January 26, 2011

Fogs and Clouds

St. Augustine, he understands how hard it is to try to think about such things as we are supposed to in studying theology:

Noli quaerere quid sit veritas; statim enim se opponent caliginem imaginum corporalium et nubila phantasmatum... (De Trinitate VIII:3)

Don't ask what truth is; immediately there will be against you a fog of bodily images and clouds of funny ideas.
at

3 comments:

  1. RJ5:41 AM

    I hope your course won't circumvent Aquinas, Father. He builds on his predecessors but has the advantage of a more developed philosophical/theological system.

    I found his account of subsistent relations to be enlightening when it came to understanding divine personhood (insofar as one can understand it).

    I have the impression that some modern theologians try to avoid St Thomas. Sick men with an aversion to wholesome food?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brother Charles6:35 AM

    It is true that Thomas, even among his contemporaries, has a certain refreshing clarity.

    ReplyDelete
  3. RJ10:34 AM

    Regretting my last paragraph: casting aspersions and feeding paranoia.

    ReplyDelete

Faithful, or even just thoughtful criticisms are always welcome. Uninformed rudeness to other posters or to the Lord and His Church is not.

I also reserve the right to reject comments promoting things like private revelations and fringe points of view, if it seems to me like they are being presented in a misleading way.

If you raise a disagreement with something I say but I do not respond, please do not feel slighted or insulted, or imagine that this automatically means I disagree or agree with you. It's just that I don't find the comment box to be a constructive medium for certain forms of debate.