Thomas Aquinas OP ( / ə ˈ k w aɪ n ə s / ; Italian : Tommaso d'Aquino , lit. 'Thomas of Aquino '; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian [9] Dominican friar and priest , an influential philosopher and theologian , and a jurist in the tradition of scholasticism from the county of Aquino in the Kingdom of Sicily , Italy; he is known within the tradition as the Doctor Angelicus , and the Doctor Communis . [a] In 1999, John Paul II added a new title to these traditional ones: Doctor Humanitatis . [10]
Thomas was a prominent proponent of natural theology and the father of a school of thought (encompassing both theology and philosophy) known as Thomism . He argued that God is the source of the light of natural reason and the light of faith. [11] He has been described as "the most influential thinker of the medieval period " [12] and "the greatest of the medieval philosopher -theologians". [13] His ideas, unlike many currents in the Catholic Church of the time, [14] embraced several ideas put forward by Ari
His best-known works are the Disputed Questions on Truth (1256–1259), the Summa contra Gentiles (1259–1265), and the unfinished Summa Theologica , or Summa Theologiae (1265–1274). His commentaries on Scripture and on Aristotle also form an important part of his body of work. Furthermore, Thomas is distinguished for his eucharistic hymns, which form a part of the church's liturgy. [16] The Catholic Church honors Thomas Aquinas as a saint and regards him as the model teacher for those studying for the priesth