High Middle Ages · Europe · Religion
1266
Aquinas begins Summa Theologiae
1266
At the papal studium in Rome, Thomas Aquinas began work on his massive theological synthesis. Structured as a series of questions and disputations, the Summa would remain incomplete at his death but stand as the most ambitious Christian systematic work of the Middle Ages. Its three parts addressed God's nature, humanity's moral journey, and Christ's role as the way to salvation, encompassing all of Christian doctrine.