Divine Lexicon

Term

Summa Theologiae

The best-known work of Thomas Aquinas, which considers the nature of theology and its distinction from philosophy. It moved Christian thought toward a realist-intellectual position by emphasizing Aristotle and the human intellect.

Filed underHistorical TheologyPhilosophy

Definition

The best-known work of Thomas Aquinas started after 1265 AD and never completed. The work considers first the nature of theology and its distinction from philosophy. Preferring Aristotle to Plato and emphasizing the importance of the intellect rather than the will as human faculty, Aquinas moved the Christian world from its Platonic-Augustinian bases to a more realist-intellectual position.

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Narrower than

Sources

  1. 1.Jerald C. Brauer and B. A. Gerrish, ed. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971). 794Original citation: Brauer, Jerald C., and B. A. Gerrish, eds. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971, 794.

Last revised August 14, 2026