Human Beings, the Mystery of God, & the Question of Christ – Vocabulary Flashcards

40 vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on human beings, the mystery of God, and the question of Christ.

Structure of Human Desire — Extensive

The quantity dimension of desire: seeks the most of a singular good (the greatest number of goods).

Structure of Human Desire — Intensive

The quality dimension of desire: seeks the best possible good (highest quality).

Structure of Human Desire — Protensive

The time dimension of desire: oriented toward lasting or eternal goods (forever).

Desire for All Perceived Goods

Desire directed toward all things, qualities, and experiences that are perceived as good.

Movement of Will

The capacity within us to desire and seek that which we perceive as good.

Transcendental Thomism

Rahner-inspired view that the will moves toward an unlimited or infinite good when transcending finite goods.

Unlimited / Infinite Good

The object toward which the will moves when it seeks beyond finite goods.

Unthematic Awareness

Knowledge of the Infinite within our desiring; illustrated by examples like 4-year-olds and astrophysics.

Presence of the Infinite

If we desire the unlimited, the unlimited must be present in our experience.

Omni-presence of the Infinite

The Infinite is present in every love, i.e., God in each thing (St. Thomas Aquinas).

Movement of the Intellect

The mind’s capacity to know what is true and seek truth.

Infinite Truth

Truth that is not bounded by finite limits; the ultimate, unlimited truth.

Qualitative Infinity

Infinity understood as complete understanding—the why of everything and the complete context.

Quantitative Infinity

Infinity understood as endless numerical progression (e.g., natural numbers).

Un-thematic Awareness in Knowledge

Recognizing limits by being aware of the unlimited that underlies finite knowledge.

Hegel on Finite and Infinite

The idea that calling something finite implies the presence of the infinite.

Infinite as Background of Experience

The infinite is the background that makes experience possible, not a direct object of experience.

Light Metaphor for God

God as Mystery is pictured as infinite light—present, intelligible, and illuminating.

God as Mystery

God is infinite and incomprehensible in full; not exhaustively knowable by humans.

Apprehend

To know in the sense of sensing or perceiving; an initial grasp rather than full comprehension.

Comprehend

To know fully and completely.

Omni-presence of God as Mystery

In every question we ask, God is present as the infinite mystery.

God as Background of Experience

God undergirds and enables all knowledge and love; the context for understanding.

Spirit in the World

Human beings are spirits in the world: open to ultimate meaning, both transcendent and finite.

Two Aspects of Human Knowing

1) Immersed in concrete things; 2) Oriented toward the infinite and capable of transcending the finite.

Threefold Experience in Questioning

1) Recognize a knowledge limit; 2) Intuit that what is asked can be known; 3) Desire to know.

Limit and Transcendence in Questioning

The mind experiences a limit, perceives that there is more, and seeks infinite truth behind it.

Horizon of Desire/Knowlege

Desire/knowledge recedes like a horizon; the infinite remains beyond reach.

Infinite as Ground of Experience

The infinite conditions the possibility of self and knowledge; it grounds experience.

The Question of Christ

The central question of human fulfillment and ultimate happiness as it relates to Christ.

Absolute Revelation

God revealing or communicating God’s self in an absolute way.

God-human (Incarnation)

God becoming human while remaining God; the possibility of absolute revelation through a God-man.

Jesus Christ as Absolute Revelation

Christ is the decisive revelation of human happiness and fulfillment.

From Philosophy to Religion

The movement from philosophical inquiry toward ultimate religious truth and fulfillment.

From Religions to Christianity

Evaluating world religions to see whether Christianity uniquely reveals absolute truth.

Historical Revelation as Hope

Looking to history for events that reveal the possibility of infinite happiness.

Self as Knower

In knowing the world, the self discovers itself as knower; the mind as spirit in the world.

Images in Thought

Thinking occurs through images, not solely abstract ideas.

Infinite Intelligibility

God is infinitely intelligible but not fully comprehensible.

Background of the Self in Knowledge

The infinite behind and within knowing helps define the self as knower.

Fulfillment in Christ

The ultimate possibility of happiness and complete fulfillment found in Jesus Christ.

Final Horizon in Christ

The ultimate fulfillment is revealed through the Christ event and God’s self-revelation.

Reason to Hope in Revelation

The belief that God has given an absolute revelation in history.

Twofold Knowledge in Humans

Knowledge from the senses and intuitive reach toward the infinite.

Intelligibility vs Comprehension

Apprehension is sensing/recognition; comprehension is exhaustive understanding.

Infinite as Background and Context

The infinite underpins all meaning, enabling us to explain and relate phenomena.

The Mystery of God as Infinite Light

God is mystery understood through light, presence, and inexhaustible intelligibility.

Why Begin with Christ?

Christ answers the ultimate question of human fulfillment—the meaning of life.

The Scandal of Particularity

Addressing why Christ’s particular historical person matters to universal questions.