Monthly Archives: May 2016

Perfect Being Theology, Theistic Personalism, and the Eclipse of the Apophatic

Posted on 30 May 2016 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Readers of this blog will by now be well-acquainated with the term “theistic personalism.” It was coined by Brian Davies to describe what he believes to be a problematic understanding of divinity, commonly advanced by analytic philosophers. He specifically names … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophical Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 117 Comments

David Bentley Hart on Theistic Personalism

Posted on 29 May 2016 by Fr Aidan Kimel
Posted in David B. Hart | 7 Comments

“Not for nothing does the Power of God suffer fatigue”

Posted on 29 May 2016 by Fr Aidan Kimel

“Wearied by his journey, Jesus sat down beside a well. It was about the sixth hour.” Already divine mysteries begin. Not for nothing is Jesus wearied; not for nothing does the Power of God suffer fatigue. Not for nothing does … Continue reading →

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Meditating Four Quartets: The Dry Salvages (V)

Posted on 28 May 2016 by Fr Aidan Kimel

To communicate with Mars, converse with spirits, / To report the behaviour of the sea monster, / Describe the horoscope, haruspicate or scry, / Observe disease in signatures, evoke / Biography from the wrinkles of the palm / And tragedy … Continue reading →

Posted in T. S. Eliot | 18 Comments

Esse and Essentia: What do these Thomist terms mean?

Posted on 27 May 2016 by Fr Aidan Kimel

One of the big difficulties for me in reading St Thomas Aquinas (one of many) is that I don’t understand what his terminology means. This morning I came across this paper that helpfully explains the key terms—esse, essentia, ens, quidditia—that … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquinas | 9 Comments

God Simply Is the Sheer Act of Existing

Posted on 25 May 2016 by Fr Aidan Kimel

“The doctrine of God’s simplicity,” states James Dolezal, “reaches the zenith of expression and sophistication in the thought of Thomas Aquinas” (God Without Parts, p. 6). One might even argue that it forms the lynchpin of St Thomas’s understanding of … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquinas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

The Three Rivers

Posted on 24 May 2016 by Fr Aidan Kimel

The river of judgment sings a grave and foreboding song As the mass of deceased human souls approaches its banks Peals of thunder ring out from the ebony current Causing men’s hearts to tremble with self-convicting dread An angel carrying … Continue reading →

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St Thomas Aquinas, Divine Simplicity, and Knowing the Unknowable God

Posted on 23 May 2016 by Fr Aidan Kimel

What is God? What is his nature? The answer given by St Thomas Aquinas may surprise us: we do not know. By contemplation of the structures of the world, we may know that God exists as the ultimate cause and doer … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquinas, Philosophical Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments