History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps · Peter Adamson

HoP 446 - Not Doubting Thomas - the Aquinas Revival

·25 min·2 clips

Cardinal Cajetan debated Martin Luther on sacraments and indulgences in Augsburg in 1518.

Peter Adamson hosts this episode exploring how Thomas Aquinas rose from a controversial medieval thinker to the central philosopher of the Counter-Reformation. The episode examines the historical and intellectual forces behind the "Aquinas Revival," focusing on key defenders and interpreters like Cardinal Cajetan. Aquinas faced early criticism and was even a target of the 1277 Paris Condemnations, but Dominican lobbying led to his canonization in 1323. The Dominican John Capreolus authored a massive defense of Aquinas's thought against rivals like Scotus and Ockham in the 15th century. Later, Peter of Croquart's edited edition of Aquinas's *Summa* became the standard theology textbook in Iberian universities, taught by figures like Francisco de Vitoria at Salamanca. In Germany, Thomism flourished at centers like Leipzig, where Magnus Hunt's 1501 treatise *On the Dignity of Man* reflected humanist influences. The Council of Trent extensively used Aquinas's *Summa*, and Pope Pius V declared him a Doctor of the Church in 1567. A compelling insight is that Aquinas's intellectualist philosophy, which prioritizes reason over will, offered a deliberate contrast to Lutheran voluntarism. Cardinal Cajetan, a leading Dominican exegete, debated Luther in Augsburg in 1518 and wrote extensively against Lutheranism until his death. Cajetan argued that everyday believers who accept core principles of faith are, in a sense, already "theologians," a view distinct from Lutheran ideas. His theory of analogy, a focus of the episode, sought to explain how terms like "good" apply to both God and creatures without being purely univocal or equivocal. The episode notes that even among Thomists, fierce debates occurred, such as the dispute between Cajetan and the Jesuit Francisco de Toledo over whether human souls differ in type. The tone is educational and conversational, weaving historical narrative with philosophical analysis. Adamson employs clear explanations and occasional personal anecdotes, like his time at the University of Notre Dame, to ground the academic content. Listeners interested in medieval philosophy, Catholic intellectual history, or the Reformation's philosophical backdrop will find this episode deeply engaging. Those seeking a broad overview of Aquinas's own philosophy rather than his historical legacy might find it too specialized.

As heard by us

A careful guide to Aquinas's later canonical status, sharpened by Cajetan's clash with Luther.

Adamson starts at Notre Dame, where Aquinas sits inside the school’s Catholic identity, then follows the later rise that turned him from one major medieval voice into the canonical one. That move feels earned rather than assumed.

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If you want Aquinas, Luther, and Notre Dame in one serious historical argument.

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