Lesson Eighteen: A Philosophical View of God by Thomas Aquinas

LESSON EIGHTEEN

A PHILOSOPHICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF GOD

BY THOMAS AQUINAS

Lesson Overview

The 13th century Catholic Dominican priest and a canonized saint, Thomas Aquinas, stood on the assumption that God is self-existent. The expression “aseity” refers to the condition in which a Being exists in and from itself. In this lesson, students will examine the concept of God’s aseity, or self-existence, as proposed in Aquinas’ Five Ways.

Key Concepts: aseity, Summa Theologica, Aquinas’ Five Ways, autonomy

Objectives: Students will:

• show how writers in diverse cultures and ages drew from the Hebrew Bible to present their own ideas and literary works. • discuss distinct attributes of biblical characters. • determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text. • determine the meaning of words and phrases in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. • edit writing to correct errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• determine the main idea in written passages of literature accurately and with depth of thought. • use context clues to determine the meanings of words. • show how writers in diverse cultures and ages drew from the Hebrew Bible to present their own ideas and literary works. • discuss distinct attributes of biblical characters. • edit writing to correct errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure.

Duration: 2-3 hours

Materials

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A Philosophical Characterization of God by Thomas Aquinas

• Article: Aquinas’ Five Proofs for the Existence of God (https://open.library.okstate.edu/introphilosophy/chapter/aquinass-five-proofs-for-the-existenceof-god/) • Video: Thomas Aquinas asks, 'Is God Self-Evident?' Or Why Bother Proving God's Existence? (Part 1 of 3) (https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-pty-pty_forms&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhspty_forms&hspart=pty&param1=20210503&param2=9766caf4-c28a-44ca-9b604d4f19b54a71&param3=forms_%7EUS%7Eappfocus1%7E&param4=d-ccc4-lp0-dsf_formscp_12887637018-tst1--bb9%7EChrome%7EChapter+5+%E2%80%93+The+Selfexistence+of+God%7EB85D33B8065844214F83D8BF914F5AEC%7EWin10&p=a+vi+deo+by +aquinas+om+God%27s+self+evidence&type=fm_appfocus1_cr-win-%7E202119%7E#id=1&vid=2e34e1fa4e0687fa1a37c8f4aa783881&action=click)

• A computer with internet access and editing capability • Paper, pen, pencil

Procedure:

• View the video: Thomas Aquinas asks, 'Is God Self-Evident?' Or Why Bother Proving

God's Existence? (Part 1 of 3). • Respond to the study questions. • Note the key points in the lesson for future discussions and assessments. • Respond to the reflections. • Edit writing to correct errors. • Post the reflections on the discussion board.

Study Questions

Directions:

Based on the video, indicate whether the following statements (A) CORRECT or (B) INCORRECT.

1. According to the video presentation, the question of God's existence is one of the world's great questions. 2. Thomas Aquinas was a 13th century Catholic Dominican priest and a canonized saint. 3. During his lifetime, Aquinas sought to prove the existence of God as the Creator of the universe. 4. Aquinas' argument for God's existence has withstood the criticism of the most ardent atheists. 5. His argument did not rely on faith or belief in the Bible, but it rested upon reason alone. 6. The work that Aquinas wrote about the existence of God is simply known as Summa

Theologica. 7. The Summa Theologica contained five proofs for God's existence, also known as Aquinas'

Five Ways.

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A Literary Study of the Book of Genesis by Wilma J. Brown-Foreman, ED. S

8. Aquinas believed in God because his reason demanded it, not simply because he wanted

God's existence to be true 9. He used both logic and scientific observation to make his deductions. 10. An argument that Aquinas had to refute is that religious people tend to believe in something in the absence of evidence. 11. One of the characters in this video presentation is Dr. Neil DeGrasse, a scientist. 12. Based on the video, scientists do not usually accept repeated observations as true. 13. Scientists believe in a strong consistency of results. 14. For over four hundred years, science has depended upon objective truths. 15. Since philosophy is an organized way of learning, it is a science. 16. The video proposes that modern science is the only way to discover the truth. 17. Philosophy, based on logical reasoning, has successfully proven different truths about things that science cannot prove. 18. Aquinas' proofs of God's existence are philosophical-not scientific truths. 19. Each of Aquinas’ Five Ways is a demonstration, or a valid argument, with true premises. 20. The conclusion of each of the Five Ways results from a universally accepted metaphysical principle. 21. Words associated with the term include self-originated, self-sufficiency, independence, and autonomy. Aseity refers to the belief that God does not depend on any cause other than

Himself for His existence or realization. He has within Himself His own reason for existence. Thomas Aquinas, in his Five Ways, offers proof of the self-existent God of the

Hebrew Bible.

For Reflection:

Write a paragraph (5-8 sentences) about Aquinas’ philosophical ideas in his Five Ways concerning God's self-existence. Tell why you support or refute his statements. Employ terminology from this lesson in your response. Use credible sources to complete the assignment. Document sources. Use the MLA or APA formats for documentation. Post your reflection on the discussion board. Label the post: A Reflection on Aquinas’ Five Ways.

A Closing Thought:

“I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth.”

-Martin Luther

Commented [IW25]: Source of the quote is missing.

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A Philosophical Characterization of God by Thomas Aquinas

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