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  • 23 hours ago
In Thomas Aquinas, a seven-hour course, Bishop Robert Barron guides us through a study of the theological and philosophical system of Thomas Aquinas, the 13th-century Dominican friar who masterfully synthesized Ancient Greek philosophy with Christian doctrine. We examine his Five Ways for demonstrating God's existence, his understanding of divine attributes and the Trinity, and his teachings on creation, providence, and the problem of evil. The course delves into Aquinas's philosophical anthropology, particularly the relationship between body and soul and humanity's creation in God's image. We conclude by studying his ethical framework centered on finding happiness in God as humanity's ultimate goal, and the role of virtues in ordering human life toward God.
Transcript
00:00Can someone present the faith in a intellectually serious way?
00:04I think we need to reinsert Aquinas into the conversation.
00:10In the ancient world, there was this great burst of light in Babylon and Egypt, Greece.
00:16And then with the fall of Rome, Europe entered the Dark Ages, which is nonsense.
00:22You relegate Thomas Aquinas to this pre-scientific, superstitious medieval monk,
00:28when in fact he's the greatest figure in the 13th century Renaissance.
00:34Aquinas stands in that great Western tradition that goes right back to Socrates.
00:38That dialogic approach that's deeply respectful of one's opponents.
00:44You see it in Thomas Aquinas.
00:46If you open up the page of the Summonian, it can seem so dry and technical.
00:49And where are we and what's going on?
00:52Think lively disputed questions.
00:56From his doctrine of God, doctrine of creation, body and soul, humanity,
01:01Thomas' ethics is predicated upon what he calls beatitudo, happiness.
01:07What makes us happy?
01:08That's the question that unites every single person.
01:11What worries me the most today is this ideology that really cuts people off from the sacred
01:17and from ultimate purpose and meaning.
01:19And so I'm trying to recover this pre-modern figure, Thomas Aquinas,
01:23that I think speaks to that very problem today.
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