Short reflection on St.Thomas Aquinas

St.Thomas Aquinas

Introduction

            The compositions of St Thomas Aquinas are like an inexhaustible spring. The theological inventions and discoveries of Aquinas can’t have a consistent interpretation or comprehension without a philosophical foretaste. For Aquinas both Philosophy and Theology go Hand in hand. This illustration welcomed his reflection to rapport with an ever superb and inevitable conclusion that, Philosophy is the Handmaid of Theology. This would harmonize the radical appreciation of both wings as they are not contradictory but complimentary. The teachings and thoughts of Aristotle moved this ardent rationalist and fideist to break through the versatile faith practices by rationalizing the faith lived and promulgating a fresh, concrete and substantial arise to both faith and reason. Fame added to his crown not effortless succulent colours of blue, red and green instead it gilded his whole life as a great teacher and a teacher of truth itself. The inevitable and incompatible contributions of St. Aquinas made him unique and an extraordinary persona in the milieu opened by rationalism and fideism. Here in this assignment it is a self-effacing attempt to study over his theory of the existence of God from the point of a philosophy preparatory student. The book that is consulted for this piece of exertion is St.Thomas Aquinas, the teacher of truth by Francis John Selman. The 2^nd chapter commerce with God, gives a better comprehensiveness in order to strengthen the faith that we embrace as Christian.

            “Theo” for Aquinas is a deliberate discourse on God in depth and lucidity (sermo de deo)The knowledge that we have on God is restricted and proficient only by the light of reason and it is quite difficult for us to reach this Y-junction of well- informed state about God unless we are divinely enlightened by His revelation .The natural or innate reason in us help us to be a sign post to attain the goal that God exist or it is definite and in certitude that we proclaim the existence of god. The strong insist of Aquinas was that we cannot completely twig the idea of what god is? The deficiency of this knowledge about god is, because the divine light is hidden from us on account of his simplicity. The strive we have in ourselves indisputably can award this celestial light to us as a grace. This same nature of god and expression of knowledge of god is articulated by the ancient upanishadic teachings. For e.g. in Brhadranyaka Upanishad the best way of expressing the existence of God is Neti.... Neti, which would mean “not this not this”.

Coming to the core point or ways that elucidate the idea of St Thomas Aquinas to substantiate the idea or theory of Existence of god plays its key role in five arguments put forward by this theologian. These arguments he calls as the five ways that which can be found at the same time in Aristotle’s description to show the existence of God.

            The first way that he argues to explicit that god exist, is in terms of motion that prevails in this world. He argues that one thing is moved by another must come back to same thing that which moves without being moved. For Aquinas this being which is not affected by the movement is known as God which promotes him to cry in belief as (Quod Dicunt omnes Deum). 

            The second way lays pressure on the idea of the series of one thing that becomes an agent in causing another. This serious of cause put in examination finally result in the target where we reach a cause that which has no cause. Here we can’t conclude that God is the cause of himself, because there is nothing caused in God.

            The third argument he puts forward in order to make clear and expound the existence of god he endorses the theory of contingent things. For Thomas the synonym used instead of contingent is the “possibles”. For a contingent thing to be existed in one more thing in its full length and core fullness there must be an attachment of a necessary thing to each and every contingent being. This necessary being for Aquinas is God.

            The fourth argument goes as we could not talk of things being more or less as just instead we measure more or less things by applying them in the balance of justice. More or less, in its grade everything that exists has the ultimate cause of existence and its goodness attributed to originate from another ultimate goodness in order to exist in that ultimate goodness in its extreme apex.

            His fifth and final argument is generally called as the teleological argument guiding itself to the permitted end result guided by the theory, things are directed by another or they direct themselves in the other hand. For Thomas this world is not an accident instead the consequence of a man who looked-for and intended for it. This objective of God calls back the creatures to his own place of abode at the end being one with him in spiritual union or communion.

            As conclusion he argues that all creatures are created for a definite purpose in harmony with the design or idea (rationes) of them in the divine word or logos. Our reason will exhaust in itself if our rationality hunt for the existence of God of supreme wisdom. Here all the more the conclusion that can be produced to narrate the existence of God would be more acceptable in saying that “How God exist not” but “how doesn’t He exist”. This plunge for the knowledge of the existence of God bring us back to the wakefulness that our being or mind come to rest in that essence or truth of God as our final intention. This destination is torched by the shimming divine luminosity that enlighten our brains and faith alike to live a level-headed and disciplined faith life and to reinforce our believes. This knowledge satiates our unfathomable desire to be in close association with that Supreme Being a day which is unknown to us.

Critical Analysis.

            The 5 ways of St. Thomas Aquinas is a bona fide allocation of both faith and rational aspects to men to believe and live rationally than a superstitious animal. But one of the ways that speaks about the change which never happens to the Supreme Being is not that so adequate according to my perception. Albeit it may lead to flawlessness I try the best I can to scrutinize this particular point in terms of the life of Jesus the incarnated son and one of the persons in the Trinity.

            If God is changeless and an independent being God the son and one of the persons in trinity who claimed that “I and my father are one” (John 10:30) made a serious change in the independency of God being depend to the human beings. If it is so the continuation of Jesus as a human being and at the same time as a divine person came down to the lineage of David and became the part of history changed the conception of Aquinas gently. So how can we calculate approximately with our reason on the starting point of the theory of Thomas the way of change has not happened to God the Supreme Being. Though it is a substantial change, as a human being, (“rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness”. Philippians 2:7) Jesus underwent the Accidental change too. This means that the independency of God is abridged for a better foundation or KNOSIS for the world and especially for the humanity.  

1) (Ref: St.Thomas Aquinas teacher of truth: Francis Selman, pgs 6-10)

prepared by

Bro.Sebin Varghese B.

Barnabite Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore.