Thomas von Aquin – oder wie aus einem Intellektuellen ein Mystiker (gemacht) wird

In 1957, the French Benedictine Jean Leclercq (1911–1993) drew attention to the difficult relationship between 'science' and 'desire for God' in Western monasticism in his small but significant study titled L'amour des lettres et le désir de Dieu. This challenge was faced by the Southern Italian Dominicans in 1317 when they decided to initiate the canonization of their famous compatriot, teacher, and brother in the order, Thomas Aquinas (died 1274). This man had spent his life reading and writing, often working on several books at once, as his admirers liked to point out. Today, we would recognize him as a true intellectual, a pure rationalist. His Southern Italian brethren sought to make a saint out of this unusual scholar, whose ideas continue to resonate today, at the beginning of the 14th century. Such an endeavor had never been attempted in this extreme form, making the project an extraordinary challenge for all involved!.