The Philosophical Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas
The Philosophical Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas

Author: Elders

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2022-05-20

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 9004452400

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The philosophical theology of St. Thomas Aquinas is the crowning piece of his metaphysics. Leo J. Elders studies it against the background of the attempts of the great philoso- phers of the past to penetrate deeper into the knowledge of God. While the Introduction treats the nature of philosophical theology according to Aquinas, Chapter One presents a concise history of the idea of God in Western philosophical thinking. Chapters Two and Three deal with the question of the cognoscibility of God and the Five Ways of St. Thomas. New solutions are proposed of some difficulties in the Third and Fourth Ways. The attributes of God are studied in the order of the Summa theologiae I. Chapter Seven considers the grammar of God-language. The following chapters examine divine knowledge, foreknowledge of future events, divine will and providence as well as creation. The last chapter deals with the problem of the co-existence of God and finite creatures. This study shows that the philosophical theology of St. Thomas Aquinas is a coherent whole of impressive depth and beauty. It has its basis in our daily experience of the world and the general principles of being, but its conclusions reach the summits of negative theology.

The Philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas
The Philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas

Author: Brock Stephen L

Publisher: James Clarke & Company

Published: 2016-12-29

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 0227905792

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If Saint Thomas Aquinas was a great theologian, it is in no small part because he was a great philosopher. And he was a great philosopher because he was a great metaphysician. In the twentieth century, metaphysics was not much in vogue, among eithertheologians or even philosophers; but now it is making a comeback, and once the contours of Thomas's metaphysical vision are glimpsed, it looks like anything but a museum piece. It only needs some dusting off. Many are studying Thomas now for the answers that he might be able to give to current questions, but he is perhaps even more interesting for the questions that he can raise regarding current answers: about the physical world, about human life and knowledge, and (needless to say) about God. This book is aimed at helping those who are not experts in medieval thought to begin to enter into Thomas's philosophical point of view. Along the way, it brings out some aspects of his thought that are not often emphasised in the current literature, and it offers a reading of his teaching on the divine nature that goes rather against the drift of some prominent recent interpretations.

God and Evil
God and Evil

Author: Herbert McCabe

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2010-02-26

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1441111565

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Herbert McCabe was one of the most original and creative theologians of recent years. Continuum has published numerous volumes of unpublished typescripts left behind by him following his untimely death in 2001. This book is the sixth to appear. McCabe was deeply immersed in the philosophical theology of St Thomas Aquinas and was responsible in part for the notable revival of interest in the thought of Aquinas in our time. Here he tackles the problem of evil by focusing and commenting on what Aquinas said about it. What should we mean by words such as 'good', 'bad', 'being', 'cause', 'creation', and 'God'? These are McCabe's main questions. In seeking to answer them he demonstrates why it cannot be shown that evil disproves God's existence. He also explains how we can rightly think of evil in a world made by God. McCabe's approach to God and evil is refreshingly unconventional given much that has been said about it of late. Yet it is also very traditional. It will interest and inform anyone seriously interested in the topic.

On a Complex Theory of a Simple God
On a Complex Theory of a Simple God

Author: Christopher Hughes

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 9780801417597

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Hughes discusses Aquinus' work regarding the apparently irreconcilable theses of natural and revealed theology, and he argues that Aquinas fails in his attempt to reconcile absolute simplicity with the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation. Hughes also offers a provocative account of divine simplicity and explores its implications for the Thomistic doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation.

Thomas Aquinas and His Predecessors
Thomas Aquinas and His Predecessors

Author: Leo Elders

Publisher: CUA Press

Published: 2018-04-20

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 0813230276

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Thomas Aquinas and His Predecessors takes us on a voyage through the history of philosophical thought as present in the works of Thomas Aquinas. It is a synthetic presentation of the works and thought of the great predecessors of Aquinas, as he kne

The Theology of Thomas Aquinas
The Theology of Thomas Aquinas

Author: Rik Van Nieuwenhove

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 9780268043643

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A Choice Outstanding Academic Book "Readers will be grateful for this excellent comprehensive survey of Aquinas' theology. It is a compendium in the best sense of the word, both introduction for beginners and a reliable source of information for advanced scholars. Even experts in Thomist thought will highly appreciate the great number of original and stimulating essays which provide new views and interpretations of seemingly well known texts." --Ulrich Horst, O.P., Ludwig Maximilian University This comprehensive volume provides an in-depth overview of every major aspect of Thomas Aquinas's theology. Contributors offer fresh and compelling readings of Aquinas on the Trinity, creation theology, theory of analogy, anthropology, predestination and human freedom, evil and original sin, Christology and grace, soteriology, eschatology, sacramentology, ecclesiology, moral theology, the relation between theology and philosophy, and scriptural exegesis. Contributors to The Theology of Thomas Aquinas come from seven different countries and a variety of specialties within the discipline of theology. Their diverse perspectives add considerable merit to the depth and breadth of this project. Contributors both outline the thought of Aquinas in its own right and bring it into dialogue with present theological concerns. The high quality of these essays make this volume a valuable reference tool.

The Failure of Natural Theology
The Failure of Natural Theology

Author: Jeffrey D Johnson

Publisher: New Studies in Theology Series

Published: 2021-09-15

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 9781952599378

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Aristotle's cosmological argument is the foundation of Aquinas's doctrine of God. For Thomas, the cosmological argument not only speaks of God's existence but also of God's nature. By learning that the unmoved mover is behind all moving objects, we learn something true about the essence of God-principally, that God is immobile. But therein lies the problem for Thomas. The Catholic Church had already condemned Aristotle's unmoved mover because, according to Aristotle, the unmoved mover is unable to be the moving cause (i.e., Creator) and governor of the universe-or else he would cease to be immobile. By seeking to baptize Aristotle into the Catholic Church, however, Thomas gave his life to seeking to explain how God can be both immobile and the moving cause of the universe. Thomas even looked to the pantheistic philosophy of Pseudo-Dionysius for help. But even with Dionysius's aid, Thomas failed to reconcile the god of Aristotle with the Trinitarian God of the Bible. If Thomas would have rejected the natural theology of Aristotle by placing the doctrine of the Trinity, which is known only by divine revelation, at the foundation of his knowledge of God, he would have rid himself of the irresolvable tension that permeates his philosophical theology. Thomas could have realized that the Trinity alone allows for God to be the only self-moving being-because the Trinity is the only being not moved by anything outside himself but freely capable of creating and controlling contingent things in motion.

Aquinas on God
Aquinas on God

Author: Dr Rudi te Velde

Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2013-05-28

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1409477681

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Aquinas on God presents an accessible exploration of Thomas Aquinas' conception of God. Focusing on the Summa theologiae – the work containing Aquinas' most systematic and complete exposition of the Christian doctrine of God – Rudi te Velde acquaints the reader with Aquinas' theological understanding of God and the metaphysical principles and propositions that underlie his project. Aquinas' conception of God is dealt with not as an isolated metaphysical doctrine, but from the perspective of his broad theological view which underlies the scheme of the Summa. Readers interested in Aquinas, historical theology, metaphysics and metaphysical discourse on God in the Christian tradition will find this new contribution to the studies of Aquinas invaluable.

Thomas Aquinas's Summa Contra Gentiles
Thomas Aquinas's Summa Contra Gentiles

Author: Brian Davies

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 504

ISBN-13: 019045654X

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The Summa Contra Gentiles, one of Aquinas's best known works after the Summa Theologiae, is a philosophical and theological synthesis that examines what can be known of God both by reason and by divine revelation. A detailed expository account of and commentary on this famous work, Davies's book aims to help readers think about the value of the Summa Contra Gentiles (SCG) for themselves, relating the contents and teachings found in the SCG to those of other works and other thinkers both theological and philosophical. Following a scholarly account of Aquinas's life and his likely intentions in writing the SCG, the volume works systematically through all four books of the text.

A First Glance at St. Thomas Aquinas
A First Glance at St. Thomas Aquinas

Author: Ralph McInerny

Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess

Published: 1989-12-30

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 0268161313

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Thomism is solidly based on the assumption that we know the world first through our senses and then through concepts formed on the basis of our sense experience. In this informally discursive introduction to St. Thomas Aquinas, Ralph McInerny shows how this basic assumption contrasts with dominant modern alternative views and is developed by Thomas into a coherent view of ourselves, of knowledge, and of God. McInerny first places Thomism in context within philosophical inquiry, discussing the relationship between philosophy and theology, and between modern and classical views of philosophy. He then describes the challenges Thomas faced with the introduction of Aristotle’s works into the Christian West. The reader is subsequently guided through such key concepts as art, nature, causes, and motion and shown how Thomas used these concepts to resolve the problems presented by Aristotle. Each chapter is tied to a specific Thomistic text, providing a sample from a number of Thomas’s works. In addition to articles from both Summas, there are sections from the Disputed Questions and the Commentaries, among others. McInerny also provides an annotated list of the writings of Thomas available in English. Bibliographical notes provided by the author, grouped by subject and following his general chapter divisions, will be particularly helpful for further reading.