FRESH HERRINGS OR MY LAST WISH

Aquinas, Knowledg of God, Plesure

Abstract

For the medieval man and particularly for the members of some religious order, the first and most important relation of the human being is certainly with God. It should not be forgotten that Iberian expansion took place "by dilating faith and empire," as Camões says. Now, the relation with God can undoubtedly find various forms of realization. However, the highest of all is that of the experience of God, of his knowledge as unknown, since such an experience would not be of conceptual order but through divine predilection (charity), which finds a privileged indication in the experience of touch and of taste.
It is within this framework that we propose an interpretation of the well-known desire of Aquinas, in his last days, to eat fresh herrings. It will be indicated the context of the episode in the life of Thomas and the cultural environment of the thirteenth-century.
Keywords: Aquinas, Knowledg of God, Plesure, Mussulmans, Last wish.