St. Thomas’ Use of Pauline Theology in Explaining the Mysteries of Christ’s Public Life

Abstract

Along with the gospels and the early Church Fathers, the theology of St. Paul is an important resource for the Christology of St. Thomas Aquinas. In his questions on the mysteries of Christ’s public life in the Tertia Pars of the Summa theologiae, Aquinas utilizes a wide variety of Pauline passages to explain Christ’s manner of life, temptation, teaching, and miracles. This essay examines the location and function of these passages and argues that the influence of St. Paul is more prominent in the earlier questions than the later ones. Aquinas finds numerous passages in Romans to be useful in discussing the manner of Christ’s life and His teaching, and he draws on both letters to the Corinthians when discussing each of the four dimensions of Christ’s public life. In the questions on Christ’s miracles, however, St. Paul’s theology is much less influential.