Summa Theologica is one of the greatest works in history by Saint Thomas Aquinas. The Italian philosopher is one of the most significant figures in medieval Christian thought. Despite his not completing his work, Summa has majorly influenced the Roman Catholic theology and modern thought by summing up all the known religions.
The book focuses on the central idea that all forms of faith go hand in hand with reason. Aquinas drew statements and evidence from the Christian Bible, Jewish, pagan Greek, and Islamic to conclude his argument. According to the author, faith cannot exist without reason. The book contains much research into religion but base most of the arguments on philosophical concepts.
The book is divided into three sections, the first of which Aquinas God as a benevolent entity. The second part dwells on God’s creation, specifically man and angels. The final part focuses greatly on Jesus Christ and the relationship between God, man, and Jesus Christ. These three sections are then subdivided into lesser parts of questions, articles, and treaties. In these articles, Aquinas gets his points across in a form of dialogue with himself. He states a case then refutes it with evidence supporting his own point of view. This method of making philosophical arguments has come to be known as Thomism and is being used by scholars around the world.
Summa has become an extensively studied part of theology. Aquinas’s ideas were made at different era but have come to influence faith even in the modern-day religions.
