Aquinas at the University of Naples
Chapter Two
Aquinas at the University of Naples
“There is nothing on this Earth more to be prized than true friendship.”
—Thomas Aquinas
Although Thomas Aquinas studied under the auspices of great teachers at the University of Naples, he was apparently surrounded by all manner of vice. He would later describe that it was “a very paradise of God, but inhabited by demons.” During this time in which he was ensconced in a citadel of God surrounded by a region of worldly influence, Aquinas likened himself to Daniel being held captive in Babylon, and he prayed to be “kept clean.”
It was here that Thomas came under the tutelage of a professor who was known as Peter of Ireland. Not a whole lot is known about this mysterious Peter of Ireland, but later research has uncovered that he was most likely a Benedictine monk referred to as Petrus de Donis who lived and worked in the region at the time. Peter is said to have lectured on the subjects of rhetoric and humanities.
Although many things in Thomas Aquinas’s early life remain a question mark to the reader of modern events, one thing seems to be clear: he was an avid pupil from the very beginning of his formal education. Aquinas would eschew childhood activities that other youth enjoyed in favor of the solitude of his books and his studies. It is said that he became such a rapid learner that soon he was repeating the lectures his professors gave to him nearly verbatim. This earned Aquinas the reputation of being brilliant. Another thing that he gained a reputation for was his acts of charitable giving. Aquinas did indeed come from a rather wealthy family, yet he never used his money for his own luxury; instead, he could be often seen giving alms to the poor. This was apparently a tradition that began very early in his life.
As a boy, Aquinas had become fascinated with handing out money to the begging passers-by that he came across. According to legend, his father chastised him for giving too much, but that didn’t stop young Thomas. On one occasion, he allegedly stuffed food in his coat and went out to give it to the poor. His father stopped him in his tracks and asked him, “What do you have there?” Thomas then let the items drop when they supposedly transformed into roses and fell at his feet. However this mysterious transmutation of bread to roses may have occurred, his father apparently took it as a miracle and never bothered the youth again about his exuberant giving. But even though he now had his family’s tacit approval for his almsgiving, it is said that Thomas, wishing to be humble, continued to give to the poor in stealth, lest he draw unwanted attention to his giving. Nevertheless, he soon became known as a very charitable young man.
Toward the end of his time at the university, Aquinas developed a keen interest in the local Dominican friars of Naples. He began to incessantly ask his teachers to allow him to visit them at their monastery. His instructors allowed him to indulge himself in these visits, but it is said that they never imagined that someone of such a high-ranking family on the social ladder would actually aspire to become a poverty-stricken friar themselves. They believed that it was nothing more than a passing fancy and had no idea how mistaken they were.