{"id":7831,"date":"2026-01-26T15:16:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.holyart.it\/com\/?p=7831"},"modified":"2026-01-30T17:01:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T16:01:16","slug":"thomas-aquinas-and-the-hierarchy-of-angels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.holyart.it\/com\/saints-and-blessed\/thomas-aquinas-and-the-hierarchy-of-angels\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas Aquinas and the Hierarchy of Angels"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 28 January, the liturgical memory of St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘angelic doctor’ and author of the most famous treatise on medieval theology, is celebrated.<\/h4>\n

Thomas Aquinas<\/strong> lived in the 12th century. He was a Dominican friar<\/strong>, but he is remembered above all for his merits as a theologian, philosopher and Doctor of the Church<\/a><\/strong>. His merit is that he identified the junction point and combined classical and Hellenistic philosophy with Christian theology, and that he outlined the principles of Western Christian doctrine in the Middle Ages, with pillars of thought that remain valid today.<\/p>\n

The cadet son of a Sicilian noble family, he was initiated into ecclesiastical studies at a very young age and sent by his parents to the Abbey of Monte Cassino. Later, as a teenager, he moved to Naples and enrolled in the University created by Frederick II, King of Sicily, for the nobles and scholars of his Empire. Here, he also took his vows in the Dominican order<\/strong>, contravening the orders of the family, who hoped to see him one day abbot of Montecassino<\/strong>. To convince him to change his plans, the family imprisoned him for two years in the castle of Monte San Giovanni Campano, but in the end, they had to resign and send him back to Naples.<\/p>\n

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Doctors of the Church: who are they and what are the requirements for having this title<\/a><\/strong>
\nOn 1 October we celebrate Saint Therese of Lisieux, one of the four…<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Thomas continued his studies in Rome, Paris, and Cologne, becoming a pupil and then an assistant to Albertus Magnus, a master in theology, who deeply transmitted his knowledge to him during these crucial years of<\/strong> his education. It was Albertus Magnus who introduced him to teaching\u00a0at the University of Paris<\/strong>, although he was only 27 years old. Here, he could learn about and appreciate the work of<\/strong> Aristotle<\/strong>, which he would become a great scholar and commentator on. He is credited with adapting Aristotelian thought from a Christian perspective.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back in Italy, he taught in Orvieto<\/strong>, then in Rome<\/strong>, where he continued to analyse Aristotle’s work thanks to the translator and friend William of Moerbeke, and again in Paris, where he wrote some of his most important works. In the meantime, he worked to reorganise the schools of the Dominican order and teach theology.<\/p>\n

In the last period of his life, Thomas Aquinas lived in San Domenico Maggiore<\/strong>, in Naples, divided between study and prayer. One day, while celebrating Mass in the chapel of St. Nicholas at the church of San Michele Arcangelo<\/strong><\/a> in Morfisa, Thomas had a vision that so shocked him that he decided not to write anything anymore. “I can’t anymore. Everything I have written seems like straw compared to what I have seen, “<\/em> he revealed to his friend and secretary, Reginaldo da Piperno. He died <\/strong>a short time later, at just 49 years old, and his remains are preserved in the Dominican church of Les Jacobins in Toulouse. At the same time, other relics are distributed in various Italian churches.<\/p>\n

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Buy Now:<\/div>\n
Saint Michael Archangel carved wood statue<\/a><\/div>\n
In Hebrew, the name Michael means “who is like God” and he is famous for having defeated evil forces.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

At the base of St. Thomas’ philosophy is the awareness that faith and reason must collaborate<\/strong> to lead to the truth<\/strong>. Man can know the truths of the world through reason<\/strong> and philosophy<\/strong>, but only divine revelation<\/strong> elevates reason to certainty and perfection. The reason, therefore, serves as a basis:<\/p>\n