Thomas Aquinas (c.1224-March 7, 1274) was a Catholic philosopher and theologian, who wrote Summa Theologica, using Aristotelian logic to reconcile faith with reason, proving the existence of God as the logical uncaused cause. His works rank with Saint Augustine in importance.
In Pange, Lingua, a hymn for Vespers on the Feast of Corpus Christi, Thomas Aquinas wrote:
<Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory, Of His Flesh the mystery sing;
Of the Blood, all price exceeding,
Shed by our immortal King.> 1224TA001.
In Verbum Supernum Prodiens, a hymn for Lauds on Corpus Christi, Thomas Aquinas wrote:
<O saving Victim, opening wide, The gate of heaven to man below, Our foes press on from every side,
Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.> 1224TA002
In his Summa Theologica, 1273, Thomas Aquinas wrote:
<Concerning perfect blessedness which consists in a vision of God.>1224TA003
In revealing the fallacy of logic in the view that Jesus was simply a good teacher, Thomas Aquinas stated:
<Christ was either liar, lunatic, or Lord!> 1224TA004
In 1258, Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote in Summa contra Gentiles, Book 1, Chapter 6 (translated by Anton C. Pegis, University of Notre Dame Press, 1975, pp. 73-75):
<Mohammed...seduced the people by promises of carnal pleasure to which the concupiscence of the flesh goads us...and he gave free reign to carnal pleasure. In all this, as is not unexpected, he was obeyed by carnal men. As for proofs of the truth of his doctrine, he brought forward only such as could be grasped by the natural ability of anyone with a very modest wisdom. Indeed, the truths that he taught he mingled with many fables and doctrines of the greatest falsity. He did not bring forth any signs produced in a supernatural way, which alone fittingly gives witness to divine inspiration...
Mohammed said that he was sent in the power of his arms - which are signs not lacking even to robbers and tyrants...Those who believed in him were brutal men and desert wanderers, utterly ignorant of all divine teaching, through whose numbers Mohammed forced others to become his followers by the violence of his arms...
He perverts almost all the testimonies of the Old and New Testaments by making them into fabrications of his own, as can be seen by anyone who examines his law. It was, therefore, a shrewd decision on his part to forbid his followers to read the Old and New Testaments, lest these books convict him of falsity. It is thus clear that those who place any faith in his words believe foolishly.> 1224TA005
In 1258, Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote in Summa contra Gentiles, Book 1, Chapter 6 (translated by Anton C. Pegis, University of Notre Dame Press, 1975, pp. 73-75):
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Endnotes:
1224TA001. Thomas Aquinas, Pange, Lingua, a hymn for Vespers on the Feast of Corpus Christi, st. I, translated by Edward Caswall. John Bartlett, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1855, 1980), p. 139. 1224TA002. Thomas Aquinas, In Verbum Supernum Prodiens, a hymn for Lauds on Corpus Christi, st. 5, O Salutaris Hostia, Translated by Edward Caswall. John Bartlett, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1855, 1980), p. 139.
1224TA003. Thomas Aquinas, 1273, in his work titled, Summa Theologica. John Bartlett, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1855, 1980), p. 140.
1224TA004. Thomas Aquinas. Statement. Nancy Gibbs, "The Message of Miracles" (New York: Time, April 10, 1995), Vol. 145, No. 15, p. 68.
1224TA005. Thomas Aquinas, 1258, Summa contra Gentiles, Book 1, Chapter 6 (translated by Anton C. Pegis, University of Notre Dame Press, 1975, pp. 73-75)