Honors Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Capstone/Thesis
Faculty Advisor
Thesis Director: Dr. Michael Sweeney; Thesis Reader: Dr. Marita von Weissenberg ; Thesis Reader: Fr. Thomas Kennealy, S.J.; HAB Course Director: Dr. Thomas Strunk
Date
2017-3
Abstract
Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote five Eucharistic hymns, and four of them are included among the liturgical texts for the Feast of Corpus Christi. This essay seeks to analyze these five hymns using a classical methodology. In short, this classical methodology consists of paying close attention to rhetorical devices—especially the micro-level details of diction, syntax, and word-order. The first chapter argues that Saint Thomas Aquinas approached his hymns with a mindset comparable in some respects to that of the ancient Roman poets. The essay then analyzes the stylistic features in the second chapter. Lastly, the third chapter shows that certain teachings emphasized in the Summa Theologiae receive similar emphasis in the hymns.
Recommended Citation
Nussman, David, "Classical Style and Catholic Theology: A Multi-Faceted Analysis of the Eucharistic Hymns of Saint Thomas Aquinas" (2017). Honors Bachelor of Arts. 21.
https://www.exhibit.xavier.edu/hab/21
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Included in
Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, Ancient Philosophy Commons, Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons, Classical Literature and Philology Commons, Other Classics Commons
