Natural Knowledge of God in the Philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquina
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CHAPTER nIREE<br />
THE METAPHYSIC OF ANALOGICAL PREDICATION<br />
We have disoovered manifold perfections 1n created th<strong>in</strong>gs. We have<br />
concluded that <strong>the</strong>se created perfections exist <strong>in</strong> <strong>God</strong> <strong>in</strong> a manner befitt<strong>in</strong>g<br />
His essence; that is, <strong>God</strong> is essentially what His creature 1s by participation.<br />
What exists <strong>in</strong> <strong>God</strong> <strong>in</strong> a sovereign degree is reoeived by <strong>the</strong> creature<br />
acoord<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> determ<strong>in</strong>ations <strong>of</strong> its essence.<br />
Is <strong>the</strong> oreature be<strong>in</strong>g?<br />
Or good?<br />
Or true? It is so because <strong>the</strong> Div<strong>in</strong>e Agent from Whom it proceeds<br />
is Be<strong>in</strong>g. is Goodness, is Truth.<br />
Attributions <strong>of</strong> this k<strong>in</strong>d are not univooal. <strong>the</strong>y laok <strong>the</strong> absolute<br />
unity at generio predioation. Absolute unity <strong>in</strong> a oonoept applioable to ,...<br />
<strong>the</strong> oreature and to <strong>God</strong> is not possible, tor <strong>God</strong> is <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>itely r.moved<br />
trom <strong>the</strong> lignitications ot genera and speoies.<br />
TO olaim univocity for suoh<br />
predioations does no honor to <strong>God</strong> or to man.<br />
To regard <strong>the</strong> names derived<br />
trom creatures and attributed to <strong>God</strong> .s totally diverse would be equivalent<br />
I<br />
to a flat denial ot all knowledge ot <strong>God</strong>.<br />
Between <strong>the</strong> a .... olute unity <strong>of</strong><br />
univocal pr.dication and <strong>the</strong> utter lack ot unity <strong>in</strong> pprely equivocal predication<br />
lie. <strong>the</strong> predioation <strong>of</strong> perfections by analogy.<br />
Her. we are contronted with <strong>the</strong> problem that torms <strong>the</strong> orux <strong>of</strong> this<br />
entire <strong>in</strong>vestigation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> existence and nature <strong>of</strong> <strong>God</strong>.<br />
How can a predication<br />
made <strong>of</strong> both <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>ite and <strong>the</strong> Inf<strong>in</strong>ite have any mean<strong>in</strong>g?<br />
If a
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