The Scope and Significance of References to Thesumma of Theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas in the Catechism of the Catholic Church Cover Image

Zakres i znaczenie odniesień do Summy teologii św. Tomasza z Akwinu w Katechizmie Kościoła Katolickiego
The Scope and Significance of References to Thesumma of Theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas in the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Author(s): Emil Wratny
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Middle Ages, Theology and Religion
Published by: Instytut Tomistyczny

Summary/Abstract: This article takes up the issue of how relevant the thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas is to the modern Magisterium of the Church. The author examines this question by analyzing references to the Summa Theologiae found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992). The method used here is to compare the number of references to the Summa in the Catechism with the number of references to other sources and to analyze the nature of these references. The Summa Theologiae occupies a prominent place among the many sources, being the most frequently cited of all works by Christian writers. The Summa is cited more frequently than any of the works of well-known patristic and medieval theologians; more frequently, even, than the writings of St. Augustine. This leads to the conclusion that the work of Thomas Aquinas has not lost its relevance and continues to be important for the Church’s Magisterium. The main part of the article consists of an analysis of the references to the Summa Theologiae in the various sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which indicates the interest that the Catechism’s contributors had in the thought of Aquinas within their various areas of theology. The author shows that the work of Saint Thomas had the greatest influence upon those who created the first section of part three of the Catechism, which deals with the fundamentals of Catholic moral teaching. The authors of the Catechism devote an unusually large amount of space to the work of Aquinas in their discussion of the preliminary issues of faith (in the first section of the first part of the Catechism) and in their reflection on the sacraments (part two). On the basis of the material analyzed, the author concludes that the thought of Thomas Aquinas is particularly important for the contemporary Magisterium of the Church in the areas of theology just mentioned.

  • Issue Year: 2012
  • Issue No: XVIII
  • Page Range: 215-228
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Polish