Thomas - The Divine Doctor

An aeon of time ago, as a Police Constable patrolling the northwest reaches of the Metropolitan Police District, I would find time to occupy my mind in addition to being a ‘Staid Guardian of the Public Peace’ as Wordsworth so eloquently has said. I would walk my beat at a steady 2.5 miles an hour, near the kerb by day for maximum deterrent visibility and close to the building line by night, for stealthy vigilance. In the quiet hours, usually beyond 2.am I would recite my mathematical tables up to 20 x 20, conjure with magic squares of order 3, 4, 5 and 6, consider whether I could ever solve Fermat’s Last Theorem and try to memorise some poetry and prose.

Among the latter pursuits, I committed to memory a monograph called ‘de modo studendi’ by St Thomas Aquinas. This piece was wise advice to a novice monk on how to study. It made a deep impression upon me and I later tried to put the counsel to good effect. When young, I was also a choirboy and would sing in church ‘Adoro te devote...’ Also by St Thomas Aquinas. Later researches in the subject of philosophy indicated that this good doctor had been a powerful influence, not only on Christian doctrine, liturgy and worship, but on revival of the works of Aristotle and in logical reasoning generally.

Thomas was born close to Aquino, in the castle of Roccasecca near Naples about the year AD1225. He was soon noticed to be of powerful intellect and a compelling speaker. He received his early education at the abbey of Monte Cassino and then at the University of Naples. Whilst in Naples an order of mendicant friars (the Dominicans) persuaded him to join their order. His family opposed this and Thomas was captured by his brothers and imprisoned in Roccasecca. However Thomas was determined. He escaped after two years and rejoined these preaching friars and was sent to Cologne to study with Albertus Magnus. From there he continued his studies in Paris and then to Rome. During these times he lectured, wrote and preached tirelessly, dying in 1274 at the age of 47.

Aquinas was canonised by Pope John XXII in 1323 and made a doctor of the church by Pius V in 1567. He has been regarded as the patron of Roman Catholic Schools since 1880. This divine doctor harmonised the works of Aristotle with Christian Doctrines. His books – Summa Theologicae and Summa Contra Gentiles are still studied assiduously. His reasonings on the proofs of the existence of God are monumental in presentation and still the subject of much disputation. He held that there are two sources of knowledge – revelation (by subject - theology) and reason (by subject - philosophy). Revelation is a divine source of knowledge which revealed truths to be believed even when they cannot fully be understood.

Like St Thomas Aquinas we may also have to suspend our scepticism and doubt when in the presence of revelation, for as it is written “only believe and ye shall be healed”.

Rod Dawson

• The Saint day for Thomas Aquinas is commemorated on January 28th.