Thomas Aquinas

Tommaso d'Aquino, OP (1225 – 7 March 1274), also known as Saint Thomas Aquinas (/əˈkwaɪnəs/), is a Doctor of the Church. He was an ItalianDominican friar Roman Catholic priest, who was an immensely influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism, within which he is also known as the "Doctor Angelicus" and "Doctor Communis". The name "Aquinas" identifies his ancestral origins in the county of Aquino (in the present-day Lazio region), an area where his family held land until 1137.

He was the foremost classical proponent of natural theology and the father of Thomism. His influence on Western thought is considerable, and much of modern philosophy developed or opposed his ideas, particularly in the areas of ethics, natural law, metaphysics, and political theory. Unlike many currents in the Church of the time, Thomas embraced several ideas put forward by Aristotle—whom he called "the Philosopher"—and attempted to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with the principles of Christianity. The works for which he is best known are the Summa Theologica and the Summa contra Gentiles. His commentaries on Sacred Scripture and on Aristotle 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.

Aquino

Aquino may refer to:

Aquino (surname)

Aquino is a surname of Italian origin, existent within the greater region of Naples. It has also been adopted elsewhere, particularly under Spanish rule in Latin America and Asia, in honor of Thomas of Aquino.

Family of Corazon Aquino

Aquino, Italy

Aquino is a town and comune in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of Italy, 12 kilometres (7 mi) northwest of Cassino.

History

The town had been founded in the 4th century BC by the Volsci, who successfully defended it against Samnite invasions, before the Roman conquest. The ancient Aquinum was a municipium in the time of Cicero, and made a colony by the Triumviri. It was crossed by the Via Latina.

Aquinum is thought to be the birthplace of the poet Juvenal, and was that of the emperor Pescennius Niger.

The earliest recorded Catholic Bishop of Aquino was Bishop Giovino in 593AD.

Aquino's patron saint is Saint Constantius of Aquino (San Costanzo).

Saint Thomas Aquinas (otherwise Thomas of Aquino) was born in 1225 in the castle of Roccasecca, 8 kilometres (5 mi) northwards.

Main sights

One of the gates through which the Via Latina passed, now called Porta San Lorenzo, is still well preserved, and there are remains within the walls (portions of which, built of large blocks of limestone, still remain) of two (so called) temples, a basilica and an amphitheatre.