes his specific philosophical proofs and integration of faith and reason
St. Thomas Aquinas
vsThomas Aquinas
1 8.6

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

emphasizes his intellectual work reconciling faith and reason
St. Thomas
vsThomas Aquinas
1 7.3

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

stresses his formal recognition as a leading church thinker
Saint Thomas
vsThomas Aquinas
8.4

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

highlights his use of philosophical arguments for God's existence
Saint Thomas Aquinas
vsThomas Aquinas
8.1

An Italian Catholic thinker who tried to connect faith and reason

focuses on his philosophical approach rather than his school or era

Surface Forms

Thomas Aquinas main

Morphology

Thomas + Aquinas

This is a proper name: knowing the constituents 'Thomas' and 'Aquinas' only indicates a person’s name and does not transparently convey the biographical or philosophical information in the definition. The specific sense (medieval Italian theologian and philosopher) depends on world knowledge rather than compositional meaning, so a B1 learner who only knows the words would not infer the full meaning.

Etymology

Thomas Aquinas was an Italian church thinker from the 1200s who tried to bring 'faith' and 'reason' together. He used clear, step-by-step ideas from the old Greek thinker Aristotle and offered what he called the 'five ways' to argue for God's existence, so his ideas are still taught today.