scholarly journals The Beatific Vision and the Heavenly Mediation of Christ

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-128
Author(s):  
Simon Francis Gaine
Keyword(s):  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
Jonathan Edwards ◽  
Summa Theologiae ◽  
Beatific Vision ◽  
Recent Debate ◽  
Argument Proceeds ◽  
John Owen

This article argues that Thomas Aquinas is to be interpreted as holding that the beatific vision of the saints is causally dependent on the glorified humanity of Christ. It opposes the view that, for Aquinas, Christ’s humanity has causal significance only for those who are being brought to the beatific vision by grace, and not for those who have attained this vision, such that there is a Christological deficit in Aquinas’s eschatology. The argument proceeds somewhat in the manner of an article of Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae. Having briefly outlined the recent debate, especially the contribution of Hans Boersma, two objections are put against my position. A sed contra is formulated on the basis of quotations from the Summa. The responsio is based on Aquinas’s extensive use of a philosophical ‘principle of the maximum’ and its particular application by Aquinas to grace. After replies to the objections, based on the method and structure of the Summa, I locate Aquinas’s position in the debate on Christ’s heavenly mediation between that of John Calvin and that of John Owen and Jonathan Edwards.

scholarly journals Ensouling the Beatific Vision. Motivating the Reformed Impulse

Perichoresis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-84
Author(s):  
Joshua R. Farris ◽  
Ryan A. Brandt
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
Jonathan Edwards ◽  
Considerable Importance ◽  
Beatific Vision ◽  
Bodily Resurrection ◽  
History Of ◽  
John Owen ◽  
Medieval Christianity ◽  
Personal Eschatology

Abstract The beatific vision is a subject of considerable importance both in the Christian Scriptures and in the history of Christian dogmatics. In it, humans experience and see the perfect immaterial God, which represents the final end for the saints. However, this doctrine has received less attention in the contemporary theological literature, arguably, due in part to the growing trend toward materialism and the sole emphasis on bodily resurrection in Reformed eschatology. As a piece of retrieval by drawing from the Scriptures, Medieval Christianity, and Reformed Christianity, we motivate a case for the Reformed emphasis on the immaterial and intellectual aspects of human personal eschatology and offer some constructive thoughts on how to link it to the contemporary emphasis of the body. We draw a link between the soul and the body in the vision with the help of Christology as reflected in the theology of John Calvin, and, to a greater extent, the theology of both John Owen and Jonathan Edwards.

Reception of Thomas Aquinas in the Area of Eschatology

2021 ◽  
pp. 704-716
Author(s):  
Paul O’Callaghan
Keyword(s):  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Summa Theologiae ◽  
Beatific Vision ◽  
Resurrection Of The Dead ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Principal Elements

The study examines the principal elements of the eschatological doctrine of Thomas Aquinas. First his teaching is situated in the medieval context that preceded him, especially in Peter Lombard’s Sentences; the principal authors who developed their eschatology in continuity are also presented. Second, Aquinas’ principal texts on eschatology are listed; for the most part they are to be found in the so-called Supplementum to the Summa theologiae, drawn from his Commentary on the Sentences by his disciples. Structural priority seems to be given in his writings to the topic of resurrection. Third, the study presents the different aspects of Aquinas’ eschatology and their reception, in respect of the following topics: end-time signs and millenarianism; death and the ‘separated soul’; resurrection of the dead; purgatory, praying for the dead and intercession of the saints; beatific vision; condemnation; general judgment and the glorified universe.

Thomas Aquinas and John Owen on the beatific vision: A Reply to Suzanne McDonald

2016 ◽  
Vol 97 (1070) ◽  
pp. 432-446
Author(s):  
Simon Francis Gaine OP
Keyword(s):  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Beatific Vision ◽  
John Owen

scholarly journals Thomas Aquinas on the Beatific Vision: A Christological Deficit

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-147
Author(s):  
Hans Boersma
Keyword(s):  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Divine Essence ◽  
Beatific Vision ◽  
John Owen

This article argues Aquinas’s doctrine of the beatific vision suffers from a twofold christological deficit: (1) Aquinas rarely alludes to an eternally continuing link (whether as cause or as means) between Christ’s beatific vision and ours; and (2) for Aquinas the beatific vision is not theophanic, that is to say, for Aquinas, Christ is not the object of the beatific vision; instead, he maintains the divine essence constitutes the object.  Even if Aquinas were to have followed his “principle of the maximum” in the unfinished third part of the Summa and so had discussed Christ’s own beatific vision as the cause of the saints’ beatific vision, he would still have ended up with a christological deficit, inasmuch as Christ would still not be the means and the object of the saints’ beatific vision.  For a more christologically robust way forward, I draw on John Owen and several other Puritan theologians, who treat the beatific vision as the climactic theophany.

‘Counsel, Comfort, and Conscience’ in More’s Letters to Fellow Prisoner Nicholas Wilson

Moreana ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (Number 176) (1) ◽  
pp. 49-64
Author(s):  
John F. Boyle
Keyword(s):  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Summa Theologiae ◽  
Thomas More ◽  
Tower Of London

This is a study of the two letters of Thomas More to Nicholas Wilson writ-ten while the two men were imprisoned in the Tower of London. The Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation illuminates the role of comfort and counsel in the two letters. An article of Thomas Aquinas’ Summa theologiae is used to probe More’s understanding of conscience in the letters.

Thomas Aquinas and Contemplation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rik Van Nieuwenhove
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Central Importance ◽  
Marked Contrast ◽  
Faith And Reason ◽  
Beatific Vision ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Theology And Philosophy ◽  
Key Questions

Contemplation, according to Thomas Aquinas, is the central goal of our life; yet a scholarly study on this topic has not appeared for over seventy years. This book fills that obvious gap. From an interdisciplinary perspective this study considers the epistemological and metaphysical foundations of the contemplative act; the nature of the active and contemplative lives in light of Aquinas’s Dominican calling; the role of faith, charity, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in contemplation; and contemplation and the beatific vision. Key questions addressed are: What is contemplation? What is truth? How can we know God? How do faith and reason relate to one another? How does Aquinas envisage the relations between theology and philosophy? What role does charity play in contemplation? Throughout this book the author argues that Aquinas espouses a profoundly intellective notion of contemplation in the strictly speculative sense, which culminates in a non-discursive moment of insight (intuitus simplex). In marked contrast to his contemporaries Aquinas therefore rejects a sapiential or affective brand of theology. He also employs a broader notion of contemplation, which can be enjoyed by all Christians, in which the gifts of the Holy Spirit are of central importance. This book should appeal to all those who are interested in this key aspect of Aquinas’s thought. It provides a lucid account of central aspects of Aquinas’s metaphysics, epistemology, theology, and spirituality. It also offers new insights into the nature of the theological discipline as Aquinas sees it, and how theology relates to philosophy.

scholarly journals Grace Presupposes Nature: The Structure of the Summa and an Illustration by the Virtue of Patience in Light of Christ

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-78
Author(s):  
Tyler Pellegrin
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Summa Theologiae ◽  
Christian Life ◽  
Natural Virtues

Abstract The first part of this essay argues that the very structure and ordering of Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae manifests a departure from the typical theological position of his time regarding natural acquired virtues. Resting on a conviction that grace presupposes nature, Aquinas uniquely holds that natural virtues perfective of human nature can be acquired prior to grace, which can be elevated and incorporated by grace into the properly Christian life. The second part of this essay offers a case study of the virtue of patience that illustrates the argument of the first part of the paper.

scholarly journals Mengubah Air Filsafat Menjadi Anggur Teologi

2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-185
Author(s):  
Kalvin S. Budiman
Keyword(s):  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
John Calvin

Apakah peran filsafat dalam teologi? Pemakaian filsafat dalam disiplin teologi memiliki sejarah yang panjang dan seringkali diterima dengan rasa curiga dan was-was. Kutipan di atas diambil dari salah satu tulisan Thomas Aquinas, seorang tokoh utama dalam sejarah Gereja di Abad Pertengahan, yang terkenal karena tafsirannya terhadap tulisan-tulisan filsuf besar Yunani, Aristoteles, dan karena usahanya untuk memakai filsafat dalam teologi. Pada akhirnya, di mata sebagian besar orang Kristen, Aquinas lebih diingat sebagai seorang filsuf ketimbang seorang teolog, apalagi penafsir Alkitab. Padahal jabatan yang diemban oleh Aquinas semasa hidupnya adalah sebagai baccalaureus biblicus dan magister in theologia. Khususnya di kalangan kaum injili, Aquinas memiliki reputasi yang kurang baik karena dianggap telah mencemari kemurnian injil atau teologi Kristen dengan racun pemikiran manusia atau filsafat. Kebalikan dari kesimpulan Aquinas sendiri sebagaimana yang ia ungkapkan dalam kutipan di atas, Aquinas justru sering dipakai sebagai contoh tentang bentuk penculikan teologi Kristen ke dalam ranah filsafat yang asing bagi injil. ... Di dalam tulisan yang tidak terlalu panjang ini, lewat pengamatan terhadap dua tokoh dalam sejarah Gereja, saya ingin mengajak pembaca untuk mempelajari kaitan dan peran filsafat dalam teologi. Tulisan ini bermaksud untuk membandingkan pemakaian filsafat oleh Thomas Aquinas dan oleh John Calvin. Tulisan ini juga bertujuan untuk menjawab kesalahpahaman umum terhadap kedua tokoh ini. Yang pertama (Aquinas) sering dianggap telah mencemari teologi Kristen dengan filsafat; yang kedua (Calvin) seringkali diabaikan dalam diskusi tentang peran filsafat dalam teologi. Kedua asumsi ini perlu diluruskan dengan tujuan untuk mempelajari dengan benar warisan pemikiran Kristen tentang kaitan antara filsafat dan teologi.

The Contemporary Reception of Aquinas on the Natural Knowledge of God

2021 ◽  
pp. 595-611
Author(s):  
David VanDrunen
Keyword(s):  
Natural Theology ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Natural Order ◽  
Reformed Theology ◽  
Summa Theologiae ◽  
Human Reason ◽  
Natural Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Of God ◽  
Attributes Of God

This chapter considers key themes from Thomas Aquinas’ view of the natural knowledge of God, or natural theology, from the opening of his Summa theologiae. It is written from the perspective of Reformed theology, which has traditionally supported natural theology of a certain kind, despite its recent reputation as an opponent of natural theology. According to Thomas, natural theology is insufficient for salvation and is inevitably laden with errors apart from the help of supernatural revelation. But human reason, operating properly, can demonstrate the existence and certain attributes of God from the natural order, and this natural knowledge constitutes preambles to the articles of the Christian faith. The chapter thus engages in a critically sympathetic analysis of these themes and suggests how a contemporary reception of Thomas might appropriate them effectively.

Predestination

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
George I. Mavrodes
Keyword(s):  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
The Other ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
Eternal Life ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Equal Condition ◽  
Divine Grace ◽  
The World ◽  
The Will ◽  
Determining Factor

Predestination appears to be a religious or theological version of universal determinism, a version in which the final determining factor is the will or action of God. It is most often associated with the theological tradition of Calvinism, although some theologians outside the Calvinist tradition, or prior to it (for example, Augustine and Thomas Aquinas), profess similar doctrines. The idea of predestination also plays a role in some religions other than Christianity, perhaps most notably in Islam. Sometimes the idea of predestination is formulated in a comparatively restricted way, being applied only to the manner in which the divine grace of salvation is said to be extended to some human beings and not to others. John Calvin, for example, writes: We call predestination God’s eternal decree, by which he compacted with himself what he willed to become of each man. For all are not created in equal condition; rather, eternal life is foreordained for some, eternal damnation for others. Therefore, as any man has been created to one or the other of these ends, we speak of him as predestined to life or to death. (Institutes, bk 3, ch. 21, sec. 5) At other times, however, the idea is applied more generally to the whole course of events in the world; whatever happens in the world is determined by the will of God. Philosophically, the most interesting aspects of the doctrine are not essentially linked with salvation. For instance, if God is the first cause of all that happens, how can people be said to have free will? One answer may be that people are free in so far as they act in accordance with their own motives and desires, even if these are determined by God. Another problem is that the doctrine seems to make God ultimately responsible for sin. A possible response here is to distinguish between actively causing something and passively allowing it to happen, and to say that God merely allows people to sin; it is then human agents who actively choose to sin and God is therefore not responsible.

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