The Divine Comedy · Character

Thomas Aquinas

Dominican theologian who appears in the Heaven of the Sun.

minor

Also known as St. Thomas Aquinas, Thomas, Aquinas

First appearance: Canto X: The Sun's Sphere of Theologians

Thomas Aquinas shows up with force in Canto X: The Sun's Sphere of Theologians. The page is where that presence becomes real.

The first speaker among the luminous souls, who identifies himself and introduces the other theologians.

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In Canto X: The Sun's Sphere of Theologians: The first speaker among the luminous souls, who identifies himself and introduces the other theologians. Later, in Canto XI: Speaker of the canto; recounts the life of St.

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25 connections

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this canto, the dramatic climax occurs when Dante, having been emboldened to ask Virgil to teach him the na…

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In the story

Thomas Aquinas appears across 6 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Canto X: The Sun's Sphere of Theologians
The first speaker among the luminous souls, who identifies himself and introduces the other theologians.
Canto XI
Speaker of the canto; recounts the life of St. Francis and clarifies his earlier words.
Canto XII
Referenced as 'Friar Thomas' whose courteous discourse moved Bonaventura to speak.
Canto XIII: The Wisdom of Solomon and the Nature of Creation
The speaker who explains the nature of creation, the uniqueness of Adam and Christ, and the true wisdom of Solomon.
Canto XIV: The Fifth Heaven (Mars) – The Celestial Cross
His discourse ends, leading to Beatrice's question about the nature of the blessed light.
Endnotes
Referenced for his discussion on the propagation of the human body in Summa Theologica.

Chapter companion notes

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