St Thomas Aquinas on the Apostles' Creed

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One of the last things Aquinas composed before he turned to silence and then shortly thereafter died, was a series of Lenten sermons on the Apostles’ Creed. Probably given in 1273, these talks show the master as also a pastor who cares that ordinary Christians appreciate the basic tenents of the faith.

In this series of summer talks on Sunday mornings, Father Austin hopes to open up some of the theological depths of the Creed with the help of the greatest medieval theologian.

On July 4, the topic is Jesus’ passion and death: he suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. In his talk on this part of the Creed, Aquinas first makes a theological point: that it is as a man that Jesus dies, not as God. This is, he also says, beyond our understanding, yet nonetheless true. Then he gives 10 reasons why Jesus’ passion and death is necessary: 5 ways in which Jesus made a remedy for our sin, and 5 ways he gave us an example. What is particularly interesting here is that Aquinas does not settle on one exclusive theory of the atonement (i.e., one theory of how it is that Jesus’ death saves us). Rather, he gives a large number of ways to understand Jesus’ death as salvific, not privileging any one of them.

The book is illustrated nearby for those who wish to read further. It is not necessary for the class. 

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