> “Now, it could be that on the whole we’re a lot larger now than even overweight medievals were, or that St. Thomas was never the portly friar described by his legend,” Father Aquinas quipped, adding, “Regardless, the stories of St. Thomas’ size are probably exaggerated.”
According to Martin Luther (who may have had an interest in discrediting him), Thomas Aquinas was able to devour an entire goose, and a piece of his dining table had to be cut out to accommodate his immense body [0]
I wonder if Martin Luther would have a reason to slander the head figure of catholicism and creator of the doctrine used by Cajetan to argue against his own doctrine... The same Luther who was proven by his own disciples to have exaggerated many stories about catholics in his biography.
Yep, definitely not a slander there. I mean, why would Luther of all people have a problem with one of most important figures of Catholic scholasticism.
Another aspect to consider is that St. Thomas was an O.G. Dominican friar, the order which was founded with a mission to answer the heresy of Albigensians and Catharists, who were going extreme ascetic, believing the human flesh and visible world were inherently evil, and ceasing to marry and bear children.
The Dominicans wearing white and black answer that pleasures can be enjoyed in moderation, and were given by God to help ease our suffering and make life enjoyable, and it's not universally wrong to enjoy rich food, or start families and grow them. Or harness lightning and take minerals from the ground and make them into new things to serve or benefit the human world.
So Aquinas' own confreres wouldn't be shy about describing his stoutness and ability to devour geese twice a year, and it wasn't for nothing that an army came later to massacre the adversaries and quell the heresy from spreading for a few hundred years. There were contagions to deal with and masks to be worn.
Jubilee Years began again in the 14th century after Thomas and before Martin Luther. Jubilees are still decreed and proclaimed every 25 years, plus extras.
Pre-typewriter, writing was extremely time-consuming and inactive. It was also an occupation afforded to very few. It is not a stretch to assume as a rule anyone engaging in writing was going to be heavier.
Monasteries and religious houses could be well-supported, wealthy, with comfortable lifestyles for the intellectual, and there were a lot of them.
(In those days there was plenty of support and regulation for two, or more men, to get together and live as a family; women as well)
So now we can study figures such as St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Henry VIII, calling them all to repentance, and consider how their lives ended.
Does anyone know some good Amish furniture for sale online?
According to Martin Luther (who may have had an interest in discrediting him), Thomas Aquinas was able to devour an entire goose, and a piece of his dining table had to be cut out to accommodate his immense body [0]
[0] https://books.google.de/books?newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&hl=de&...