The third major idea of aquinas deals with christ

The third major idea of Aquinas deals with Christ. Christ is the pathway for people to reach God. Aquinas
wrote that God could "forgive sins without satisfaction; but because his justice and mercy could be best
revealed through satisfaction he chose this way." Christ's suffering was seen as an offering to God, and
showed the act had the character of merit. Therefore, according to Aquinas, God "merited" salvation for men.
Christ was the bridge for people to attain God. Christ, as the head of humanity, affects "the forgiveness of
their sins, their reconciliation with God, their immunity from punishment, deliverance from the devil, and the
opening of heaven's gate" (Crystal). Aquinas strongly promoted the following of Christ to achieve the Lord.
God, ethics, and Christ were the three most influential ideas in Aquinas' philosophical system according to
his most recognized piece of work, Summa Theologica.
6 Rome: Summa theologiae
The other important innovation from Aquinas’ three-year regency in Rome is Summa theologiae , his greatest
and most characteristic work, begun in Rome and continued through the rest of his life. Summa theologiae ,
left incomplete at his death, consists of three large Parts. The First Part (Ia) is concerned with the existence
and nature of God (Questions 1–43), creation (44–9), angels (50–64), the six days of creation (65–74),
human nature (75–102) and divine government (103–19). The Second Part deals with morality, and in such
detail that it is itself divided into two parts. The first part of the Second Part (IaIIae) takes up human
happiness (Questions 1–5), human action (6– 17), the goodness and badness of human acts (18–21), passions
(22–48) and the sources of human acts: intrinsic (49–89) and extrinsic (90–114). The second part of the
Second Part (IIaIIae) begins with the three theological virtues and corresponding vices (Questions 1–46),
goes on through the four ‘cardinal virtues’ and corresponding vices (47–170) and ends with special issues
associated with the religious life (171– 89). In the Third Part, Aquinas deals with the incarnation (Questions
1–59) and the sacraments (60–90), breaking off in the middle of his discussion of penance.
Aquinas thought of Summa theologiae as a new kind of textbook of theology, and its most important
pedagogical innovation, as he sees it, is in its organization. He says he has noticed that students new to
theology have been held back in their studies by several features of the standard teaching materials,