St_Thomas_Aquinas

St Thomas Aquinas The human body is an animated body. Throughout St. Thomas’ writing, it has been kept in mind that there can not be any discussion of the body without an awareness that it has being only in union with the soul. To speak of the human body as if it were only a material thing no different from any other corporeal being, is not to speak of the body of man as it is. A human essence has two constituent principles and to identify one part with the man is to say at once that he is and is not a man. On the other hand, while it must be insisted that man is what he is because of his rational soul, the judgment cannot be made that he is his soul. As a material creature, man must have a body. This material essential element in him has characteristics in common with everything else that is material. It is extended, three-dimensional, occupies space, is changeable and measurable by time, is subject to corruption because of its composition, and is finite. The common sense of mankind based upon experience makes it obvious that all of these qualities are found in the human st, thomas, aquinas, body, soul, human, man, matter, form, union, being, because, must, upon, exist, material, cannot, substantial, one, natural, itself, existence, essence, without, united, two, time, sense, prior, principles, primary, nature, mind, makes, known, essential, enjoyed