The Summa Theologica and Flannery O’Connor
For many years now, particularly since becoming a Catholic, I have been reading theological works, not solely literary or secular philosophical works as I used to. I have tried to immerse myself in the best of them. For some time now I have been periodically dipping into the works of the Angelic Doctor, St Thomas Aquinas. I have had many different feelings about Thomas, not always totally positive, but slowly growing much more positive with age. His method has often been viewed as cold, dry and hyper rationalistic by some detractors as well as an over reliance on Aristotle’s philosophy . His thought and writings were taken by the Catholic Church to be canonical and authoritative and after Pope Leo XIII, the primary theologian and philosopher taught in all seminaries and Catholic schools. His actual works were not always read but outlined in manuals. During the time of Vatican II this official Thomism or neo-scholasticism was challenged and there came about a new plura...