Abstract

In late summer-early fall of 1983, some Italian theologian friends accompanied our group of twenty or so Chinese on a tour of Naples. One evening, our host led us hurriedly down the bustling Corso Umberto, turning into the dark St. Dominic's Cathedral. This Gothic structure, built during the Holy Roman Empire, has been damaged repeatedly over the ages; with its walls yellowed and its wooden doors blackened, it has long since lost its former lustre. In a ruined courtyard there was still a thirteenth-century image of the Crucifixion. Our host excitedly turned to us and explained, "This is the place where Thomas Aquinas taught theology for half of his life." When he had finished talking, he waited for his guests to respond or ask questions, but most of our party were nonplused, for this name "Thomas Aquinas" was just too unfamiliar