The Thomistic Institute

Jul 30, 2025 • 41 min

Prof. Thomas Ward explores the resurgence of Stoicism in modern culture and critically contrasts it with Christian philosophy, especially through the lens of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy , advocating for divine providence and the Christian virtues of hope and charity in place of Stoic apathy. This lecture was given on May 4th, 2025, at Stanford University. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Thomas M. Ward is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He specializes in the history of philosophy and theology of the Middle Ages and has contributed over thirty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters to these fields of study. Ward is the author of After Stoicism: Last Words of the Last Roman Philosopher (Word on Fire, 2024), Ordered by Love: An Introduction to John Duns Scotus (Angelico, 2022), Divine Ideas (Cambridge University Press, 2020), and has translated, with commentary, John Duns Scotus’s Treatise on the First Principle (Hackett, 2024). He has been a NEH Fellow (2022) and Harvey Fellow (2009-2011), and is a past winner of the Society for Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy Founder's Award (2013) and the American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly Rising Scholar Essay Contest (2018). Before taking up his current post at Baylor, Ward taught in California at Azusa Pacific University (2011-2012) and Loyola Marymount University (2012-2017). He studied philosophy at Biola University (BA 2004) and theology at Oxford University (M.Phil 2006), where he was Head Resident at the Kilns, the former residence of C.S. Lewis. His  PhD in philosophy is from UCLA (2011). Ward is married with six children and is a member of St. Peter Catholic Student Center in Waco. Keywords: Apathy, Boethius, Christian Philosophy, Divine Providence, Fatalism, Hope, The Consolation of Philosophy , Stoicism, Tranquility, Virtue

Jul 29, 2025 • 44 min

Prof. Raymond Hain examines the four cardinal virtues—prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance—tracing their philosophical and theological roots while exploring their essential role in living a morally excellent and flourishing human life. This lecture was given on March 27th, 2025, at University of Louisiana at Lafayette. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Raymond Hain is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Associate Director of the Humanities Program at Providence College in Providence, RI. Educated at Christendom College, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Oxford, he is the founder of the PC Humanities Forum and Humanities Reading Seminars and is responsible for the strategic development of the Humanities Program into a vibrant, world class center of teaching, research, and cultural life dedicated to the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. His scholarly interests include the history of ethics (especially St. Thomas Aquinas), applied ethics (especially medical ethics and the ethics of architecture), Alexis de Tocqueville, and philosophy and literature (especially Catholic aesthetics). His work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Templeton Foundation, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and the Charles Koch Foundation. His essays have appeared in various journals and collections including The Thomist, International Journal of Applied Philosophy , and The Anthem Companion to Tocqueville. He is the editor of Beyond the Self: Virtue Ethics and the Problem of Culture and is currently working on a monograph titled The Lover and the Prophet: An Essay in Catholic Aesthetics . He joined Providence College in 2011 and lives just across the street with his wife Dominique and their five children. Keywords: Aquinas' Moral Philosophy, Cardinal Virtues, Common Good, Formation of Virtue,  Les Misérables , Moral Exemplars, Peter Geach, Prudence and Practical Wisdom,  Smith of Wootton Major , Virtue Ethics

Jul 28, 2025 • 48 min

Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P., delves into St. Augustine's understanding of love for "confused lovers," drawing from the Confessions to explore the transformative power of God's grace and the ordering of human loves toward divine union. This lecture was given on April 4th, 2025, at University of Wisconsin-Madison. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P., (Ph.D. Notre Dame) is professor of patristics and ancient languages at the Pontifical Faculty of the Dominican House of Studies where he serves as the director of the doctoral program. He authored Christ in the Life and Teaching of Gregory of Nazianzus (Oxford University Press, 2013) and The Power of Patristic Preaching: The Word in Our Flesh (Catholic University of America, 2023). He co-authored A Living Sacrifice: Guidance for Men Discerning Religious Life (Vianney Vocations, 2019). Editor-in-chief of the academic journal The Thomist , Hofer is editor or co-editor of several volumes including The Oxford Handbook of Deification, The Cambridge Companion to Augustine's Sermons , and Thomas Aquinas and the Greek Fathers . He enjoys speaking with students about their theological and spiritual questions. Keywords: Augustine’s  Confessions , Christian Friendship, Divine Grace, Disordered Love, Eucharist Theology, Grace and Conversion, Incarnational Love,  On Christian Teaching , Restless Heart

Jul 25, 2025 • 47 min

Prof. Gina Noia explores the Catholic Church's nuanced teachings on birth control, responsible parenthood, and the moral distinctions between natural family planning, direct contraception, and sterilization, rooted in theological and philosophical reasoning. This lecture was given on October 1st, 2024, at North Carolina State University. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Gina Maria Noia, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Theology at Providence College. She received her PhD in Theology and Health Care Ethics from Saint Louis University. She has served as a clinical ethicist for OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, IL and St. Alexius Hospital in St. Louis, MO, and she is published in Christian Bioethics and the Journal of Moral Theology . Outside of academia, you’ll find her spending time outdoors with her (philosopher) husband, Justin Noia, PhD, and their vivacious children. Keywords: Catholic Marriage, Catholic Moral Theology, Contraception Ethics, Double Effect Principle,  Gaudium et Spes ,  Humanae Vitae , John Paul II, Natural Family Planning, Responsible Parenthood,  Theology of the Body

Jul 23, 2025 • 50 min

Prof. Jordan Wales offers a theological critique of artificial intelligence, examining the limitations of computational and behaviorist definitions of intelligence and emphasizing the need for intentionality, interior experience, and a Christian understanding rooted in Augustine. This lecture was given on April 4th, 2024, at Hillsdale College. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Jordan Wales is Associate Professor and John and Helen Kuczmarski Chair in Theology at Hillsdale College, where he teaches historical theology. His scholarship—appearing in journals such as Augustinian Studies , the Journal of Moral Theology , and AI & Society —focuses on early Christianity as well as theology and Artificial Intelligence. Holding degrees in Engineering (B.S.), Cognitive Science (M.Sc.), and Theology (Dip.Theol., M.T.S., Ph.D.), he is a member of the AI Research Group for the Centre for Digital Culture, under the Dicastery of Culture and Education at the Holy See; a fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion; and a fellow of the Centre for Humanity and the Common Good. Keywords: Augustinianism, Behavioral Definition of Intelligence, Christianity and AI, Computationalism, Ethics, Francis Bacon, Intentionality, Machine Consciousness, René Descartes,  Encountering Artificial Intelligence

Jul 22, 2025 • 39 min

Prof. Raymond Hain explores the Catholic imagination through the literary works of Flannery O'Connor and J.R.R. Tolkien, revealing how Catholic literature intertwines hope, redemption, and the complexities of faith in the face of suffering and beauty. This lecture was given on May 28th, 2025, at University of Washington. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Raymond Hain is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Associate Director of the Humanities Program at Providence College in Providence, RI. Educated at Christendom College, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Oxford, he is the founder of the PC Humanities Forum and Humanities Reading Seminars and is responsible for the strategic development of the Humanities Program into a vibrant, world class center of teaching, research, and cultural life dedicated to the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. His scholarly interests include the history of ethics (especially St. Thomas Aquinas), applied ethics (especially medical ethics and the ethics of architecture), Alexis de Tocqueville, and philosophy and literature (especially Catholic aesthetics). His work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Templeton Foundation, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and the Charles Koch Foundation. His essays have appeared in various journals and collections including The Thomist, International Journal of Applied Philosophy , and The Anthem Companion to Tocqueville. He is the editor of Beyond the Self: Virtue Ethics and the Problem of Culture and is currently working on a monograph titled The Lover and the Prophet: An Essay in Catholic Aesthetics . He joined Providence College in 2011 and lives just across the street with his wife Dominique and their five children. Keywords: Angels and Demons, Catholic Imagination, Culture, Greenleaf , Incarnation, Pilgrimage, Prophetic Writing, Redemption, The Lord of the Rings , Wise Blood

Jul 21, 2025 • 58 min

Harvard astronomer Prof. Karin Öberg examines the compatibility of science and faith, addressing perceived conflicts through philosophical, doctrinal, psychological, and historical lenses while emphasizing Catholic intellectual tradition and the role of reason. This lecture was given on March 28th, 2025, at Ohio State University. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Karin Öberg is Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University. Her specialty is astrochemistry and her research aims to uncover how chemical processes affect the outcome of planet formation, especially the chemical habitability of nascent planets. She did postdoctoral work at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics as a NASA Hubble fellow, focusing on millimeter observations of planet-forming disks around young stars.  Keywords: Agnosticism, Big Bang Cosmology, Ethics, Evolution, Exodus, Incarnation, Miracles, Primary and Secondary Causality, Saint Augustine, Theology

Jul 18, 2025 • 44 min

Sr. Elinor Gardner explores the vocation of women as companion and mother, drawing on Edith Stein’s philosophy to highlight the natural ethos of femininity as a gift received from God, characterized by a unique capacity for nurturing and companionship that shapes both family and professional life. This lecture was given on February 22nd, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Sister Elinor Gardner, O.P., is Affiliate Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas. Prior to arriving at UD, she taught at Aquinas College (Nashville, TN) and at The Catholic University of America, and spent one year assisting in formation at her Congregation’s Novitiate. She has a PhD from Boston College with a doctorate titled “St Thomas Aquinas on the Death Penalty.” Besides the ethical and political philosophy of Aquinas, her other research interests include the Christian anthropology of Robert Spaemann and Edith Stein. Keywords: Aristotelianism, Catholic Theology, Complementarity of Man and Woman, Culture, Edith Stein, Ethos of Woman’s Vocation, Feminism, Genesis, Motherhood, Virtue Ethics

Jul 17, 2025 • 42 min

Prof. John Cuddeback explores true fatherhood as the archetype of masculine virtue, examining its modes, challenges, and unique virtues through the lenses of Aristotelian philosophy, domestic prudence, and scriptural figures like Joseph. This lecture was given on February 22nd, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: John A. Cuddeback is professor of Philosophy at Christendom College, where he has taught for twenty-five years. He lectures widely on topics including virtue, fatherhood, friendship, and household, and his professional writings appear in various academic journals and books. Keywords: Abortion, Aristotelianism, Authority and Virtue, Chastity, Culture, Domestic Prudence, Fatherhood, Feminism, Genesis, Virtue Ethics

Jul 16, 2025 • 47 min

Prof. John Cuddeback explores how the household serves as a natural revelation of masculinity and femininity, emphasizing the complementarity of men and women, the significance of virtue, and the essential roles of fatherhood and motherhood. This lecture was given on February 22nd, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: John A. Cuddeback is professor of Philosophy at Christendom College, where he has taught for twenty-five years. He lectures widely on topics including virtue, fatherhood, friendship, and household, and his professional writings appear in various academic journals and books. Keywords: Aristotelianism, Complementarity of Man and Woman, Culture, Domestic Prudence, Ethics, Fatherhood, True Friendship, Virtue, Virtue Ethics, Womanhood

Jul 14, 2025 • 1h 3m

Prof. Michael Dauphinais explores the realism of the biblical view of sex and marriage, analyzing cultural challenges, scriptural diagnoses, and the transformative power of radical trust in God’s plan for relationships. This lecture was given on February 10th, 2025, at Ohio State University. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Michael A. Dauphinais, Ph.D., serves as the Fr. Matthew Lamb Professor of Catholic Theology and the co-director of the Aquinas Center for Theological Renewal at Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, Florida.  He has co-authored with Matthew Levering Knowing the Love of Christ: An Introduction to the Theology of Thomas Aquinas; Holy People, Holy Land: A Theological Introduction to the Bible; and The Wisdom of the Word: Biblical Answers to Ten Questions about Catholicism .  He specializes in C.S. Lewis, the Bible, and St. Thomas Aquinas. He speaks frequently in both academic and popular settings, and particularly enjoys visiting Thomistic Institute student chapters.  Dr. Dauphinais hosts The Catholic Theology Show podcast to help a wide audience discover the richness of coming to know and love God as he has revealed himself in Jesus Christ.  Keywords: Acceptance, Aristotelianism, Book of Tobit , Chastity, Culture, Genesis, Incarnation, Marriage, Radical Trust, Sexual Ethics

Jul 10, 2025 • 49 min

Prof. George Corbett explores the philosophical and theological foundations of beauty through Mozart’s music, highlighting the "pathway of beauty" as a means of encountering the divine and engaging culture. This lecture was given on March 13th, 2025, at University of Edinburgh. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: George Corbett is Professor of Theology at the University of St Andrews, and the Director of Cephas (a Thomistic Centre for Philosophy and Scholastic Theology). He researches and teaches theology and the arts (with specialisms in Dante studies, sacred music, and theological aesthetics) and historical theology (with specialisms in medieval theology, Aquinas’s theology and its influence, and Catholic theology). His books include Dante’s Christian Ethics (2020), Dante and Epicurus (2013), and, as editor or co-editor, Vertical Readings in Dante’s ‘Comedy’   (2015-18), Annunciations: Sacred Music for the Twentieth-Century (2019), and Music and Spirituality: Theological Approaches, Empirical Methods, and Christian Worship (2024). Keywords: Aesthetics, Beauty, Catholicism, Culture, Evangelization, Don Giovanni , Hans Urs von Balthasar, Incarnation, Mozart, Pope Benedict XVI

Jul 9, 2025 • 46 min

Prof. Jan C. Bentz examines the nature of beauty, arguing that beauty is not merely subjective but possesses objective and transcendent qualities rooted in metaphysical, ethical, and theological traditions from Plato and Aristotle to Aquinas. This lecture was given on December 9th, 2024, at Thomistic Institute in Limerick. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Dr. Jan C. Bentz was born and raised in Germany and graduated high school in St Louis, Missouri, where he attended as a foreign exchange student. Dr Bentz holds a doctorate in Philosophy from the Roman Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, a Masters in Sacred Art, Architecture, and Liturgy and a Masters in Church, Ecumenism, and Religious Studies. His dissertation was published in German on Gustav Siewerth (1903-1963) and his work on Thomas Aquinas and G.W.F. Hegel. His fields of expertise include Metaphysics, History of Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Thomism, and Philosophy of Art. Dr Bentz lectures at Blackfriars’ Studium on History of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Philosophy of History. He taught Philosophy of Art (Aesthetics) for The Catholic University of America, Rome Campus, History of Medieval Philosophy at Christendom College, Rome Campus, and Apologetics for IES Study Abroad also in Rome. His journalistic career included the production of weekly TV coverage in German and English for EWTN Global; interviews and commentary for Catholic News Agency, Inside the Vatican; and for The Catholic Herald in English and Jüdische Rundschau in German. His current format is called Reality Check, a series of video interviews also published on YouTube with the European Conservative. Keywords: Aesthetics, Aristotle, Divine Order, Ethics, Hans Christian Andersen, Immanuel Kant, Metaphysics, Plato, Proportion, The Emperor’s New Clothes

Jul 8, 2025 • 45 min

Prof. Joshua Hochschild explores the philosophical and theological dimensions of the Barbie movie, analyzing its narrative through the lens of storytelling, existentialism, and the thought of Aquinas, while engaging with diverse critical interpretations. This lecture was given on September 20th, 2024, at North Carolina State University. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Joshua Hochschild is Professor of Philosophy at Mount St. Mary’s University, where he also served six years as the inaugural Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. His primary research is in medieval logic, metaphysics, and ethics, with broad interest in liberal education and the continuing relevance of the Catholic intellectual tradition. He is the author of The Semantics of Analogy: Rereading Cajetan’s De Nominum Analogia (2010), translator of Claude Panaccio’s Mental Language: From Plato to William of Ockham (2017), and co-author of A Mind at Peace: Reclaiming an Ordered Soul in the Age of Distraction (2017). His writing has appeared in First Things, Commonweal, Modern Age and the Wall Street Journal. For 2020-21 he served as President of the American Catholic Philosophical Association. Keywords: Adultery, Aristotle, Catholic Personalism, Culture, Existentialism, Feminism, Gabriel Marcel, Pinocchio , Plato, Storytelling

Jul 7, 2025 • 35 min

Sr. Elinor Gardner explores the Christian understanding of virtue, emphasizing the theological and cardinal virtues as foundational to human excellence and the restoration of the image of God in man and woman. This lecture was given on February 21st, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Sister Elinor Gardner, O.P., is Affiliate Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas. Prior to arriving at UD, she taught at Aquinas College (Nashville, TN) and at The Catholic University of America, and spent one year assisting in formation at her Congregation’s Novitiate. She has a PhD from Boston College with a doctorate titled “St Thomas Aquinas on the Death Penalty.” Besides the ethical and political philosophy of Aquinas, her other research interests include the Christian anthropology of Robert Spaemann and Edith Stein. Keywords: Aristotelianism, Beauty, Cardinal Virtues, Catechism of the Catholic Church, Christian Anthropology, Divine Grace, Gregory of Nyssa, Summa Theologiae , Temperance, Virtue Ethics

Jul 3, 2025 • 50 min

Prof. Bruce Marshall explores the complex theological and philosophical challenges of predestination, examining its biblical foundations, Catholic doctrinal teachings, and the relationship between divine will, human freedom, and universal salvation. This lecture was given on February 28th, 2024, at University of Texas Austin. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Bruce D. Marshall is Lehman Professor of Christian Doctrine at Southern Methodist University, and in 2023 he held the Aquinas Chair in the Thomistic Institute at the Angelicum in Rome.  He is the author of Trinity and Truth and Christology in Conflict , and at present he is completing a book entitled The Primacy of Christ: Faith, Reason, and the Cross .  Marshall has written extensively on the doctrines of the Trinity, the person and redemptive work of Christ, the Eucharist, the Catholic Church and non-Christian religions, and the relationship between faith and reason.  He received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his Ph.D. from Yale University, and is a past President of the Academy of Catholic Theology. Keywords: Biblical Election, Catholic Doctrine, Council of Trent, Divine Foreknowledge, Ephesians, Free Will, Gaudium Et Spes , Jansenism, Predestination, Romans

Jul 2, 2025 • 42 min

Fr. Gregory Pine explains the Catholic doctrine of predestination, distinguishing it from Calvinist interpretations by emphasizing God’s gratuitous initiative, human participation through grace, and the ultimate purpose of creation as sharing in divine life. This lecture was given on May 8th, 2025, at Universidad Panamericana. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. is an adjunct professor of dogmatic theology at the Dominican House of Studies and an Assistant Director of the Thomistic Institute. He is the author of a few books including Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly . His writing also appears in Ascension’s Catholic Classics, Magnificat , and Aleteia . He is a regular contributor to the podcasts Pints with Aquinas , Catholic Classics , The Thomistic Institute , and Godsplaining . Keywords: Augustine, Calvinism, Creation, Divine Foreknowledge, Free Will and Grace, Four Quartets, Human Participation in Salvation, Molinism, Predestination Doctrine, Single Predestination

Jul 1, 2025 • 1h

Dr. Nathaniel Peters examines how young adults can make life-changing decisions by applying philosophical and theological frameworks, particularly drawing on Aristotle and Aquinas, to overcome paralysis, weigh competing goods, and move beyond the allure of endless options. This lecture was given on April 10th, 2025, at Williams College. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Nathaniel Peters is the Director of the Morningside Institute. He received his B.A. from Swarthmore College in linguistics, with a focus on French and Latin, his M.T.S. from the University of Notre Dame, and his Ph.D. in theology from Boston College. He has published articles and reviews on many topics in historical theology and ethics and serves as a contributing editor at Public Discourse. Keywords: Aristotelian Ethics, Decision Paralysis, Life-Changing Decisions, Mark Edmundson, Mihir Desai, Nicomachean Ethics , Optionality Culture, Restlessness

Jun 30, 2025 • 49 min

Fr. Anselm Ramelow explores the philosophical and scientific debates surrounding free will, examining cultural attitudes, neuroscience experiments like Benjamin Libet's, and the necessity of free will for rational thought and moral responsibility. This lecture was given on September 14th, 2024, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Fr. Anselm Ramelow, O.P., a native of Germany, teaches philosophy at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California, where he is also currently the chair of the philosophy department. He is also a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and the Academy of Catholic Theology. He obtained his doctorate under Robert Spaemann in Munich on Leibniz and the Spanish Jesuits (Gott, Freiheit, Weltenwahl, Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1997) and did theological work on George Lindbeck and the question of a Thomist philosophy and theology of language ( Beyond Modernism? - George Lindbeck and the Linguistic Turn in Theology, Neuried: Ars Una 2005). Other works include Thomas Aquinas: De veritate Q. 21-24; Translation and Commentary (Hamburg: Meiner, 2013) and God: Reason and Reality (Basic Philosophical Concepts) (Munich: Philosophia Verlag, 2014), as editor and contributor. Articles appeared in Historisches Wörterbuch der Philosophie, Archiv für Begriffsgeschichte, Nova et Vetera, American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly and Angelicum . Areas of research and teaching include Free Will, the History of Philosophy and Philosophical Aesthetics. He has worked on a philosophical approach to Miracles and other topics of the philosophy of religion, and more recently the philosophy of technology.  Keywords: Aristotle, Augustine, Benjamin Libet, Brain Science, C.S. Lewis, Culture and Autonomy, Ethics and Moral Responsibility, Free Will Debate, Minority Report, Neuroscience Experiments

Jun 27, 2025 • 36 min

Prof. Paul Gondreau explores whether God could truly experience human emotions and suffering by examining Christ’s full humanity, the Church’s response to heresies like docetism and monophysitism, and the Aristotelian-Thomistic understanding of human nature and passions. This lecture was given on March 7th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events . About the Speaker: Paul Gondreau is professor of theology at Providence College, where he has taught for 26 years. He received his doctorate in theology from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, doing his dissertation on Christ's full humanity (Christ's human passions/emotions) under the renowned Thomist scholar Jean-Pierre Torrell. He specializes in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas and has published widely in the areas of Christology (focusing on Christ’s full humanity and his maleness), Christian anthropology, the moral meaning and purpose of human sexuality and sexual difference, the biblical vision of Aquinas' theology, the theology of disability, the sacrament of the Eucharist and the priesthood, and the Catholic vision of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings . This project/publication was made possible through the support of Grant 63391 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation. Keywords: Animal Nature, Aristotelianism, Christology, Concupiscence, Council of Chalcedon, Council of Constantinople, Docetism, Gospel of John, Incarnation, Monophysitism