Aquinas 101 brings the thought of St. Thomas to a wide audience

For most Christians, the name Thomas Aquinas will forever be associated with his signature work, the Summa Theologiae. In the Summa, Aquinas employed philosophical reasoning to address and explain the major teachings of the Catholic Church.

However, the Summa was just one of many literary contributions that Aquinas left the Church. Written more than 800 years ago, Aquinas’ works range from systematic disputations to philosophical commentaries, to liturgical works, letters and homilies. And even beloved Eucharistic hymns Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris Hostia, which are still sung today. Modern scholars are still in the process of compiling the Editio Leonina, the collected works of Aquinas originally sponsored by Pope Leo XIII in 1879. At the halfway point, scholars had assembled about 39 volumes.

Given the complex issues about which Aquinas wrote and the sheer volume of his work, the Thomistic Institute has committed to bringing the writings to a wide audience via a digital platform–sharing Aquinas’ teachings in a way that can capture the attention of both theologians and everyday folks, Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

The result is Aquinas 101, which offers short, engaging videos rooted in the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Thomistic Institute is an academic institute of the Pontifical Faculty of the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. Fr. Gregory Pine, OP, assistant director of the Institute, said on the organization’s website: “In this modern era, we have developed Aquinas 101 to be accessible to anyone who would like to deepen their faith or learn about any number of important topics relevant to their daily lives as Catholics.”

Fr. Ambrose Little, OP, assistant professor of theology at the Thomistic Institute, is spokesperson for Aquinas 101 and one of the priest/presenters featured in the series.

Fr. Little reported that the videos have been around since 2019 and have over 137,000 subscribers, who have viewed the episodes more than 10 million times. However, when the project was first launched, the Thomistic Institute found that it was sometimes difficult to access the videos, since YouTube didn’t store the videos in logical sequence.

To bring the lessons together in a coherent list, the Thomistic Institute has established its own Aquinas 101 YouTube channel.

Who is the intended audience for Aquinas 101? Fr. Little explained that while the target audience is college students, the program is easily accessible for people from all backgrounds. People find it when searching online; teachers, professors and academics who look at the videos sometimes send in their questions.

And even younger students may find the short presentations interesting. As evidence, Fr. Little recounted the story of one of the teachers who contributes to Aquinas 101. The teacher made a deal with his children: he promised them that they could stay up a little later, if they used their time to watch an episode of Aquinas 101.

In all, Aquinas 101 includes 19 courses, each of which addresses a specific question, such as “Who Is God?” and “Does Science Explain Everything?” A person who is seeking answers to difficult questions may well find his way to Aquinas 101, since the series includes dozens of videos on topics such as the sacraments, creation and evolution, the existence of God, miracles, and much more.

Users can create personalized accounts, making it easy to find their way back to the last lesson they’d learned. They can track their progress and earn certificates of achievement. And all of the videos in Aquinas 101 can be viewed free. Fr. Little reported that while there is a significant cost to producing the series and making videos available on the web, the project is supported through the generosity of a number of dedicated donors.

For more information, visit Aquinas101.com to initiate your foray into the mind and works of one of Christianity’s most accomplished and prolific authors.