| This is supposedly a true story: Thomas Aquinas taught at the University of Paris, in the faculty of theology, and was considered the greatest theologian since Augustine. The King of France, Louis IX, known later as St. Louis, was eager to meet him, and invited him to dinner. Always polite, Aquinas came, but seemed to ignore his meal and the company, looking down and not taking part in the conversation. Louis was becoming anxious, perhaps the holy man was too overwhelmed by finery to enjoy, perhaps he was fasting. The servants brought out wine for after dinner, when suddenly Aquinas looked up, banged his fist on the table, and said in a booming voice:"That will settle the Manicheans!" (Manicheans claimed that creation was evil). It turned out that he had been absorbed in preparing a theological argument against heretics all the while, and could not be shaken from his concentration........ |
