P2Ch4b The Original Synthesis of St. Thomas Aquinas

Part 2 An Introduction to Christian Philosophy Chapter 4 Development of Philosophy in Christianity Section b. The Original Synthesis of St. Thomas Aquinas An overview of the history of the church with relation to Dogmas and their creation: the first three centuries after Christ was a time of many and great persecutions so very little dogma was defined and many heresies started. When Constantine ended the persecutions of the church many councils were formed starting with that of Nicea which started to define dogmas and dispel Heresies, those leading thinkers of the time are referred to as the Fathers of the faith. They can be divided into two groups corresponding to the geographic split in the empire of the time between the Greek, Latin side. The Greeks were more inclined to dogmatic theology, whereas the Latins were more inclined to moral theology, the greatest of which was St Augustine. Following this period was the breakdown of the empire in the 5th century due to the barbarian invasions as well as the coming of Islam and their conquest of north Africa, Asia and Europe starting in the 7th century. This period was followed by a reactionary period in the corresponding counter conquest often referred to as the crusades and the other push which started the age of discovery. During this period the Christian thought of this time was consolidated along with that of much of the thinking from the rest of the known world and ancient antiquity culminating in the scholasticism of St Thomas Aquinas.