

The Thomistic Institute
The Thomistic Institute
The Thomistic Institute exists to promote Catholic truth in our contemporary world by strengthening the intellectual formation of Christians at universities, in the Church, and in the wider public square. The thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Universal Doctor of the Church, is our touchstone.
The Thomistic Institute Podcast features the lectures and talks from our conferences, campus chapters events, intellectual retreats, livestream events, and much more.
Founded in 2009, the Thomistic Institute is part of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC.
The Thomistic Institute Podcast features the lectures and talks from our conferences, campus chapters events, intellectual retreats, livestream events, and much more.
Founded in 2009, the Thomistic Institute is part of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 28, 2022 • 45min
Aquinas, Darwin, and Creation: Is Evolution at Odds with Genesis? | Prof. Kenneth Kemp
This lecture was given on February 8, 2022 at the University of Georgia.
For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org.
About the speaker:
Kenneth W. Kemp is Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a Fellow of that University’s Center for Catholic Studies. His education includes an M.A. in the History and Philosophy of Science as well as a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. His research work has included ethics (in particular questions of morality and war) and historical and philosophical inquiry into the relations between science and religion (with a particular focus on the theory of evolution).

Mar 25, 2022 • 1h 12min
Is it Reasonable to Believe in God? | Prof. Francis Beckwith
This lecture was given on February 1, 2022 at the University of North Texas.
For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org.
About the speaker:
Francis J. Beckwith is Professor of Philosophy & Church-State Studies at Baylor University, where he also serves as Associate Director of the Graduate Program in Philosophy. Among his over one dozen books are Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case Against Abortion Choice (Cambridge University Press, 2007), Politics For Christians: Statecraft As Soulcraft (IVP, 2010), and Taking Rites Seriously: Law, Politics, and the Reasonableness of Faith (Cambridge University Press, 2015), winner of the American Academy of Religion's prestigious 2016 Book Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion in Constructive-Reflective Studies. He is a graduate of the Washington University School of Law, St. Louis (MJS) as well as Fordham University (PhD, MA, philosophy).

Mar 24, 2022 • 1h 5min
St. Thomas’s Eucharistic Devotion | Prof. Joshua Revelle
This talk was given on October 10, 2021 at St. Joseph's Retreat Center as part of "Prayer in the Thought of St. Thomas Aquinas: A Weekend Intellectual Retreat."
For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org.
About the speaker:
Joshua Revelle is an adjunct instructor at Mount Saint Mary College, with a PhD in Spirituality from The Catholic University of America. His areas of specialization are dogmatic and spiritual theology, especially in St. Thomas Aquinas. He also enjoys teaching Biblical theology. His research and teaching are geared toward the integration of theory and practice.

Mar 23, 2022 • 1h 14min
Prayer and the Intellectual Life | Prof. Joshua Revelle
This talk was given on October 9, 2021 at St. Joseph's Retreat Center as part of "Prayer in the Thought of St. Thomas Aquinas: A Weekend Intellectual Retreat."
For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org.
About the speaker:
Joshua Revelle is an adjunct instructor at Mount Saint Mary College, with a PhD in Spirituality from The Catholic University of America. His areas of specialization are dogmatic and spiritual theology, especially in St. Thomas Aquinas. He also enjoys teaching Biblical theology. His research and teaching are geared toward the integration of theory and practice.

Mar 22, 2022 • 58min
The Mystery Of Prayer | Prof. Josh Revelle
This talk was given on October 8, 2021 at St. Joseph's Retreat Center as part of "Prayer in the Thought of St. Thomas Aquinas: A Weekend Intellectual Retreat."
For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org.
About the speaker:
Joshua Revelle is an adjunct instructor at Mount Saint Mary College, with a PhD in Spirituality from The Catholic University of America. His areas of specialization are dogmatic and spiritual theology, especially in St. Thomas Aquinas. He also enjoys teaching Biblical theology. His research and teaching are geared toward the integration of theory and practice.

Mar 21, 2022 • 56min
Faith and Hope amidst Darkness and Fears: C.S. Lewis and Thomas Aquinas | Prof. Michael Dauphinais
This talk was given on February 2, 2022 at Texas A&M University.
For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org.
About the speaker:
Michael Dauphinais, Ph.D. is Professor and Chair of the Theology Department at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida. Professor Dauphinais holds a B.S.E. from Duke University, an M.T.S. from Duke Divinity School, and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. He has co-authored Knowing the Love of Christ: An Introduction to the Theology of Thomas Aquinas and Holy People, Holy Land: A Theological Introduction to the Bible. He has co-edited multiple volumes as well as numerous articles and chapters in books dedicated to theology and exegesis in Aquinas and other topics relating to Catholic theology. Professor Dauphinais previously served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty. His favorite courses are C.S. Lewis, Triune God, and the Colloquium on Ancients and Moderns. He also enjoys riding horses and running.

Mar 18, 2022 • 43min
Aristotle's Four Causes and the Possibility of Science | Prof. Joshua Hochschild
Joshua Hochschild, a distinguished philosophy professor at Mount St. Mary’s University, dives into Aristotle's Four Causes and their surprising relevance in modern science. He argues that Aristotle's insights into causality are not obsolete but actually enhance our understanding of scientific principles. Hochschild also explores the complexities of change, form, and matter through hylomorphism, shedding light on the challenges science faces in grasping reality. His discussion reveals how Aristotle's ideas continue to influence contemporary philosophical thought.

Mar 17, 2022 • 58min
Thomas and the New Atheists | Bishop Robert Barron
This talk was given on January 28th, 2022 at the University of California at Santa Barbara in partnership with St. Mark’s University Parish and Newman Center.
For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org.
About the speaker:
Bishop Robert Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He is also the host of CATHOLICISM, a groundbreaking, award-winning documentary about the Catholic Faith, which aired on PBS.
Bishop Barron is a #1 Amazon bestselling author and has published numerous books, essays, and articles on theology and the spiritual life. He is a religion correspondent for NBC and has also appeared on FOX News, CNN, and EWTN.
Bishop Barron’s website, WordOnFire.org, reaches millions of people each year, and he is one of the world’s most followed Catholics on social media. His regular YouTube videos have been viewed over 50 million times and he has over 3 million followers on Facebook.
Bishop Barron has been invited to speak about religion at the headquarters of Facebook, Google, and Amazon. He has keynoted many conferences and events all over the world, including the World Youth Day in Kraków and the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which marked Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States.
He has shared dialogue with Dr. Jordan Peterson, Dave Rubin, Ben Shapiro, and William Lane Craig, among other influencers and thought leaders.
Bishop Barron’s recent film series, "CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players", has been syndicated for national television and nominated for an Emmy award.
His most recent project is the Word on Fire Institute, a new hub for spiritual and intellectual formation, training members of the Word on Fire movement to proclaim Christ in the culture.

Mar 16, 2022 • 1h 5min
The Majesty of Truth: St. Thomas on the Contemplation and Worship of God | Dr. Joshua Revelle
Dr. Revelle's handout is available here: https://tinyurl.com/8ze3uusf
This talk was given on January 29, 2022 at the Dominican House of Studies as part of "Thomas Aquinas on Prayer", an intellectual retreat for the UVA Thomistic Institute chapter.
For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org.
About the speaker:
Dr. Joshua Revelle is an adjunct instructor at Mount Saint Mary College, with a PhD in Spirituality from The Catholic University of America. His areas of specialization are dogmatic and spiritual theology, especially in St. Thomas Aquinas. He also enjoys teaching Biblical theology. His research and teaching are geared toward the integration of theory and practice.

Mar 15, 2022 • 1h 4min
'A Fire Shall Flame Out’ Charity and the Conditions of Prayer | Prof. Adam Eitel
This talk was given on January 29, 2022 at the Dominican House of Studies as part of "Thomas Aquinas on Prayer", an intellectual retreat for the UVA Thomistic Institute chapter.
The handout for this lecture can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/3n7ztdwz.
For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org.
About the speaker:
Adam Eitel is on the Yale Divinity School faculty as Assistant Professor of Ethics. Dr. Eitel focuses his research and teaching on the history of Christian moral thought, contemporary social ethics and criticism, and modern religious thought. Dr. Eitel has roughly a dozen books, chapters, edited volumes, and articles published or in progress. These include an ethical analysis of drone strikes and a theological account of domination. His current book project explores the role of love in the moral theology of Thomas Aquinas. A 2004 Baylor University graduate and a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Fribourg, Dr. Eitel received his M.Div. and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary, completing the latter in 2015.