EARLY AQUINAS ON MATTER

Abstract

In his commentary on the second book of Peter Lombard’s Sentences, Aquinas deals with matter from different viewpoints. In this paper, some relevant texts from his Commentary on the distinctions 3, 12, and 18 are analyzed with a threefold aim. First, early Aquinas’ doctrine of matter is illustrated, with particular attention to its physical and metaphysical implications. Second, Aquinas’ theses are traced back to his Peripatetic sources, in order to show the crucial role played by Avicenna and Averroes in his rethinking of Aristotelian physics and metaphysics. Third, Aquinas’ thought is put into the context of the debate on matter arisen since the reception of Latin Aristotle’s Physics and Metaphysics. From these threefold perspective, the consistency and originality of early Aquinas’ doctrine can be appreciated.

Keywords

• Materia
• Tomás de Aquino
• Aristóteles latino
• física
• metafísica.