Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A holy relic representing the skull of Thomas Aquinas will soon arrive in Antwerp, although multiple fake skull relics are currently circulating among believers. Analysis shows two copies of such a relic currently exist.
The skull of religious leader and sainted theologian Thomas Aquinas brings both religious reverence and scientific discussion upon its arrival in Antwerp. Two documented skull possessions exist, which create doubt regarding their originality. Relic verification combines historical exploration with theological interpretation, according to theologian Hans Geybels. No matter which relic people choose to venerate, the religious value remains equal since historical verification determines whether a relic is real or not.
The miraculous nature of relics provides their value instead of any economic worth. Before modern medicine appeared, bones and personal belongings of saints acquired exceptional power, which believers believed came from the divinity. Multiple relics of Thomas Aquinas emerged because of his widespread mystical popularity, which resulted in the discovery of two of his skulls.
“Relics are of enormous value. Not necessarily from a financial point of view, but because miracles are attributed to them,”
says Geybels. Just as saints could perform miracles during their lifetime, it was believed that bones or other relics possessed special powers.
“Moreover, this took place at a time when medicine had not yet been invented.”
“This means that there are several of some relics – such as the skull of Thomas Aquinas.”
Which relic is ‘real’ is a difficult question.
From a religious point of view, that is not important.
“The authenticity of a relic never really plays a role,”
Says Geybels.
“It is not about the relic, but about the prayer. Theologically, only God is able to perform miracles, a relic is only mediating.”
“For us as humans it is interesting to know whether it is a real relic or not. Then it is about the historical value.”
Scientific analyses with a view to dating are therefore carried out for historical reasons.
For the Church, the miracle surrounding an object is more important than the object itself.
“You can compare it to the placebo effect in medicine: we don’t care much about what’s in that pill, as long as it works.”
“In the 6th century there were already writings that indicated that there was a shortage of relics of certain saints. What people did, for example, was to place a piece of linen on the grave of a saint for an entire night. People then assumed that the power of the relics would be transferred to that cloth. It was then cut up and distributed and also acquired a real relic value.”
“In a sense, you could say that they are all real relics,”
Says Geybels. Take the cartload of pieces of wood from the cross of Christ.
“Often, it is wood that has been lying on a piece of wood that is assumed to be the holy cross. That then gets the same value.”
“That practice brought in a lot of money and also encouraged a lot of people to think less pious.”
With forgeries as a result.
“In the Middle Ages they were also very aware of that. They were not as naive as we often think now.”
“First of all, an army of historians is investigating the life of the candidate saint. Did this man really live a Christian life? The Vatican is looking for people from the region to carry out historical research.”
“There is also a medical commission of doctors from Rome who are investigating the literature to see if it is a real miracle. The definition of a miracle for the Church is something that cannot be scientifically proven according to current knowledge.”
In the case of a miraculous healing, there is even a specific list of criteria.
“Is it really an incurable disease? Did the healing really happen suddenly? Was there no major treatment beforehand that could possibly be responsible for the healing? Is the healing permanent?”
What is the historical and religious context behind the relics of Thomas Aquinas?
For centuries, the Catholic Church has maintained religious artifacts, including bones and clothing, and connected objects of saints as venerated relics. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) served as one of history’s most prominent theologians up to his canonisation in 1323, followed by the relic distribution of his remains.
People have made pilgrimage visits to the skull of Thomas Aquinas, which has been kept in Toulouse since 1369. Another skull claimed to belong to him, which generated disputes regarding its genuine nature.
Relic authentication generates ongoing debates since the Church approves over 5,000 sanctified figures, yet numerous claimed relics show parallels. The 2011 investigation showed that if all current fragments of the True Cross were gathered, they would create a piece that exceeded the original dimensions. Religious practices in medieval times included distributing or duplicating relics, and this explains why numerous churches today claim to have relics associated with Aquinas.
Today, science employs radiocarbon dating coupled with DNA testing to date relics, and the Church puts more value on faith instead of laboratory evidence. The Vatican conducts thorough examinations of canonisation miracles and only accepts one or two such cases per ten-year period.
