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How did Thomas Aquinas use Aristotle’s ideas in Christian theology?
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Aristotle
Aristotle, detail of a Roman copy (2nd century bce) of a Greek alabaster portrait bust (c. 325 bce); in the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome.
St. Thomas Aquinas integrated the philosophy of Aristotle into Christian theology by treating it as a valuable instrument for rational inquiry, while ensuring it remained subordinate to faith and dogma. Rather than adopting Aristotelianism wholesale, Aquinas modified and corrected it whenever it conflicted with Christian belief, ultimately creating a synthesis known as Thomism.123
Key aspects of this integration include:
- Natural Theology: Aquinas utilized Aristotelian concepts of motion, causation, and teleology to develop the Five Ways, which are rational arguments for the existence of God.34
- Methodology: He adopted the Aristotelian view of theology as a "science," using rational structures to elaborate on truths revealed by God.5
- Metaphysics: Aquinas adapted Aristotle’s hylomorphism—the idea that the soul is the form of the body—but diverged from Aristotelian interpretations to affirm the immortality of the individual soul.12
- Ethics: While he borrowed heavily from Aristotle’s ethics, he shifted the ultimate human end from philosophical contemplation to the beatific vision of God.3