By Leon Bent –
St. Albert’s feast day falls on November 15. Albertus Magnus, also known as Albert the Great and Saintly Scientist, was one of the most universal thinkers during the Middle Ages. Even more so than his most famous student, St. Thomas of Aquinas, Albert’s interests ranged from natural science all the way to theology. He made contributions to logic, psychology, metaphysics, meteorology, mineralogy, and zoology. He was an avid commentator on nearly all the great authorities read during the 13th Century.
Students of philosophy know him as the master of Thomas Aquinas. Albert’s attempt to understand Aristotle’s writings established the climate in which Thomas Aquinas developed his synthesis of Greek wisdom and Christian theology. But Albert deserves recognition on his own merits as a curious, honest, and diligent scholar.
His boundless interests prompted him to write a compendium of all knowledge: natural science, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, ethics, economics, politics, and metaphysics. His explanation of learning took 20 years to complete. “Our intention,” he said, “is to make all the aforesaid parts of knowledge intelligible to the Latins.”
Saint Albert the Great, of the Order of Preachers is a great saint for our time, so badly in need of his preaching and teaching. We live in a world where many scientists proclaim their lack of belief in God and an increasing numbers of young people declare they believe in science rather than religion. As John Paul II in our time would describe faith and reason as the “two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.”
Saint John Paul II’s successor, Pope Benedict XVI, would again recommend to us the virtues of Saint Albert, portraying Albert as a model for modern scientists to follow in transforming the study of nature into a fulfilling and “fascinating journey of holiness.” Indeed, Pope Benedict spoke of the “friendship” of reason and faith, of Saint Albert’s realization that reason and Scripture are completely compatible, and of God’s will that we are to use both, to seek and attain truth and happiness.
Let us turn now to this great hound of the Lord who chased away countless threatening errors and hunted down an amazing bounty of truths that, we so desperately need to reclaim, as we examine the thinking of this tireless thinker, the doing of this indomitable doer, and the fervent loving acts of this most learned lover.
Born sometime between 1193 and 1206, Albert of Lauingen lived through fourth-fifths of what has been called “the greatest of centuries” and bore the title of Magnus (the Great) while he was still alive. This accolade was due to his incredible breadth of knowledge and mastery of virtually every scientific discipline known to man at the time — literally from A to Z, with contributions to fields as diverse as anatomy, anthropology, astronomy, biology, botany, chemistry, dentistry, geography, geology, medicine, physiology, physics, psychology, and zoology. This is an addition to his intellectual prowess detailed above. Some said that Albert knew all that there was to know! Indeed, Albert’s knowledge as a scientist was matched by his knowledge of philosophy and theology too. He became the world’s foremost academic professor and a hound of the Lord all the while.
In the fields of science, or “natural philosophy,” Albert was without peer in his day in his research and prolific writing; he wrote entire books on animals, vegetables, and minerals, for a few examples. His knowledge of chemistry and mineralogy sprouted myths that Albert was a great magician. Indeed, books about Albertus Magnus as magician are still read today!
On December 15, 1931 Pope Pius XI declared Albert both a saint and a doctor of the Church. On the 16th of December 1941 Pope Pius XII declared Albert the patron saint of the natural sciences.
Albert, a Doctor of the Church, is the patron of scientists and philosophers.
Now, this gold nugget! Albert was one of history’s greatest thinkers. We have provided but the smallest of nutshells here, although the mighty oak of his encyclopedic knowledge can’t help but be seen in how it branched out far and wide into his activities as a doer and a thinker.
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.