Aeterni Patris
The encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on the restoration of Christian philosophy, which names Thomas Aquinas the chief of the scholastic doctors and asks the bishops to restore his teaching in Catholic schools.
Leo XIII addressed the encyclical to the Catholic bishops in the second year of his pontificate. Its argument is that sound philosophy serves faith, that the scholastic doctors and Thomas above all achieved this, and that his teaching should again be the basis of instruction in seminaries and universities.
It is cited here as evidence of the standing that the Catholic Church gave Thomas six centuries after his death, in the pope’s own words. Its historical statements about Thomas and about earlier councils are those of 1879 and are offered in praise.
Cited in
- about 1265 to 1273, estimated date