Revelation and prophecy in the "Summa theologiae" by Thomas Aquinas

Abstract

The article analyzes the Thomas Aquinas' teaching on revelation and prophecy, based on his main work, Summa Theologiae. Special attention is paid in this article to the second part of the second part (II-II), where the author considers the subject of grace-giving gifts, among which he singles out the prophecy as a divine gift linked with knowledge. According to Thomas, through prophecy the divine revelation is mainly transmitted for the human race. In the prophecy Thomas distinguishes two phases: inspiration and revelation. Both phases occur in the mind of the prophet, who through the elevation of the mind and thanks to the mediating role of the angels perceives the divine message. In spite of the terminological and conceptual diversity in the Thomas' description of revelation and prophecy, his thought is extremely clear and can be systematized into a single, coherent picture.