In November 2024, Covenant hosted a series marking the 800th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Aquinas. Here is a round up of those essays.
Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt, A Short History of Thomism
The writings of Thomas Aquinas, one important theologian among many in the later middle ages, have enjoyed an interesting afterlife. They were interpreted in the ensuing centuries, became “the” perceived bulwark of truth in the 16th and 19th centuries, were then deemed “baggage” needing to be shed after Vatican II, and in more recent years have enjoyed a healthy and more contextualized revival.
Charles Pinches, Thomas and the Return to Virtue
In contemporary discussions, Christian scholars who write about virtue almost always return to Aquinas. Since the late 20th century, there has been a marked return to the virtues in moral theology, a topic of significance in Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae.
Torrance Kirby, Aquinas & Hooker on Law (Part 1)
There is a discernable resonance between Richard Hooker and Aquinas, who wrote that the end of the Divine government is God himself, and his law is not distinct from himself. Hooker and Aquinas shared a sense that all law is found in the One; one would call this an ontology of participation.
Torrance Kirby, Aquinas & Hooker on Law (Part 2)
Aquinas and Hooker shared a sense that laws have their origin within God. This second part outlines Hooker on different kinds of laws.
Elizabeth Kincaid, Responding to Toxic Speech with Thomas Aquinas
In a world in which our political conversations and dialogue have become characterized by a culture of putdowns and verbal attacks, Thomas Aquinas describes an alternative mode of response.
Stewart Clem, Notes from an Anglican Thomist
What does it mean to be an Anglican Thomist? Contrary to some perceptions, this distinction is hardly a contradiction but rather a discrete school of thought with integrity.
The Rev. Calvin Lane, PhD is the Editor of Covenant: The Online Journal of The Living Church. The author of two books on the Reformation, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2013 . In addition to serving as associate rector of St. George's Episcopal Church, Dayton, Ohio, Dr. Lane has taught for various seminaries and colleges, including as Affiliate Professor at Nashotah House. His service to the church includes a term on the General Board of Examining Chaplains (2018-2024).
