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Aquinas was a 12h-century Roman Catholic theologian whose Summa Theologiae became the basis for Catholic theology thereafter. In Paradiso, he appears in the sphere of the Sun along with other Christian intellects. After introducing the other souls in this sphere, Aquinas discusses providence with Dante and eulogizes Francis of Assisi.
Thomas Aquinas Quotes in Paradiso
The Paradiso quotes below are all either spoken by Thomas Aquinas or refer to Thomas Aquinas. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Canto 11 Quotes
The providence that rules the universe,
in counsels so profound that all created
countenance will yield before it finds its depth […]
ordained two princes that, on either side,
should walk along with [the Church] and be her guide.
The one was seraph-like in burning love,
the other in intelligence a splendour
on the earth that shone like Heaven’s cherubim.
[…] Their different actions served a single plan.
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Thomas Aquinas Character Timeline in Paradiso
The timeline below shows where the character Thomas Aquinas appears in Paradiso. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Canto 10
...if in a dance. Stopping, one of these lights introduces himself to Dante as Thomas Aquinas. He identifies the soul next to him as his former teacher, Albert the Great.
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Thomas Aquinas introduces another 10 souls to Dante. They include Gratian, Peter Lombard, Boethius, the Venerable Bede,...
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Canto 11
...the sun, the dancing souls gather in a circle, looking like a candle chandelier. Thomas Aquinas senses that Dante has questions—Dante wants to better understand some of the things that Aquinas...
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Aquinas explains that God, in his providence, provided two “princes” who would help guide the Bride...
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Aquinas begins by describing Francis of Assisi and his lifelong love affair with a girl called...
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Canto 13
...their revolutions around Beatrice and Dante, singing praises to the Trinity and especially to Christ. Aquinas then addresses another one of Dante’s misgivings. As God’s love descends from God’s eternally united...
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...earth, creating the first man (Adam), and causing Jesus to be conceived in Mary’s womb. Aquinas says that this explains the difference between King Solomon, on one hand, and Adam and...
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Canto 14
After Thomas Aquinas falls silent, Beatrice asks for a resolution to Dante’s perplexity: will heavenly souls always remain...
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