The renowned Aquinas scholar James A. Weisheipl OP writes: “…Thomas had an extraordinary knowledge of the whole Bible. It has been said, not without likelihood, that Thomas memorised the entire Bible during the year he was confined to his family castle at Roccasecca, 1244–45. This is not at all difficult to believe. His memory was far superior to any man-made concordance of the Bible.”
Reading this inevitably prompts thoughts of the many months we were all confined to our respective little castles during Covid. How did we use that time? One wonders whether, had Aquinas had a TikTok account in 1244–45, his name would be known to us today. I meet people who made exemplary use of their enforced solitude: one young man bought a banjo online during the pandemic, applied himself assiduously to learning it, and now plays brilliantly. Others wrote books or studied new languages.
