Thomas Aquinas

1225 – 1274

Thomas Aquinas was a 13th-century Italian Dominican friar, theologian, and philosopher whose synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology became the foundation of medieval scholastic thought and remains foundational to Catholic theology today. His magnum opus, the Summa Theologica, attempted to lay out the whole of Christian doctrine in dialectical form across more than three million words. He was canonized in 1323, declared a Doctor of the Church in 1567, and remains one of the most studied figures in the history of Western philosophy.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM