Attributes of God and Proofs of His Existence

A set of 25 vocabulary flashcards covering St. Thomas Aquinas, arguments and proofs for the existence of God, and the philosophical attributes of God.

Summa theologiae

The most famous theological work written by St. Thomas Aquinas.

Angelic Doctor

The title and nickname given to St. Thomas Aquinas as a Doctor of the Church.

The Ontological Argument

The argument asserting that God is the greatest conceivable being, and because existing in reality is greater than existing only in thought, God must exist.

Aquinas's Rejection of the Ontological Argument

St. Thomas Aquinas's position that demonstrating God's existence requires proof from effects rather than mere concepts.

Reply to the Objection from Evil

The theological resolution stating that God permits evil to exist in order to bring forth a greater good.

Reply regarding Natural Causes and Reason

The explanation that God operates through natural causes and human reason as His instruments.

Proof from Motion

Aquinas's cosmological proof establishing that everything moved is moved by another.

Proof from Causation

Aquinas's cosmological proof stating that nothing can cause itself, necessitating God as the first uncaused cause.

Proof from Contingency

Aquinas's proof asserting that contingent things do not have to exist and therefore require an external reason or cause to exist.

Proof from Governance

Aquinas's teleological proof stating that unintelligent things act toward an end or purpose.

Kalam Argument

The argument for God's existence stating that whatever begins to exist has a cause.

Miracles Argument

The argument maintaining that events violating natural laws prove the existence of God.

Consciousness Argument

The argument stating that physical matter or processes cannot produce subjective consciousness.

Truth Argument

The philosophical argument asserting that eternal truths require an eternal intellect to ground them.

Idea of God Argument

The argument proposing that finite minds cannot originate the infinite idea of God.

Moral Conscience Argument

The argument proposing that objective moral laws require a divine lawgiver.

Pascal's Wager

The pragmatic philosophical proposition that believing in God offers infinite gain with no real loss.

Negative Theology

A theological method that describes God by stating what He is not.

Divine Revelation

The communication wherein God reveals truth directly to humanity.

Simplicity

The divine philosophical attribute indicating that God is simple, possessing no composition or physical parts.

Complexity of All Being

The hierarchical division of reality ranging from the most complex (matter, form, and parts), to less complex (angels and spirit), to simple (God).

Infinite

The divine attribute signifying that God has no limits, boundaries, or end.

Eternal

The divine attribute of existing completely outside of time with no beginning and no end.

Immutable

The divine attribute meaning unchanging in His nature.

Christocentric History

The theological view that all of human history points toward Jesus Christ.