Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-03-18
Continued from Third Page. !

tote, had philosophy attained to such
unity before.
On the face of it it was all the
strictest logic, a tremendous soritcs of
concatenated SyllogisuS. Each book is
olVloeo INTO 'QuacStioncs" and each
quaeStio into "articuli"; under each
article Thomas presents first the
hefetical positions. often vigorously and
c!eFerly stated. usually in stern syllo-
cystic form: then each argument is met
F.. WIN "Scholastica dlsputatio"- con-
Cc0lng. denying or distinguishing the
major or the minor premise, cv by de-
fN1ng the necessity OF the conclusion
ron S2eultur"---''it does not follow"
Having stain all het>rodox views.
AAniaS presents what seems to him
III, TRUTH. demonstrates it in svllo-
E.Stc form, and then butt:cSS~S il with
quotations from the Scriptures ana tho
lS'ncrS, 1t was cut Of this scholastic
method that Spinoaa evolved his even
= SCictcr geonetric exposition
underneath this arrlor many vulncr-
so'e points can be found if we looS for
them. and indeed never was abSisrdity
orcSS2o so SpeciouSly. Here. for exam
pic. We learn Of the omaiuotencc Of
God. everything that tranSpires III this
word is the result Of His VIII: how
Lhen. can man have freedom Of will?
lhomaS argues valiantly, but the stout
monk in effect takes TO Ills heels in n
S!oud OF distinctions that obscure the
issue without meeting it in truth. any
external and omn.potcnt deity reduces
Itlnan beings 10 puppets. and deter
n'lAiSn GrG fataiiSin lie concealed IN
ne most respectable theology. And how
>laI we reconcile evil with Gc62 Abr
Jaro had asked, 1t is very simple. an
SWers Thomas; God neither wills the
occurrences nor the non occurrence of
evils. but only wills 10 permit their oc-
ca:Tence. What al impartial deity!
Can the real nature Of God be- known
by human hcingS9 Certainly. sa.s
Thomas: for since everything is
knoWaole so far as il exists in actu-
any !,. Goo. who IS pure actually
is Himself most movable" Not only
90 We know the real nature of COD.
but we know Just how God knows him.
SoH and the world: for Thomas pro-
cccdS to explain these things with mar
Vicious sylogiSl1S. Nevertheless, The
cnlef aim Of human life is TO acquire
face-to-facc knowledge Of God. the
Things OF the world are as nothing. and
though happiness lies IN action the
highest action is thought and the high
est thought is The thought of God. The
: great purpose Of man is TO become an
angel IN heaven. AS 10 angels. thnv
must exist, for the perfection Of the
: universe requires that there should BE-
intellectual creatures: but 10 know cam
not be the act of the body, or OF any
corporeal faculty. because all body is
limited 10 here and now; ergo il is
necessary, in order that the universe
may be perfect. that there should be
incorporeal creatures II il is not evi-
cent let Us so over it again. And
Thomas passes on. in the Quodlibetalia.
TO debate the problem whether angels
can pass from one place to another
without going through the intermediate
space.
: The soul, as Aristotle properly taught
is the substantial form Of the cody
and individuality comes only through
the matter with which the form is
bound; nevertheless. the human soul
Is "Separab!e form, and preserves lis
individuality even after II is freed from
matter By death" Man is the center
Of the world, In Thomas system. and
al the universe. was created for his en-
]ovment and his use. In man the su-
pren4e element Is intellect, and the will
Is subordinate: nevertheless the great
virtues are faith. hope and charity
However, l7eretics should b. killed when
they persist in their disbelief fHaretici
possunt non soluT13 excon1nlunicari. sed
e. 1uste occldi-"E eretics can with jus-
tice be not merely accommodated but
Elled'): and the angels in heaven will
look without pity on The sufferings OF
the danlnes in hell.
Politically Thomas is a n1onarchist.
me purpose Of social organization. he
aTT1es, Is unity. ard unity can be best
<eEected through a king. But the
r7onarch's power Is limited by natural
law and right: If he violates these. his
subjects need not obey. Since the moral
realm Is higher than The political. the
cDlrltual higher tran the corporal, and
the ultimate end of man fthe beatifc
Y.asonl more important than any earth
u aim, Il fellows that the church Is
superior 70 the state. and has the right
Al any time 70 abSolye subjects from!
i1e1r allegiance 70 enpcror5 and kings
On Thomas assumptions these were
perfectly reasonable conclusions doubt
Jess a spiritual organization. possessed
o. eternal truth. and aiming at the
moral welfare and everlasting happiness
Of mankind was the highest leader that
men could have.
II seemed all very natural to the
Middle Ages. and men rlarycled al the
- SEdeT and unity and completeness with
which Thomas tad efpoundod their
faith 10 them ard the l7ealhen world;
only knaveS and fools could nov refuse
10 accept the doctrines 81 the church
Il Is true that some holy n1en suspected
Thomas q hcresr. that sylzods al Paris
end oxford condemned MIN for various
Yn3ncr cefiat!ons from traditional be-
Iiefe bat The schools accepted his cx-
positions @3th open arms and heart
Pops john XXI car0u!zed him on the
gTo4nG that hts syllogiSns were mir
acies Leo XIII taught that human
VISION i3ad never before reached and
void probably never reach again, 50
alo.4Ige height as IN Eoa.nac. To this
Gag MS teZts are the ultimate authority
- e}ery Catholic college and university.
anc IL Influence Is The criterion Of
greatness T.2onaE. whatever our pref
yclceS may b. Ce&er@cs 70 BE- ranked
aT0ng the greatest thinkers u man
kaud. There is always slight posi-.
litg th&t We are wong. and 3Eat the
church. which has seen many hcretics
sonle allc r.. arc has tne oule. wisdom
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