Theology Unit 1 and 2

Goals and Objectives for these Units

• Identifying the human desire for God.

• Explaining Natural Revelation and how we can know God through the natural world.

• Describing Divine Revelation and its uses for knowing God.

• Explaining scripture as divinely inspired.

• Defending the inerrancy of the Bible.

• Differentiating between the literal and spiritual senses of Scripture.

Natural Revelation and Proofs for God’s Existence

• Key inquiry: What do we know and how do we get there?

Nature of Discussion

• The approach emphasizes understanding the nature of various concepts:

  • Nature of human beings

  • Nature of religion

  • Nature of the Bible

• Transition into the nature of nature, leading to Natural Revelation.

• Following the proofs of God's existence, an examination of Old Testament Scriptures will be undertaken to discuss God's personality and his historical covenant relations.

Natural Revelation vs. Divine Revelation

• Natural Revelation: God reveals Himself through creation, which includes:

  • The material world

  • Human experiences

• Divine Revelation: The means by which God makes known:

  1. Himself

  2. The mysterious plan of His will for human beings and the world.

Natural Revelation Definition

• Natural Revelation involves discovering truths about God through:

  • Observations in the natural world

  • Human experiences

• In short, it emphasizes the revealed truth found in what has been made (both humanity and nature).

Argument from Desire

• The concept is revisited as it remains a timeless philosophical argument.

• C.S. Lewis's Contributions:

  • British writer and professor.

  • Formerly an atheist, converted to Christianity.

  • Relevant excerpt: "Mere Christianity."

Argument Steps

1. Every innate human desire corresponds to a real object that satisfies it.

2. A particular desire exists in humans that cannot be satisfied by anything in time, on earth, or by any creature.

3. Conclusion: There must be something beyond time, earth, and creatures to satisfy this desire, referred to as "God" and "eternal life with God."

Validating the Desire Argument

• The existence of unquenchable desires is acknowledged widely across cultures.

Example 1: African Mythology

• Animals create humanity, but a hole remains unfilled by gifts given, symbolizing an unsatisfied innate desire.

Example 2: Buddhism

• Teaches that desire is the root of suffering, emphasizing the infinite capacity for desire that finite objects cannot satisfy.

Common Misidentification of Desire

• Infinite desire for God exists in all people but can be suppressed or misdirected.

• Misidentification examples include:

  • Seeking money, fame, or comfort, leading to a masking of spiritual hunger.

  • Instances like overeating after breakups or seeking solace in new relationships stem from misunderstood appetites.

• Implication: Addictive behaviors may emerge as individuals try to meet infinite desires with finite satisfactions.

Human Relationship with God

• Created by God to be in relationship with Him.

• God encompasses love, which fulfills our capacity for love.

Infinite Human Desire

• Our souls have an infinite capacity for desires that cannot be fulfilled by limited worldly objects.

• Recognition of something infinite is necessary, capable of satisfying deepest desires.

C.S. Lewis's Assertion

• "If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world."

Saint Thomas Aquinas

• Italian Dominican Priest, noted for both intellect and quiet demeanor.

• His family resisted his priestly desires; published the vast "Summa Theologica" in 1485.

Fun Facts about the Summa Theologica

• Approximately 2,500 pages covering:

  • 512 distinct theological topics

  • 2,668 articles

  • 631 questions

  • Responses to 10,000 objections.

• Recognized as Patron Saint of students and educational pursuits.

• Known for his admiration of Aristotle.

• Notable mystical experience where Christ affirmed his writings on the importance of seeking God.

The Five Ways of Saint Thomas Aquinas

• These arguments serve as proofs that a being identified as "God" exists, not detailing God's character—this is reserved for Divine Revelation.

Aim of the Five Ways

• Provides a path to belief in God through REASON ALONE, asserting that belief in God is reasonable.

Argument from Motion: The First Way

1. Our senses confirm that some things are in motion.

2. Motion occurs when potential motion becomes actual motion.

3. Only an actual mover can actualize potential movement.

4. A thing cannot be both actual and potential in the same respect simultaneously.

5. Therefore, nothing can move itself.

6. Everything in motion is moved by something else.

7. A sequence of motion cannot extend ad infinitum.

8. Hence, a first mover, moved by none other, is necessary; this is what we call God.

Philosophy Vocabulary: Motion

• Defined as any change, not limited to movement through space; includes:

  • Changes in temperature

  • Birth

  • Death

  • Movement of physical forms

Redundancy in Movement

1. Some things are confirmed to be in motion.

2. Nothing can be its own mover.

3. Everything that moves must be initiated by an external mover.

4. If a mover is itself moved, it too requires another mover.

5. Thus, an infinite chain of moved movers cannot exist.

6. Therefore, a first unmoved mover (Pure Act) must exist.

Infinite Regress Argument

• The chain of “moved movers” cannot exist ad infinitum.

• If there were no first mover, the chain would collapse.

• From the emergence of energy, conservation laws must apply; thus, a first mover is essential for existence.

Argument from Efficient Cause or Causation: The Second Way

1. A series of efficient causes can be perceived in the world.

2. Nothing exists before itself.

3. Therefore, nothing is its own efficient cause.

4. A lack of an efficient cause leads to a lack of occurrence (the effect).

5. If the original cause in a series did not exist, nothing in the series could exist.

6. An infinite series of efficient causes going back cannot exist.

7. Existence of things now contradicts the infinite past extension of causes.

8. A first efficient cause is necessary, which is designated as God.

Argument from Necessary Being: The Third Way

1. All entities in the universe are contingent, depending on external entities for existence.

2. Contingent beings do not possess their own existence.

3. The infinite regress of contingent beings is not permissible.

4. If there was not a starting point, existence could not commence.

5. Existence of things validates the presence of a "necessary being" that exists independently.

Argument from Degree or Gradation: The Fourth Way

1. There exists a measurable gradation among beings (some are better or worse).

2. Comparisons to an ultimate standard create degrees of quality and characteristics (e.g., temperature analogies).

3. Maximum existence in any category serves as the source of lesser beings in that category.

4. Thus, there must be a supreme source for being, goodness, and perfection—identified as God.

The Importance of Standards in Comparison

• Comparisons imply a standard must exist for evaluating quality or existence, leading to the understanding that an ultimate source in each category is necessary.

Argument from Design or Teleology: The Fifth Way

1. Natural entities display purposeful behavior and do not operate by chance.

2. Most natural beings lack innate knowledge.

3. Just as an arrow needs an archer to hit a target, unintelligent entities must be directed by an intelligent being to achieve their ends.

4. Therefore, an intelligent being must exist that directs all natural things toward their intended goals—identified as God.

Quotations by St. Thomas Aquinas regarding the Argument from Design

• Aquinas articulates that natural bodies act towards ends deliberately, suggesting that an intelligence causes their behaviors.

• He compares natural behaviors to an arrow's direction by an archer, demonstrating purpose behind creation.

Moral Recognition of Purpose

• Illustrates that entities lacking intelligence still engage with purpose, implying a guiding intelligence that bestows purpose and design.

The Nature of God and Anselm's Ontological Proof

• St. Anselm is a significant figure, known as a French monk and Archbishop of Canterbury (1033-1109). He founded the school of Scholasticism, defined as fides quaerens intellectum—Faith seeking understanding, thereby establishing a foundation for theological inquiry.

Anselm’s Ontological Proof for God’s Existence

• Ontology: The philosophical inquiry into the nature of being and essence.

• Responding to the assertion, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God,'" Anselm intellectually differentiates between existence and non-existence.

Distinction in Existence

• Anselm states a differentiation must occur between existence in thought and existence in reality.

• Existing in reality is inherently superior—more genuine than existing solely in the imagination.

The Assertion of God's Definition

• Anselm defines God as that which nothing greater can be conceived.

• He proposes that existence in reality is indeed greater than existence in the mind (imagination).

• It is argued that if God existed only in thought, one could conceive of a being greater than God that exists in reality, leading to the conclusion that God exists.

Relation of Anselm’s Proof to God’s Nature

• While reason alone cannot fully disclose God’s character, Anselm’s argument illustrates that God’s nature is the most substantial and real.

Concept of Divine Revelation

• Defined as God’s self-disclosure to humanity, facilitating knowledge beyond reason alone.

• Easy Definition: The process by which God communicates himself and his salvific plan to human beings, primarily through Sacred Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ—known as the Word made flesh.

Importance of Divine Revelation

• Natural Revelation exposes some truths about God but Divine Revelation provides a more profound knowledge of God’s essence and nature, often termed as “supernatural truths.”

• Supernatural truths exceed rational comprehensibility (e.g., God's nature as One and Three, the dual nature of Christ, the concept of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ, and the presence of the Eucharist).

The Role of Faith

• While reason elucidates God's existence and just nature, faith comprehends the deeper mysteries of conveying His Triune nature, as expressed through symbols within scripture.

• These eternal truths offer profound insight into one’s identity and calling as beings reborn through Christ.

Reflection on Living Faith

• The knowledge gained through faith is not simply a collection of truths but represent the very essence of God and humanity’s potential within the context of divine relationship.

• The passages from scripture emphasize a frank acknowledgment of a deeper truth embedded in the nature of divine communication.

Dei Verbum

• An encyclical authored by Pope Paul VI, concerning the significance and nature of the Word of God.

• Students are encouraged to study designated segments with partners and share crucial takeaways with the broader group.

• Highlighted Main ideas may include:

  1. The relationship of Sacred Scripture to faith.

  2. The purpose of Divine Revelation in understanding God’s will.

  3. The role of the Church in interpreting Sacrament.

  4. The ongoing relevance of scriptural teachings.

  5. The connection of human understanding to divine truth.

  6. Strategies for integrating Scripture into personal faith journeys.

Interpreting the Bible

• Divine Inspiration of Scripture: Denotes God as the collective author, who utilizes human instruments to produce Sacred writings.

• Inerrancy of Scripture: Concept that scripture is entirely devoid of error in teachings due to its divine authorship.

• Public Revelation is complete, encapsulating all that believers need in Scripture and from the Church.

Understanding Scripture's Senses

• It is essential to engage with Scripture recognizing its divine intention, respecting the roles of faith, genre, and authorial intention.

• The interpretive process requires:

  • Attention to the content and unity of the whole narrative of Scripture which has Jesus Christ at its core.

  • Analysis in alignment with the Church’s Tradition and established interpretations.

  • Respect for the “analogy of faith,” indicating the interrelation of truths among themselves and within the total revelation of God.

Two Primary Senses of Scripture:

1. Literal Sense: Conveys the communicated meaning by the specific words within the text—constituting the foundational understanding.

2. Spiritual Sense: Points to a deeper meaning beyond the textual plane.

   • Allegorical Sense: Involves recognizing deeper relations of events to Christ.

   • Moral Sense: Suggests that scriptural teachings compel just and virtuous action.

   • Anagogical Sense: Seeks connections of events and realities in Scripture with eternity and its promises.