Published: 2024-11-13

Islam and the Muslims in the Writings of St. Thomas Aquinas

Adam Lelito
Collectanea Theologica
Section: Articles
https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.2024.94.4.04

Abstract

St. Thomas Aquinas (1224–1274) was interested in Muslim philosophy and Arabic translations of Aristotle. Therefore, the subject of the influence of Muslim philosophy on Aquinas’ concepts has been analyzed in depth many times. The present study does not take up the subject of the philosophical inspirations which Aquinas took from Muslim thinkers but is an attempt to show his knowledge and the position he took towards Islam and the Muslims. The article is mainly based on three works of the Doctor of the Church: Summa contra Gentiles (Summa against the Gentiles), De rationibus Fidei (On the Rationality of Faith) and Summa Theologiae (Theological Summa). The purpose of this article is to present Aquinas’ overall vision of Islam and its followers. The article also shows what difficulties medieval Christian theologians faced when confronted with Islam.

Keywords:

Thomas Aquinas, Middle Ages, Islam, interreligious dialogue, history of Catholic theology

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Citation rules

Lelito, A. (2024). Islam and the Muslims in the Writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Collectanea Theologica, 94(4), 95–142. https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.2024.94.4.04

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