Thomas Merton on Thomistic Thought and the Ways of God

Explore the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas and his followers as you listen to the voice of Thomas Merton.

While he was a student at Columbia University, Thomas Merton stumbled upon The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy by renowned neo-Thomistic philosopher Étienne Gilson. An essential work on St. Thomas and other Christian philosophers, it led him down a path of spiritual searching that would culminate with his conversion to the Catholic Church and entrance into a Trappist monastery.

These five talks, originally delivered by Thomas Merton to the novice monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani, examine “On the Ways of God” (De divinis moribus), a short work attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas and likely written by a pseudonymous author. In this series, Merton explores the simple, perfect, infinite, and immutable nature of God.

Merton’s talks are more akin to retreat conferences than didactic academic presentations. In them, you will find profound reflections on the Divine perfections as expressed in De divinis moribus. He applies these qualities to our own lives, looking at how God provides a powerful model for imitating the Divine. Just as we are made in the image of God, so we are called to imitate the Father and thus become Godlike.

Thomas Merton on Thomistic Thought and the Ways of God is an exceptional journey through medieval philosophy and Thomistic thought. Join Thomas Merton in imitating the divine today.

This set includes an afterword by Fr. Anthony Ciorra.

This course is part of the Learn25 Collection.