Dr. Peter Kreeft: Celebrating the 800th Anniversary of Aquinas’s Birth

This year we celebrate the 800th Anniversary of Aquinas’s birth. Known for his holiness, intelligence, and his immense love for God, Aquinas is often considered to be one of the greatest thinkers of all time. But today Dr. Kreeft joins Ben Eriksen to discuss why he thinks Aquinas is the greatest philosopher and theologian of all time. Dr. Kreeft highlights Aquinas’s clarity and depth of thought, his synthesis of previous thinkers, and his integration of faith and reason. While many are intimidated to read Aquinas or any philosophical text, Dr. Kreeft points out how accessible Aquinas is for everyday thinkers and how intellectually and spiritually enriching his writings are for those that read him. Get your copies of Dr. Peter Kreeft’s books at Ignatius.com: Summa of the Summa: https://ignatius.com/summa-of-the-summa-sosp/ A Shorter Summa: https://ignatius.com/a-shorter-summa-ssup/ Practical Theology: https://ignatius.com/practical-theology-prtp/ Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven But Never Dreamed of Asking: https://ignatius.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-heaven-eyep/ SUBSCRIBE to our channel and never miss an episode of the Ignatius Press Podcast. You can also listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. Follow us on social media: Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/IgnatiusPress Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ignatiuspress Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ignatius_press/ Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:30 Aquinas Can Be Easy to Read 4:29 The Different Types of Philosophers 5:57 Picking the Best of Aquinas 9:04 Why Aquinas is the Greatest Philosopher 11:38 Aquinas’s Teachers 13:04 Philosophy as Communal 18:25 Is Philosophy Practical? 23:33 Aquinas a Clear Thinker 26:20 Dr. Kreeft on Teaching Philosophy 29:42 The Problems of the Modern University Music from Pexels, Gregor Quendel. https://www.classicals.de/legal 32:48 No Longer Any Great Philosophers 35:49 Spiritual Benefit of Reading Aquinas 44:04 Going from and Returning to God 46:00 Faith and Reason 52:59 Tips for Reading Aquinas 54:45 Conclusion