The Praise of Saint Thomas

The worst thing that happened to Thomas Aquinas during his career was not his death on March 7, 1274, at the age of just 49, even though he was so obese that the monks could barely carry his body down the stairs. Nor was it the list of heretical doctrines issued three years after his death, which included twenty of his theses. The real catastrophe occurred in 1323, when the Pope decided to canonize Thomas, turning him into Saint Thomas and thus into a cliché.

He was an ordinary man—slow and overweight, quietly taking notes in school, seemingly understanding nothing. His peers constantly mocked him, calling him the "Dumb Ox." Yet he became a teacher admired by his students. When ideological opponents attacked him, he would lose his temper, unleashing torrents of insults and sarcasm. He was a combative figure, a clear and decisive thinker. He devised an ambitious plan, executed it, and succeeded.

At the time of his birth, the University of Paris was already using a new method of thought. This method involved comparing the opinions of various traditional authorities (disputatio) and deciding between them using logical procedures. Aristotle was one such authority. Rediscovered through Arabic sources, Aristotle offered a solution to how essence and matter are interconnected. He left God out of it: God had already endowed the world with miraculous physical laws, and it operated on its own. The workings of things were visible before our eyes; entities were identical to their principles of motion. Organisms followed their internal laws of motion, growing under the pressure of their life force.

However, Aristotle had to be Christianized, and God had to be given a larger role. According to Thomas, if divine participation were removed from the world, a cosmic blackout would ensue: God feeds energy into the universe. This integration brought Aristotle into Christian culture, along with nature and reason. The Arab philosopher Averroes had already understood Aristotelian science: God is not a meddler micromanaging creation. Instead, He created nature in mechanical order, governed by mathematical laws and the strict determinism of the stars. Because God is eternal, the world is eternal in its order. Philosophy examines this order and nature.

For Thomas, the cultural-political game was twofold: he sought to make Aristotle acceptable to contemporary science while distancing him from the atheistic materialism of Averroes's followers. Thomas was neither a heretic nor a revolutionary. He was called a "reconciler." This meant reconciling the new science with the doctrines of revelation. He aimed to change everything while ensuring that nothing fundamentally changed. His excellent judgment demonstrated a commitment to natural reality and earthly balance. He didn't seek to Christianize Aristotelianism but rather to make Aristotle a Christian.

Thomas never believed that reason could comprehend everything, but he maintained that everything could be illuminated through faith. He wanted to show that faith and reason were not in opposition and that the advantages of reason could be harnessed. This would explain why humans know certain things, why examining facts and opinions is necessary for decision-making, and how contradictions can be resolved. This approach allowed the Church to retain its authority while granting communities freedom in their decisions. Mysticism, which was absorbed in the contemplation of God, also remained open to natural values and respected rational discourse.

Thomas placed differing opinions side by side, revealed their meanings, questioned everything, considered possible objections, and attempted to conclude the reflection. He did all this openly, as the disputatio method was public, guided by the tribunal of reason. The gift of faith prevailed in every case, untangling the questions. God and revealed truth preceded and guided the movements of secular reason.

Thomas gave the Church a system of principles that harmonized it with the natural world. In forty years, he transformed the cultural politics of the Christian world, giving rise to Thomism. He provided such a comprehensive framework for Catholic thought that it has remained unchanged ever since. Thomas could only be developed further, but never altered.

Umberto Eco "Szent Tamás dicsérete" Kapu 1990/1