I'm in a small discussion group and we are reading Thomas Aquinas - Spiritual Master by Bishop Robert Barron. The book assumes that the reader is very familiar with the best known of St. Thomas' works, his great Summa Theologiae. Since I have not read the Summa, reading Barron's book has been a real challenge, but I am still learning a lot. For example, both St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure frequently quote Pseudo-Dionysius, the Christian theologian and Neoplatonic philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century. However, they interpret his writings differently.
It is easy, frankly, to find out what St. Thomas thought about just about any topic. It is easy to find Thomist scholars who will sing his praises and present views. After all, Thomism is the official orthodox theology of the Catholic Church and he is a Doctor of the Church.
However St. Bonaventure, a 13th century Franciscan, is also a Doctor of the Church and his theology is an accepted orthodoxy. Nevertheless, it is not easy to find what St. Bonaventure thought about any given topic.
This morning I was looking for a respected Catholic scholar that would help me understand the similarities and differences between St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure. Fortunately, I found what Pope Benedict XVI had to say about both theologians. See Benedict XVI - General Audience - Wednesday, March 17, 2010. It doesn't answer all my questions, but it is helpful. He also gave two other talks on St. Bonaventure.
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