Monthly Archives: March 2018

Thomas Aquinas, Eleonore Stump, and the Maverick Philosopher: Is God “a” being among beings?

Posted on 20 March 2018 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Is God a being among beings? It seems like the kind of question that only a fussy scholastic might worry about. Christians typically speak of God as if he were a being. We tell stories about him. We proclaim his … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophical Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Julian of Norwich and Eastern Orthodox Mysticism

Posted on 18 March 2018 by Fr Aidan Kimel
Posted in Julian of Norwich | 3 Comments

“And with terror he confessed one after another all his sins, which revolted every ear”

Posted on 17 March 2018 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Terrible indeed was the judgment of a good judge and shepherd which I once saw in a monastery. For while I was there, it happened that a robber applied for admission to the monastic life. And that most excellent pastor … Continue reading →

Posted in Citations | Comments Off on “And with terror he confessed one after another all his sins, which revolted every ear”

“I bind unto myself today the strong Name of the Trinity”

Posted on 17 March 2018 by Fr Aidan Kimel
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

“For Thomas Aquinas, God is not ‘separated’ from the world as a subsistent entity conceivable apart from his causal relationship to created beings”

Posted on 13 March 2018 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Far from being a ‘supreme being’, a nameless deity beyond the world who is ultimately in charge of everything, God is maxime ens, who enjoys being in the highest possible degree. Such a reality must be thought to be utterly simple, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquinas | 22 Comments

“God Differs Differently”

Posted on 12 March 2018 by Fr Aidan Kimel

To say that God is simple is to express God’s transcendence. All divine persons, because of the identity of supposit and nature are simple. However, Aquinas accepts the predication of persona composita, composed person, of the Son Incarnate. Does that … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophical Theology | 2 Comments

“There is no cause for despair—by ourselves we can do nothing, but we have Christ’s promise”

Posted on 10 March 2018 by Fr Aidan Kimel

When the Lord tells us in the Gospel that anyone who wants to be his follower must renounce himself, the injunction seems harsh; we think he is imposing a burden on us. But an order is no burden when it … Continue reading →

Posted in Citations | 2 Comments

To Be or Not to Be: The Christian Distinction

Posted on 8 March 2018 by Fr Aidan Kimel

“‘It ain’t obvious what’s obvious,’ at least not in philosophy,” quips Bill Vallicella, quoting Hilary Putnam. I walked right into that friendly gibe. After all, I did remark that “God, as conceived by Christians, is not a being among beings … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophical Theology | 13 Comments