Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 38:4 (Autumn 2024)
Article: Thomas Aquinas’s “Misbegotten” Concept Of Women
Author: Joseph E. Early

PP 38:4 (Autumn 2024) p. 5

Thomas Aquinas’s “Misbegotten” Concept Of Women

Joseph E. Early

Joe Early is the Director of Research and Creative Scholarship and Professor of Church History at Campbellsville University. He has authored nine books, two manuals, and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles. His latest book is Because of Eve: Historical and Theological Survey of the Subjugation of Women in the Christian Tradition.

The influence of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) on Catholic theology is beyond dispute. As important examples, his thought was used to strengthen Church teachings concerning transubstantiation, concerning the concept of the Treasury of Merit, and as an authoritative defense against Protestant charges at the Council of Trent (1545–1563). Legend holds that Pope Pius V (1566–1572) revered his teachings so much that he had Aquinas’s great work, the Summa Theologica, placed on the altar alongside the Bible, as he believed it clarified much of Catholic orthodoxy. Pope Leo XIII (1878–1903), in his 4 August 1879 encyclical, declared that Aquinas’s theology was the exposition of Catholic theology and should be taught in all Catholic schools of higher education.1 Aquinas was similarly praised at the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). Its Decree on Priestly Training, Optatam Totius, required that a priest’s theological education be based on Aquinas’s teachings.2 Pope John Paul II (1978–2005) stated Aquinas was “a master of thought and a model of the right way to do theology.”3

In the above instances, Aquinas’s theological expressions, praised by the Church, concern primarily his teachings on moral philosophy, ethics, and the sacraments. He also wrote a great deal about the nature, purpose, and role of women, and his voice still resonates in many circles today.

Before the High Middle Ages (1000–1300), the Church’s beliefs about women had remained unchanged since the patristic era. Following Augustine’s (354–430) teachings, women were not considered to have been created in the full image of God until marriage. The order of creation meant women were expected to be subservient to their fathers, husbands, and possibly, to all men. Like Augustine, most theologians of this era accepted Neoplatonism’s dichotomies of body and soul, and of male and female, with all their implications of superiority and inferiority. However, this traditional interpretation of women underwent a significant shift with the emergence of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) in the High Middle Ages, a period marked by profound changes in the church’s understanding of gender roles.You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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