Credo Podcast Thomas Aquinas and the Analogy of Being: Credo Colloquy with James Dolezal and Matthew Barrett
May 28, 2024
James Dolezal and Matthew Barrett delve into the analogy of being in theology, contrasting analogical and univocal knowledge of God. They discuss Thomas Aquinas' teachings, differences in theological perspectives on univocity, the impact of Nominalism, and theological developments among Reform Scholastics.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Analogy of Being Explained
- Thomas Aquinas teaches that the term "being" is analogical, not univocal or equivocal.
- We use the term being in related but different senses across substances, accidents, and God.
Analogy Preserves Divine Simplicity
- God's being is unique because God is His own existence, unlike creatures who have existence as something distinct.
- The analogy of being preserves divine simplicity by explaining how language about God differs from language about creatures.
Univocity Challenges Creator-Creature Distinction
- Duns Scotus' univocity of being tends to relativize the creator-creature distinction.
- Unlike Aquinas, Scotus views God's being as the supreme being 'in the world' rather than beyond being as such.