Thomistic Institute Angelicum.

Can God be Omnipotent and Kenotic? Understanding Divine Action in the Bible | Justin Schembri, O.P. by Angelicum Thomistic Institute

Theories of Causation | Thomas Davenport, O.P. by Angelicum Thomistic Institute

Comunión en la Verdad: La Sabiduría en Tomás y Buenaventura | Francisco Javier Rubio Hípola by Angelicum Thomistic Institute

A Dio attraverso la Bellezza un Approccio Tomistico | Raymund Snyder, OP by Angelicum Thomistic Institute

La conoscenza del “caso” secondo san Tommaso d’Aquino | Lorella Congiunti by Angelicum Thomistic Institute

La Teoria dell'Appropriazione di San Tommaso | Kevin O'Reilly, OP by Angelicum Thomistic Institute

Le Hibou, les Bains et la Petite Vieille | François-Xavier Putallaz by Angelicum Thomistic Institute

Thomas von Aquin und die Zehn Gebote | Ludger Schwienhorst-Schönberger by Angelicum Thomistic Institute

Ist Gottes Wesen für uns Unerkennbar? | Patrick Zoll SJ by Angelicum Thomistic Institute

Creation and Evolution: an Aristotelian-Thomistic Perspective | Mariusz Tabaczek OP by Angelicum Thomistic Institute

Lezione Inaugurale del Programma Joint Diploma 2025/26 | Prof. Pasquale Porro - Tommaso d'Aquino e Napoli

Why does the Vatican support an astronomical observatory? That question masks a deeper question: why does anyone choose to be a scientist? The motivation behind our choices, both as individuals and as a society, determines the questions we pursue and the kinds of answers that are found to be satisfying. It determines the kinds of answers that are found to be satisfying. And ultimately, it affects the way in which we think of ourselves.

Integral to Jesus's full humanity was his manhood or maleness. As the "exemplum virtutus," he thus imbibed all the virtues in a male-structured and male-conditioned manner. This includes the virtue of chastity (or, more specifically in his case, the virtue of virginity). Though men are neurobiologically oriented to sexual desire and pleasure and to the visual aspects of sex, to the extent that the male fallen condition is particularly prone to lust, the struggle with lust was not characteristic of Jesus, even if he possessed the natural male neurobiological structuring. The Gospel evidence shows a Jesus who enjoyed unfettered, virtuous relationships with his female (and male) disciples and who insisted that his followers exercise strict sexual self-mastery. He was the model for this. The Gospel evidence also indicates that Jesus held an extremely high estimation of marriage. Though he did not struggle with lust, he could however have experienced sexual temptation, given his recognition of the good of sex and

This talk examines the question of whether Jesus Christ possessed the theological virtue of faith and, if not, in what sense he can be called faithful. Drawing upon Scripture, and particularly the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas, it argues that while Christ did not have faith in the proper sense—since faith concerns truths not yet seen—he nevertheless embodied its perfection through the beatific vision granted to him from the first moment of his conception. Aquinas teaches that faith and the beatific vision are mutually exclusive: one either sees God’s essence directly, as in the vision of the blessed, or one believes in what is unseen. Because Christ, as the Incarnate Word, saw the Father immediately, he did not live by faith but by vision. Yet this vision was necessary for his role as the immovable and perfect principle of human salvation, the “author and finisher of faith” (Heb 12:2). The study further explores the Pauline expression pistis Christou (“faith/faithfulness of Christ”) and argues that even if r

This talk will offer an introduction to the principle that Christ is not a human "person" but is fully human. The first half of the talk will explore how this is expressed in the foundational Patristic writers (especially Cyril of Alexandria), and then the other half will explain why this principle is essential to understanding that salvation flows from Christ's humanity. Because Christ is the person of the Word (with his humanity) we are saved by union with the Word's humanity.

Among the important mysteries of Christ’s life, few are as overlooked in theology as his walking on water, perhaps because this exceptional action seems to distance him from other human beings while not benefitting anyone. Our goal in this presentation is to remedy this oversight. It is structured according to several questions. What does walking on water mean? What does it not mean? What is the unique context of this event in Christ’s life? How did he walk on water? Why did he do so? How does this mystery save us? Current exegetical scholarship allows us to grasp significant theological elements present in the pericopes dealing with this episode in Matthew, Mark and John. It is invariably placed in the context of Jesus’s prayer and after the miraculous feeding of the multitude. In Matthew it is a forerunner of the revelation of Christ’s true identity, in Mark it is a key stage in the development of the disciples’ faith in Jesus, while in John it is a sign like no other, that is, one that is not counted amon

The Scriptures tell us that “Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor” (Lk 2:52). How are to interpret these inspired words in the context of the Church’s teaching on the hypostatic union confirmed at both Nicea and Chalcedonian? This conference draws us into the teaching of theologians throughout the centuries who have struggled to properly interpret “two na¬tures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indi¬vis¬i¬bly, insepara¬bly,” united in “one Person and one Subsistence”, such that “the property of each nature being pre¬served, and concur¬ring in one Person and one Subsis¬tence […] the same Son, and only begot¬ten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Having these profound theological statements as a foundation, this paper addresses one seemingly simple question: whether or not Christ, in his human nature, made progress? I will respond to the question by analyzing three specific aspects of Christ’s assumed nature: first, the question of physiological change and progress; second, pr

Jesus Christ is not only truly God, but he is also truly human, the divine person of the Word in two natures, divine and human. This means that his true human nature is integral and complete, composed of an immaterial soul and a material body. While we believe as Catholics in the human reality of Jesus’ body, it is not a matter of faith that we confess certain facts about Jesus’ DNA, including the mere fact that his human body had and has DNA. Yet theology today has to grapple with the fact that Jesus had DNA, because we know since the discovery of the chemical’s full significance in the twentieth century, that DNA is a fundamental part of the life and genetic inheritance of earthly living things, ourselves, and Jesus, included. DNA testing by commercial companies is a way by which customers can have their DNA matched to relations and regional populations. This paper asks what would be the result of a DNA test taken by Jesus, with particular reference to the fact that Jesus had no biological father. It invest

Every Sunday, Catholics pray in the Creed, "He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father." Patristic and medieval theologians felt they had a concrete grasp of where the "heaven" Christ ascended to actually was, but their answers are all based on very outdated views of the cosmos. Modern discussions of the Ascension sometimes shy away from the question, to the point of "spiritualizing" the event and downplaying the physicality of Christ's present state. In this talk I will argue, first, that attempts to "weaken" the physicality of Christ's glorified body threaten our understanding of the resurrection and salvation, in general, and of the Eucharist in particular. Then, I will then look at medieval theories of the place of Christ's Ascension and point out that while modern science makes those specific ideas untenable, it also offers tools to imagine a real "place" for Christ's Glorified Body.

Re-evaluating Penal Substitution and Vicarious Satisfaction This talk addresses the central soteriological question: "Was Jesus Punished?" While it is undisputed that Jesus was punished by human authorities, this presentation argues against the proposition that He was punished by God. It critically examines the dominant theory of penal substitution (substitutio penalis) and advocates for a return to the classical model of vicarious satisfaction (satisfactio vicaria). The presentation traces the problem’s origin to the post-Anselmian theological shift, which was radicalized by the Reformers into penal substitution. Extreme interpretations of this doctrine (e.g., L. Bourdaloue) portray God the Father as a "persecutor" discharging "divine hatred" onto His Son, creating a "toxic" image of a sadistic God while ignoring the Son's will. Three strategies for resolving this impasse are analyzed, rejecting "finding depth in penal substitution", which introduces "darkness" into the image of God, and the concept of Stell