5.22 St. Thomas Aquinas: The Common Doctor

By Dr. James Papandrea ( bio - articles - email ) | Oct 29, 2025 | In Way of the Fathers (Podcast)

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St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)—Aquinas brought the development of Catholic thought and theology to a plateau, navigating the middle path between Augustine and Pelagius; Anselm and Abelard; and even Plato and Aristotle. He’s called the Common Doctor because the Church has affirmed that his teaching should be taught and held up as the standard in every school, university, and seminary.

Links

Check out this YouTube clip, How the Summa Replaced the Sentences as the Standard Theology Textbook, w/ Philipp Rosemann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0od3JXnbfYY

Also, check out this interview that St. Thomas’ namesake—Thomas Mirus—did on the Catholic Culture Podcast with Matthew Minerd, about the education St. Thomas received and his responsibilities as a master of theology and his academic milieu: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/161-vocation-thomas-aquinas-matthew-minerd/

Three of St. Thomas’ academic sermons are available as audio books on the Catholic Culture website:
Beware of the False https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-aquinas-beware-false/
Heaven and Earth Will Pass https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-aquinas-heaven-and-earth-will-pass/
Send Out Your Spirit https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-aquinas-send-out-your-spirit/

Mike Aquilina’s Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with Thomas Aquinas: https://lambingpress.com/products/praying-in-the-presence-of-our-lord-with-st-thomas-aquinas

The Classics of Western Spirituality volume on Albert & Thomas: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/3022-X/albert-and-thomas.aspx

The Penguin Classics Thomas Aquinas: Selected Writings: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/260880/selected-writings-of-thomas-aquinas-by-thomas-aquinas/

The Aquinas Institute Online Complete Works of St. Thomas Aquinas: https://aquinas.cc/la/en/~ST.I

Pope Leo XIII, 1879 Papal Encyclical Aeterni Patris: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4861&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2570288

Pope Pius XI, 1923 Papal Encyclical Studiorem Ducem: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4957

Pope St. John Paul II, 1998 Papal Encyclical Fides et Ratio: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=592&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2570289

Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: http://www.jimpapandrea.com

For Dr. Papandrea’s take on St. Anselm, Peter Abelard, and St. Thomas Aquinas on the Atonement, see Reading the Church Fathers: https://sophiainstitute.com/?product=reading-the-church-fathers

Dr. Papandrea’s YouTube channel, The Original Church: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch

Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed: https://www.ccwatershed.org/