Conflict Between Aristotle's Philosophy And Christianity

Introduction:

Near the end of the 12th century and at the beginning of the 13th century, various works of Aristotle that had not been available to the Latin West were gradually translated from Arabic and Greek into Latin. In addition, various Arabic and Greek commentaries were also translated into Latin in places such as Toledo and Sicily. The initial reaction to this large amount of new philosophical material was one of hesitation and alarm especially since Aristotle as interpreted by the Arabs came into direct conflict with Christian doctrine; however it was through the efforts of various scholars that a unique and original synthesis was affected between Aristotle’s philosophy and Christianity. One of these scholars was Thomas Aquinas who

At the age of 13, he was sent to Naples due to political turmoil, and it was at the University of Naples that he began to study the works of Aristotle and also came into contact with the Dominican Order. He most likely learned at both Monte Cassino and Naples the seven liberal arts which consisted of the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy) and the trivium (grammar, rhetoric, and logic) which constituted secular education and complemented sacred doctrine which was learned from the Bible. After he joined the Dominicans, he went and studied at Cologne under the tutelage of Albert the Great, the most universal scholar of his day who had paraphrased the works of Aristotle and who also had a keen interest in the natural sciences. He then went to Paris to complete his studies and became a professor there. Over the course of his life he wrote a wide variety of works ranging from commentaries on the Bible and Aristotle, disputed questions,

It is divided into the First Part, the Second Part which is itself divided into the First of the Second and the Second of the Second, and the Third Part. The First Part is concerned with the essence of God, the Trinity, and the creation of creatures by God and on the creatures created. The Second Part is concerned on the end of man and human actions. The First of the Second is focused on man’s last end or beatitude that consists in the possession of God and that man can attain or deviate from that end by human acts. He focuses on human acts in themselves and the causes of those either extrinsic or intrinsic. In the Second of the Second, he focuses on particular virtues such faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance and the corresponding vices. In the Third Part, he treats of Christ and the sacraments of the Church. The Third Part was not finished and a supplement to the Summa was added after his death. The structure of the Summa is organized by Questions which are divided into articles, and a list of various objections, followed by Aquinas’s own answer and replies to the objections. Not long after his death, his works were held in high regard especially by his fellow Dominicans. Numerous commentaries have been written on the Summa even to the present day,