Saint Thomas Aquinas

by George N. Shuster (Editor), Reynolds Stone (Engravings)

Selections from the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas as chosen by George Shuster. Published as a hardcover book by Heritage Press in 1971.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

George Nauman Shuster was born on 27 August 1894 in Lancaster, Wisconsin.

Shuster was an American scholar and educator. He officiated, among other things, as an American national commissioner for Bayern.

He died on 25 January 1977 in South Bend, Indiana.

Reviews

[Vladivostok · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would be better suited as a series of answers to the rhetorical questions found in the first pages of religious pamphlets. It's obvious that Saint Thomas was a medieval theologian largely concerned with wresting the logical methods of Aristotle, recently appropriated by Islamic philosophers Averroes and Avicenna, back into the realm of Christendom.

An example of Aquinas' mode of argumentation is as follows: "The first man did not see God through His Essence if we consider the ordinary state of that life; unless, perhaps, it be said that he saw God in a vision, when "God cast a deep sleep upon Adam" (Genesis 2:21). The reason is because, since in the Divine Essence is bliss itself, the intellect of a man who sees the Divine Essence has the same relation to God as a man has to bliss. Now it is clear that man cannot willingly be turned away from bliss, since naturally and necessarily he desires it, and shuns unhappiness. Wherefore no one who sees the Essence of God can willingly turn away from God, which means to sin. Hence all who see God through His Essence are so firmly established in the love of God, that for eternity they can never sin. Therefore, as Adam did sin, it is clear that he did not see God through His Essence."

Clearly, inductive and deductive reasoning are held together with scripture as the a priori glue. Where it leaks out and makes a mess, Saint Thomas reverts back to dualism; there exists a spiritual realm where physical man simply cannot venture. And while I am the first to acknowledge the inherent limits of mankind, a book featuring Thomas' two-page commentary on the necessity of moderate and desire-free sex between Adam and Eve, imagined as two stoics humping dispassionately in a fern-filled paradise, seems quaint.

2.0/5.0

[Brian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a collection of selected writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas, an Italian priest living and writing during the Dark Ages. Aquinas is considered by the Catholic Church as perhaps their greatest theologian and philosopher and his writings have had considerable influence on Western philosophy. Aquinas is known for having re-introduced Western Europe to the writings of Aristotle through the writings of the Muslim philosopher, Averroes.

While Aquinas was certainly an influential figure in the history of humankind, I cannot see why Aquinas would be compared to any of the great ancient or modern philosophers. I found many of the arguments put forward by Aquinas in this book to be at best flawed and at worst deceivingly disingenuous. As a self-proclaimed proponent of knowledge based on empirical evidence, it seems that Aquinas only followed an empirical based epistemology when it suited his argument. Many of his theological arguments and proofs simply fall back to special pleading, as the empirical based evidence to support these proofs become obviously non-existent. My critique of Aquinas is that he does not seem to be a person who is genuinely engaged in the search for truth. True inquiry sets out to follow the evidence to whichever conclusion it may lead one to. Instead, Aquinas’ proofs start with the truth, as asserted by the Catholic Church, and then argue from there using seemingly rational argument when possible, and then falling back onto revelation when rational argument and evidence cease to further his case.