III. INFLUENCES EXERTED ON ST. THOMAS
How was this great genius formed? The causes that exerted an influence on St.
Thomas were of two kinds, natural and supernatural.
A. Natural Causes
(1) As a foundation, he "was a witty child, and had received a good soul" (Wis.,
viii, 19). From the beginning he manifested precocious and extraordinary talent
and thoughtfulness beyond his years.
(2) His education was such that great things might have been expected of him.
His training at Monte Cassino, at Naples, Paris, and Cologne was the best that
the thirteenth century could give, and that century was the golden age of
education. That it afforded excellent opportunities for forming great philosophers
and theologians is evident from the character of St. Thomas's contemporaries.
Alexander of Hales, Albertus Magnus, St. Bonaventure, St. Raymond of
Pennafort, Roger Bacon, Hugo a S. Charo, Vincent of Beauvais, not to mention
scores of others, prove beyond all doubt that those were days of really great
scholars. (See Walsh, "The Thirteenth Greatest of Centuries", New York, 1907.)
The men who trained St. Thomas were his teachers at Monte Cassino and
Naples, but above all Albertus Magnus, under whom he studied at Paris and
Cologne.
(3) The books that exercised the greatest influence on his mind were the Bible,
the Decrees of the councils and of the popes, the works of the Fathers, Greek
and Latin, especially of St. Augustine, the "Sentences" of Peter Lombard, the
writings of the philosophers, especially of Plato, Aristotle, and Boethius. If from
these authors any were to be selected for special mention, undoubtedly they
would be Aristotle, St. Augustine, and Peter Lombard. In another sense the
writings of St. Thomas were influenced by Averroes, the chief opponent whom he
had to combat in order to defend and make known the true Aristotle.
(4) It must be borne in mind that St. Thomas was blessed with a retentive
mernory and great powers of penetration. Father Daniel d'Agusta once pressed
him to say what he considered the greatest grace he had ever received,
sanctifying grace of course excepted. "I think that of having understood whatever
I have read", was the reply. St. Antoninus declared that "he remembered
everything be had read, so that his mind was like a huge library" (cf. Drane, op.
cit., p. 427; Vaughan, op. cit., II, p. 567). The bare enumeration of the texts of
Scripture cited in the "Summa theologica" fills eighty small-print columns in the
Migne edition, and by many it is not unreasonably supposed that he learned the
Sacred Books by heart while he was imprisoned in the Castle of San Giovanni.
Like St. Dominic he had a special love for the Epistles of St. Paul, on which he
wrote commentaries (recent edition in 2 vols., Turin, 1891).
(5) Deep reverence for the Faith, as made known by tradition, characterizes all
his writings. The consuetudo ecclesiae - the practice of the Church - should
prevail over the authority of any doctor (II-II, Q. x. a. 12). In the "Summa" he
quotes from 19 councils, 41 popes, and 52 Fathers of the Church. A slight
acquaintance with his writings will show that among the Fathers his favourite was
St. Augustine (on the Greek Fathers see Vaughan, op. cit., II, cc. iii sqq.).
(6) With St. Augustine (II De doctr. Christ., c. xl), St. Thomas held that whatever
there was of truth in the writings of pagan philosophers should be taken from
them, as from "unjust possessors", and adapted to the teaching of the true
religion (Sum. theol., I, Q. lxxxiv, a. 5). In the "Summa" alone he quotes from the
writings of 46 philosophers and poets, his favourite authors being Aristotle, Plato,
and, among Christian writers, Boethius. From Aristotle he learned that love of
order and accuracy of expression which are characteristic of his own works.
From Boethius he learned that Aristotle's works could be used without detriment
to Christianity. He did not follow Boethius in his vain attempt to reconcile Plato
and Aristotle. In general the Stagirite was his master, but the elevation and
grandeur of St. Thomas's conceptions and the majestic dignity of his methods of
treatment speak strongly of the sublime Plato.
B. Supernatural Causes
Even if we do not accept as literally true the declaration of John XXII, that St.
Thomas wrought as many miracles as there are articles in the "Summa", we
must, nevertheless, go beyond causes merely natural in attempting to explain
his extraordinary career and wonderful writings.
(1) Purity of mind and body contributes in no small degree to clearness of vision
(see St. Thomas, "Commentaries on I Cor., c.vii", Lesson v). By the gift of purity,
miraculously granted at the time of the mystic girdling, God made Thomas's life
angelic; the perspicacity and depth of his intellect, Divine grace aiding, made him
the "Angelic Doctor".
(2) The spirit of prayer, his great piety and devotion, drew down blessings on his
studies. Explaining why he read, every day, portions of the "Conferences" of
Cassian, he said: "In such reading I find devotion, whence I readily ascend to
contemplation" (Prümmer, op. cit., p. 32). In the lessons of the Breviary read on
his feast day it is explicitly stated that he never began to study without first
invoking the assistance of God in prayer; and when he wrestled with obscure
passages of the Scriptures, to prayer he added fasting.
(3) Facts narrated by persons who either knew St. Thomas in life or wrote at
about the time of his canonization prove that he received assistance from heaven.
To Father Reginald he declared that he had learned more in prayer and
contemplation than he had acquired from men or books (Prümmer, op. cit., p.
36). These same authors tell of mysterious visitors who came to encourage and
enlighten him. The Blessed Virgin appeared, to assure him that his life and his
writings were acceptable to God, and that he would persevere in his holy
vocation. Sts. Peter and Paul came to aid him in interpreting an obscure
passage in Isaias. When humility caused him to consider himself unworthy of the
doctorate, a venerable religious of his order (supposed to be St. Dominic)
appeared to encourage him and suggested the text for his opening discourse
(Prümmer, op. cit., 29, 37; Tocco in "Acta SS.", VII Mar.; Vaughan, op. cit., II,
91). His ecstasies have been mentioned. His abstractions in presence of King
Louis IX (St. Louis) and of distinguished visitors are related by all biographers.
Hence, even if allowance be made for great enthusiasm on the part of his
admirers, we must conclude that his extraordinary learning cannot be attributed
to merely natural causes. Of him it may truly be said that he laboured as if all
depended on his own efforts and prayed as if all depended on God.