Thomas Aquinas Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Nature of God=== Thomas believed that the [[existence of God]] is self-evident in itself, but not to us. "Therefore, I say that this proposition, "God exists", of itself is self-evident, for the predicate is the same as the subject{{nbsp}}... Now because we do not know the essence of God, the proposition is not self-evident to us; but needs to be demonstrated by things that are more known to us, though less known in their nature—namely, by effects."<ref>{{Cite book |author=Thomas Aquinas |title=Summa Theologica |chapter=The Existence of God (Prima Pars, Q. 2) |chapter-url=http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1002.htm#article1 |via=newadvent.org}}</ref> Thomas believed that the existence of God can be demonstrated. Briefly in the ''Summa Theologiae'' and more extensively in the ''[[Summa contra Gentiles]]'', he considered in great detail five arguments for the existence of God, widely known as the ''[[quinque viae]]'' (Five Ways). # Motion: Some things undoubtedly move, though cannot cause their own motion. Since, as Thomas believed, there can be no infinite chain of causes of motion, there must be a [[Unmoved mover|First Mover]] not moved by anything else, and this is what everyone understands by God. # Causation: As in the case of motion, nothing can cause itself, and an infinite chain of causation is impossible, so there must be a [[Prima causa|First Cause]], called God. # Existence of necessary and the unnecessary: Our experience includes things certainly existing but apparently unnecessary. Not everything can be unnecessary, for then once there was nothing and there would still be nothing. Therefore, we are compelled to suppose something that exists necessarily, having this necessity only from itself; in fact itself the cause for other things to exist. # Gradation: If we can notice a gradation in things in the sense that some things are more hot, good, etc., there must be a superlative that is the truest and noblest thing, and so most fully existing. This then, we call God.{{efn|name=qualities}} # Ordered tendencies of nature: A direction of actions to an end is noticed in all bodies following natural laws. Anything without awareness tends to a goal under the guidance of one who is aware. This we call God.{{efn|name=objects}}<ref>Summa of Theology I, q.2, The Five Ways Philosophers Have Proven God's Existence</ref> Thomas was receptive to and influenced by [[Avicenna]]'s [[Proof of the Truthful]].<ref>Adamson, Peter (2013). "From the necessary existent to God". In Adamson, Peter (ed.). ''Interpreting Avicenna: Critical Essays''. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0521190732}}.</ref> Concerning the nature of God, Thomas, like Avicenna felt the best approach, commonly called the ''[[negative theology|via negativa]]'', was to consider what God is not. This led him to propose five statements about the divine qualities: # [[divine simplicity|God is simple]], without composition of parts, such as body and soul, or matter and form.{{sfn|Kreeft|1990|pp=74–77}} # God is perfect, lacking nothing. That is, God is distinguished from other beings on account of God's complete actuality.{{sfn|Kreeft|1990|pp=86–87}} Thomas defined God as the Ipse [[Actus Essendi]] subsistens, subsisting act of being.<ref>''Actus Essendi'' and the Habit of the First Principle in Thomas Aquinas (New York: Einsiedler Press, 2019)</ref> # God is infinite. That is, God is not finite in the ways that created beings are physically, intellectually, and emotionally limited. This infinity is to be distinguished from infinity of size and infinity of number.{{sfn|Kreeft|1990|pp=97–99}} # God is immutable, incapable of change on the levels of God's essence and character.{{sfn|Kreeft|1990|p=105}} # God is one, without diversification within God's self. The unity of God is such that God's essence is the same as God's existence. In Thomas's words, "in itself the proposition 'God exists' is [[logical truth|necessarily true]], for in it subject and predicate are the same."{{sfn|Kreeft|1990|pp=111–112}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page