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If you mean Aquinas’ work, Summa Theologica is not authoritative; I would have used as examples of authoritativeness the ecumenical councils and infallible proclamations.

What Aquinas did was set to answer the major theological questions which might challenge the Christian (Catholic) church; in some cases his answers, such as the location of Eden, are speculative.

In fairness to Aquinas, his statements are often less speculative or inane as they are often said to be by Protestant satirists. For instance, such satirists often accuse Aquinas as debating how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. Actually, there is no such issue in Summa Theologica. The issue was actually whether angels have a physical form, that is, do they take up even the smallest amount of space; If it had been expressed in such an absured way, the actual “space” in question wasn’t the head of a pin, but the point of a needle. The actual issue is quite a source of significant contest to this day even among Protestant sects which ridicule the question. (I’ve seen the Mormon doctrine of the corporeality of spiritual beings a major source of scorn on FR, even.)

I used Summa Theologica because it is the work of one person, as were the writings of Ellen White or Mary Baker Eddy. The problem with citing the decisions of church councils or the statements of the Popes speaking ex cathedra, even though held as infallible in Catholicism, is that these writings were composed over many centuries by many people, not unlike the Bible itself. Aquinas never claimed direct inspiration, but based his conclusions on Scripture, natural law, and centuries of Catholic tradition, rather than the supposed direct revelation of God to a 19th Century American woman. The intellectual merit of Aquinas' writings has been acknowledged by many non-Catholics, including Ayn Rand and James Joyce (former Catholic who became an agnostic). However, the Catholic Church has long held Aquinas' writings in the highest esteem, although never elevating it to the position of infallibility. Its place of honor was evidenced by the Council of Trent, the catechism of which was derived from Summa Theologica, and the writings of such Popes as Leo XIII and Pius X. In that sense, Summa Theologica may be seen as having parallels with the works of Ellen White or Mary Baker Eddy in terms of its influence.