Thomas Aquinas & Sherlock Holmes: Part 3

My new historical mystery/detective novel, The Medieval Adventures of Thomas Aquinas, has the 13th
century theologian/philosopher solving crimes and mysteries.

This is the third blog I've written comparing the similarities of Saint Thomas Aquinas and Sherlock Holmes.

Holmes's biographer, Dr. John Watson made some observations about the great detective that could easily be attributed to Thomas Aquinas.

Watson wrote: .... but as a lover, he would have placed himself in a false position.

The same can be said for St. Thomas. In his youth Thomas prayed for a pure mind and a pure body, and was rewarded with both. He was forever protected from thoughts and desires of concupiscence.

Watson referred to Holmes as a quiet thinker and
logician. This also describes St. Thomas as well. Thomas is renown as one of the greatest minds of the Middle Ages. He was canonized in 1323 and officially named doctor of the church in 1567

Sherlock Holmes was  a man who seldom took exercise for exercise's sake.
St. Thomas was quite tall with a large girth who probably took no form of exercise.

In The Three Garridebs, Watson says, ... I caught  a glimpse of the a great heart as well as a great brain. These words could also be used to described the great Dominican master who blended faith and reason.

 Thomas Aquinas and Sherlock Holmes shared a similar philosophy.

Holmes: If there is not some compensation hereafter, then the world is a cruel jest.

St. Thomas believed in the beatific vision, that man is united with God, for God himself is the reward and end of all our labours.

In The Veiled Lodger Holmes encounters a woman whose face is disfigured and is contemplating suicide.
"Your life is not your own," he said. "Keep your hands off it."

Thomas Aquinas had three reasons against suicide, but the one closest to Holmes was that every man belongs to the community, and by injuring himself he injures the community. His life is not his own.

 Stephen Gaspar's books can be found on Amazon