THE MEDIEVAL MIND 87 



The interpretation of Aristotelian thought in terms 



of Christian dogma, and its incorporation into the 



Thomas official philosophy of the Roman Church, 



Aquinas, were chiefly the work of one man, Thomas 

 Aquinas, who systematized and reduced to order the 

 compendious writings of his master, Albertus Magnus. 



The importance of Aquinas in the history of philo- 

 sophy and of the origins of science is great. He 

 delayed for many years the liberation of scientific 

 thought from the trammels of theology, and to 

 his indirect influence is chiefly due the obscurantist 

 attitude of Rome towards the initial development of 

 modern science at the Renaissance. Even as late 

 as 1879, Pope Leo XIII. directed Roman Catholic 

 teachers to found their philosophy on that of Aquinas. 

 Hence, for our purpose, it is necessary clearly to under- 

 stand the essence of the man and his work. His 

 task was to reconcile faith and reason a task ad- 

 mirable in intention, boldly and skilfully executed, 

 yet disastrous for mankind in that it was at the least 

 premature, and therefore resulted in petrifying for a 

 time both theology and scientific philosophy into one 

 block of what soon became incompatible elements. 



Thomas was born about 1225 i* 1 Southern Italy, 

 but his ancestry was of mingled Swabian and Norman 

 princely blood, and his father was Count of Aquinum. 

 At the age of eighteen he joined the Dominican order. 

 He studied at Cologne under Albertus Magnus, a native 

 of Swabia, taught at Paris and Rome, and, after a 

 life of incessant activity, died in 1274. 



His greatest works, the Summa Theologies and the 

 Summa Philosophica contra Gentiles the setting 

 forth of Christian knowledge for the ignorant con- 



