Aquinas on Analogy

Why does Aquinas argue that human language cannot describe God literally?

Aquinas argues that God is infinite, transcendent and ultimately incomprehensible, while human language is based on finite, created experiences. Therefore, words cannot describe God's nature in exactly the same way they describe created things. Literal language risks reducing God to human concepts.

What problem does Aquinas attempt to solve through his theory of analogy?

Aquinas attempts to solve the problem of how humans can meaningfully speak about God despite the limitations of human language. He rejects both literal language, which would make God too similar to creation, and complete equivocation, which would make statements about God meaningless.

What is equivocal language when speaking about God?

Equivocal language means that a word has completely different meanings when applied to different things. Aquinas rejects complete equivocation because if words about God had no connection to their human meanings, statements about God would become impossible to understand.

Why does Aquinas reject purely literal language about God?

Aquinas rejects purely literal language because it would imply that God possesses qualities in the same limited way humans do. For example, saying "God is good" literally could suggest God's goodness is the same as human goodness, ignoring the infinite difference between creator and creation.

What is Aquinas' theory of analogy?

Aquinas argues that language about God works analogically. This means words applied to God and creation have related but not identical meanings. Human language about God is meaningful because created qualities reflect God's qualities, but God's nature always exceeds human understanding.

Why is analogy important for Christian theology?

Analogy allows Christians to speak meaningfully about God while maintaining God's transcendence. It avoids the idea that humans can fully comprehend God while also rejecting the idea that nothing meaningful can be said about Him.

What is the analogy of attribution?

The analogy of attribution argues that qualities found in creation are related to God because God is the ultimate cause of those qualities. Created things possess qualities in a limited way, while God possesses them perfectly as their source.

Explain Aquinas' bull urine analogy.

Aquinas explains analogy through the example of a vet examining a bull's urine to determine the health of the bull. The health belongs primarily to the bull, but the urine reflects that health indirectly. Similarly, qualities such as goodness and beauty belong primarily to God, while creation reflects these qualities in a limited way.

How does the bull urine analogy explain the relationship between God and creation?

The analogy shows that qualities in creation are not identical to God's qualities but are caused by and derived from God. Creation reflects God's attributes because God is the source of all goodness, beauty and perfection.

How does the analogy of attribution apply to God's goodness?

Aquinas argues that when humans say "God is good", this does not mean God is good in exactly the same way humans are. Instead, human goodness is a limited reflection of God's perfect goodness because all goodness originates from God.

How does Aquinas' analogy support Natural Theology?

Aquinas' analogy supports Natural Theology because it suggests humans can gain knowledge of God by observing qualities within creation. Since creation reflects its creator, humans can reason from created goodness, beauty and order towards God's nature.

How does Aquinas' analogy support Revealed Theology?

Aquinas' analogy also supports Revealed Theology because it recognises that human knowledge of God is incomplete without divine assistance. Although creation reveals something about God, His full nature remains beyond human understanding.

What is the strength of Aquinas' theory of analogy?

A strength is that it avoids two extremes: claiming humans can fully understand God and claiming that all statements about God are meaningless. It preserves God's transcendence while allowing Christians to make meaningful claims about His nature.

How does analogy protect God's transcendence?

Analogy protects God's transcendence by recognising that God's qualities are infinitely greater than human qualities. When Christians describe God as loving or good, these terms are related to human experience but refer to a perfection that surpasses creation.

How does Peter Geach criticise Aquinas' theory of analogy?

Peter Geach argues that analogy creates a problem because one side of the comparison, God, is ultimately unknowable. If humans cannot understand God's nature directly, Geach questions how they can determine whether an analogy between God and creation is legitimate.

Why does Geach argue analogy may fail as an explanation of religious language?

Geach argues that analogy assumes humans already know enough about God to identify similarities between God and creation. However, if God is completely beyond human understanding, there may be no reliable way to judge whether an analogy accurately describes Him.

Evaluate Geach's criticism of Aquinas' analogy.

A strength of Geach's criticism is that it highlights the difficulty of speaking meaningfully about an unknowable God. However, Aquinas could respond that analogy does not require complete knowledge of God, only an understanding that created qualities originate from God and reflect Him imperfectly.

How does Aquinas avoid saying that language about God is meaningless?

Aquinas argues that although human language cannot describe God perfectly, it can still be meaningful through analogy. Since creation depends upon God, qualities found in creation can provide limited but genuine knowledge of their creator.

Why is Aquinas' theory of analogy significant in debates about knowledge of God?

Aquinas' theory addresses the central problem of divine language: how finite humans can speak about an infinite God. It provides a middle position between saying God can be understood completely and saying nothing meaningful can be said about Him.

Compare Aquinas' analogy with Barth's view of language about God.

Aquinas argues that human language can meaningfully describe God through analogy because creation reflects its creator. Barth is more sceptical, arguing that human language is limited and corrupted by sin, meaning genuine knowledge of God depends upon revelation rather than human concepts.

How does Aquinas' analogy relate to epistemic distance?

Aquinas' analogy recognises epistemic distance because humans cannot know God directly or completely. However, it argues that the gap can be partially overcome because creation provides indirect knowledge of God's qualities.