St Anselm of Canterbury 1033 1109 Typically considered
St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033 -1109) • Typically considered bridge between Augustine and Aquinas in Christian theology. • Benedictine monk. Archbishop of Canterbury, England. • Major works: – Cur Deus Homo on Christology – Proslogion on the rationality of faith
St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033 -1109) • Theology is “faith seeking understanding” “I do not endeavor, Lord, to penetrate your heights, for in no way do I compare my understanding with yours; but I long to understand (to some degree) your truth, which my heart believes and loves. In short, I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe-that unless I believe I shall not understand. ” -- Anselm, Proslogion, 1.
Anselm’s argument for God’s existence • God is the greatest thing we can think. • Everyone can understand God in this way. • Therefore, God exists as an idea in our minds. • It is better to exist in reality than to exist merely in the mind. • God must exist in reality.
Thomas Aquinas (1225 -1274) Image: St. Thomas Aquinas by Carlo Crivelli. Public domain.
The Aristotelian Horizon of Thomas Aquinas • Rediscovery of Aristotelian philosophy in the “Western, ” Latin-speaking world – Platonic philosophy: truth is eternal, unified, formal – Aristotelian philosophy: truth is substantial Image: School of Athens by Raphael. Public domain.
The Aristotelian Horizon of Thomas Aquinas • Knowledge is found via meticulous questioning • “Substance" the most basic form of existence that defines the “truth” of a thing. • Teleological metaphysics – existence is moving towards a designated end, which is perfection, so truth is ascertained by determination of causes and purposes.
Thomas’s Method: Analogical Language • Univocal Language: a 1 -to-1 correlation between language and object – (apples-to-apples) – Inadequate for talk about God • Equivocal – no correlation – (apples to oranges) – Inadequate for talk about God • Analogical – a relative correlation – Creator-to-creation – Theological language is “true” insofar as it relates to God.
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