Theologian St. Thomas Aquinas and philosopher Aristotle had a lot in common even though they were born about sixteen hundred years apart. They both believed in the God/s and respected them. Of course during the time of Aristotle, the many people believed in more than one God. Aristotle respected the many Gods, but still doubted them. The common ideas through these two great individuals help improve Christian thought during the thirteenth century.
One idea that was first introduced by Aristotle and then used by St. Thomas Aquinas was that the truths of faith and those of sense experience are fully compatible and complementary. This means that one can only understand the mysteries of God, through revelation. One example of this is the mystery of the incarnation. Incarnation is when God the Son, became human and lived on this world.
Another idea that was first introduced by Aristotle and then used by St. Thomas Aquinas was that all knowledge originates in thought toward the comprehension the human soul, the angels, and God Himself. In conclusion, St. Thomas Aquinas renewed some of the ideas of Aristotles work and made these the philosophical foundation for Christian thought.
In essence, St. Thomas Aquinas finished Aristotle started. Aristotle was a man who was ahead of his time. His ideas were not accepted because they were different than those of his time.
That is when St. Thomas came and used Aristotles old ideas were used in religion. St. Thomas Aquinas was in the right place at the right time and was able pick up where Aristotle had left off.Bibliography:
