Reproduced with kind permission from 'Theofilus' Vol. 8, n 1, 2016
The theological sensibility o... more Reproduced with kind permission from 'Theofilus' Vol. 8, n 1, 2016
The theological sensibility of Radical Orthodoxy in its quest to return to traditional sources of orthodoxy for a ‘radical’ critique of secular thought has particularly privileged the thought of Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) as the pinnacle of the ‘ancient way’ prior to the nominalistic ‘fall’ which entered with Duns Scotus. This paper however questions whether Radical Orthodoxy has been radically Thomistic enough in its metaphysics and particularly highlights the importance of first principles of knowledge such as the law of non-contradiction to Thomas Aquinas. Whereas Aquinas insisted that God cannot break the law of non-contradiction, key RO writers have argued that this law is somehow suspended in God. This paper argues that compromising the law of non-contradiction weakens RO’s critique of secularism and opens up the possibility of nihilism.
“If Labour had a better understanding of British history – and human nature”, said the daughter... more “If Labour had a better understanding of British history – and human nature”, said the daughter of a Methodist minister and former British Prime Minster, Margaret Thatcher in her address to the Conservative Women’s Conference of May 25th 1988, “they might recall the words of John Wesley who founded Methodism 250 years ago: Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can.’ More recently, former Shadow Health Secretary, Jamie Reed MP resigned from the Labour front bench on the occasion of the election of his new leader, Jeremy Corbyn on the grounds that the Labour Party ‘owes more to Methodism than to Marxism’. It seems that there are elements within both the Tory party and the Labour Party which want to claim an inheritance from Methodism, but have either of them fully appreciated just how radical John Wesley was? This paper takes as its outline the three headings of Wesley’s Sermon 50, on The Use of Money: ‘Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can’ and examines Wesley’s own interpretation and application of these principles. Finally I will close with some brief comments on the direction ‘a Methodist economics’ might take today.
Opening statement in debate with Richard Acton of Nottingham University Atheist, Secularist and H... more Opening statement in debate with Richard Acton of Nottingham University Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Soceity, March 17th, 2015
In this paper I argue that theism provides the best explanation of the reality of Justice and Mor... more In this paper I argue that theism provides the best explanation of the reality of Justice and Moral Law. I defend this position using 5 propositions: 1. The nature of Justice exceeds historically contingent laws. 2. A necessary requirement of justice and moral action is free will which is incompatible with Scientific naturalism. 3. Many leading atheist philosophers have agreed that without God there is no objective standard of morality (eg Nietzsche, Marx, Freud, Sartre, Foucault, Zizek), 4. If God does exist the ultimate real is objective Goodness. 5.The Moral argument in providing an ontological ground of Goodness, at the same time overcomes objections raised by the presence of evil and suffering in the world.
Many writers have recognised that Thomas does not present us with a theory of analogy. Rather wh... more Many writers have recognised that Thomas does not present us with a theory of analogy. Rather what we see in his numerous works is how Aquinas uses analogy. This creates ambiguity and difficulties for scholars trying to reconstruct a systematic understanding of analogy in the mind of Aquinas.
One fundamental question raised by Aquinas’ treatment of analogy which I seek to address in this paper is whether analogy is primarily a grammatical or else a metaphysical doctrine. Is it, to put it another way, a matter of predication or of participation?
I propose to answer this question by firstly examining the metaphysical interpretation of Cardinal Cajetan, followed by the ‘predication only’ view of Ralph McInerny. I will discuss problems raised by both approaches. Next I will discuss to what extent predication might depend on participation in the metaphysical and clarify the nature of this dependence. It will become evident during this discussion that the issue of the nature of analogy impinges on the wider issue of how far Aquinas is working within an Aristotelian or a Platonic framework of epistemology. Finally I will draw some tentative conclusions.
In examining the discipline of phenomenology and its relationship to the Christian concept of ... more In examining the discipline of phenomenology and its relationship to the Christian concept of revelation, we enter into a paradigm study of the relationship between philosophy and Christian theology, if theology is defined as the study of revealed religion. In this necessarily short article, after introducing key terms and concepts, I will argue that phenomenology can illuminate aspects of natural revelation and also clarify aspects of special revelation. The starting point of phenomenology as a human activity is both necessary in terms of the limits of its discipline as an epistemology, yet also a limitation which points to the necessity of ‘outside’ help from special revelation. I will treat in particular the theme of ‘consciousness’ in phenomenology as a potential subject matter of natural revelation and discuss to what extent phenomenology opens up or distorts this light. The important insight that hiddenness is a condition for the reception of revelation is dealt with next, alongside its corollary of the inexhaustibility of revelation. Finally there is a brief exploration of how phenomenology’s treatment of ‘things themselves’ could help clarify an understanding of the relationship between the immanent and the economic trinity.
This paper builds on my previous published thesis that whereas the negative theology of Pseudo-... more This paper builds on my previous published thesis that whereas the negative theology of Pseudo-Dionysius entailed the complete unknowability of God as One beyond language, concept and being, Thomas developed a distinctly ‘positive apophaticism’ which transformed ‘Denys’ in the light of Augustine, Aristotle and especially Scripture itself. In this present dissertation I examine how Thomas’ approach to Scripture, particularly in the value he assigns to the ‘literal sense’ of Scripture, begins to reconfigure the hierarchical vision of the cosmos found in Pseudo-Dionysius. I argue that Thomas’ approach to the different senses of Scripture is both more comprehensive and rigorous than that of Pseudo-Dionysius and that it still offers a guiding light through the hermeneutical fog of contemporary theology with its dual challenges both from historical/critical methods and from deconstructive neo-kabbalistic approaches, culminating in the God without Being of Jean-Luc Marion whose silence, ‘precisely because it does not explain itself, exposes itself to an infinite equivocation of meaning.’
The mysterious figure of Pseudo-Dionysius was probably a heterodox Origenist and monophysite theo... more The mysterious figure of Pseudo-Dionysius was probably a heterodox Origenist and monophysite theologian from 6th century Syria, yet he successfully deceived the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches for 900 years into believing he was a first century disciple of the apostle Paul. This paper explores how he managed to pull off this ruse through appealing to the commonly accepted authority of Scripture, through concealing his more overt heterodox teachings within a secret oral tradition and through the use of pseudonymity. In my evaluation I point out that Dionysius’ success at avoiding condemnation and persecution this paper came at a price, namely that the subsequent ‘receptions’ of the Pseudo-Dionysius within orthodoxy ‘corrected’ his teachings to such an extent that his original message is shrouded in obscurity.
Based on a paper given at Cambridge University, Faculty of Divinity, Postgraduate Study Day, May... more Based on a paper given at Cambridge University, Faculty of Divinity, Postgraduate Study Day, May 26th, 2017
Martin Luther famously denounced Pseudo-Dionysius as ‘downright dangerous; he Platonizes more than he Christianizes.’ In this 500th year of the Reformation I critically examine Luther’s judgement firstly by exploring the Neoplatonic background to ritual in Dionysius, secondly by presenting a Reformed critique of this background and finally by arguing for a distinctively Christian Dionysius who survives this critique.
In this paper I discuss a theological and philosophical question about the nature of God and how... more In this paper I discuss a theological and philosophical question about the nature of God and how it relates to human freedom, namely Can God be omniscient (all knowing), including knowing future free choices and human beings still have genuine libertarian free will? Although this is not directly related to atheism, some have argued that if the attributes of God can be shown to be contradictory then God as He is generally understood cannot exist. In today’s talk I am going to defend the position that God’s foreknowledge is compatible with genuine human free will and that it is coherent to believe in both.
Now that Scripture is back on the A level curriculum for Religious Studies as a ‘source of wisdo... more Now that Scripture is back on the A level curriculum for Religious Studies as a ‘source of wisdom and authority’ alongside Church and reason, this paper argues that it is time to seize the opportunity to revisit the Angelic Doctor’s approach to Scripture as a unique perspective of a magesterial figure within classical theism and especially within the Roman Catholic tradition. What can still be gleaned from the insights of this medieval Doctor of the Church? This paper examines the importance of Scripture for Aquinas, not simply as one among a number of competing authorities, but as the Authority of authorities ( auctoritate auctoritatibus ) and notes that for Thomas it defines the very parameters of the term authority (auctoritate) which evolves a usage analogical to its original referent. It also examines the range and depth of meaning Aquinas discerned in this unique Book of books, which has God as its auctor. Thomas presents a Christocentric sensus plenior (full sense) which draws from a well of moral, allegorical and anagogical meanings, while at the same time remaining grounded in what he terms a ‘literal’ sense . The paper discusses how the literal sense for Aquinas is very different from the modern sense of ‘literal’ as applied by and to fundamentalists. Consequently revisiting the perspective of Thomas Aquinas is a fertile exercise in ressourcement which can both engage with and also carry the potential to critique contemporary perspectives.
Reproduced with kind permission from 'Theofilus' Vol. 8, n 1, 2016
The theological sensibility o... more Reproduced with kind permission from 'Theofilus' Vol. 8, n 1, 2016
The theological sensibility of Radical Orthodoxy in its quest to return to traditional sources of orthodoxy for a ‘radical’ critique of secular thought has particularly privileged the thought of Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) as the pinnacle of the ‘ancient way’ prior to the nominalistic ‘fall’ which entered with Duns Scotus. This paper however questions whether Radical Orthodoxy has been radically Thomistic enough in its metaphysics and particularly highlights the importance of first principles of knowledge such as the law of non-contradiction to Thomas Aquinas. Whereas Aquinas insisted that God cannot break the law of non-contradiction, key RO writers have argued that this law is somehow suspended in God. This paper argues that compromising the law of non-contradiction weakens RO’s critique of secularism and opens up the possibility of nihilism.
“If Labour had a better understanding of British history – and human nature”, said the daughter... more “If Labour had a better understanding of British history – and human nature”, said the daughter of a Methodist minister and former British Prime Minster, Margaret Thatcher in her address to the Conservative Women’s Conference of May 25th 1988, “they might recall the words of John Wesley who founded Methodism 250 years ago: Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can.’ More recently, former Shadow Health Secretary, Jamie Reed MP resigned from the Labour front bench on the occasion of the election of his new leader, Jeremy Corbyn on the grounds that the Labour Party ‘owes more to Methodism than to Marxism’. It seems that there are elements within both the Tory party and the Labour Party which want to claim an inheritance from Methodism, but have either of them fully appreciated just how radical John Wesley was? This paper takes as its outline the three headings of Wesley’s Sermon 50, on The Use of Money: ‘Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can’ and examines Wesley’s own interpretation and application of these principles. Finally I will close with some brief comments on the direction ‘a Methodist economics’ might take today.
Opening statement in debate with Richard Acton of Nottingham University Atheist, Secularist and H... more Opening statement in debate with Richard Acton of Nottingham University Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Soceity, March 17th, 2015
In this paper I argue that theism provides the best explanation of the reality of Justice and Mor... more In this paper I argue that theism provides the best explanation of the reality of Justice and Moral Law. I defend this position using 5 propositions: 1. The nature of Justice exceeds historically contingent laws. 2. A necessary requirement of justice and moral action is free will which is incompatible with Scientific naturalism. 3. Many leading atheist philosophers have agreed that without God there is no objective standard of morality (eg Nietzsche, Marx, Freud, Sartre, Foucault, Zizek), 4. If God does exist the ultimate real is objective Goodness. 5.The Moral argument in providing an ontological ground of Goodness, at the same time overcomes objections raised by the presence of evil and suffering in the world.
Many writers have recognised that Thomas does not present us with a theory of analogy. Rather wh... more Many writers have recognised that Thomas does not present us with a theory of analogy. Rather what we see in his numerous works is how Aquinas uses analogy. This creates ambiguity and difficulties for scholars trying to reconstruct a systematic understanding of analogy in the mind of Aquinas.
One fundamental question raised by Aquinas’ treatment of analogy which I seek to address in this paper is whether analogy is primarily a grammatical or else a metaphysical doctrine. Is it, to put it another way, a matter of predication or of participation?
I propose to answer this question by firstly examining the metaphysical interpretation of Cardinal Cajetan, followed by the ‘predication only’ view of Ralph McInerny. I will discuss problems raised by both approaches. Next I will discuss to what extent predication might depend on participation in the metaphysical and clarify the nature of this dependence. It will become evident during this discussion that the issue of the nature of analogy impinges on the wider issue of how far Aquinas is working within an Aristotelian or a Platonic framework of epistemology. Finally I will draw some tentative conclusions.
In examining the discipline of phenomenology and its relationship to the Christian concept of ... more In examining the discipline of phenomenology and its relationship to the Christian concept of revelation, we enter into a paradigm study of the relationship between philosophy and Christian theology, if theology is defined as the study of revealed religion. In this necessarily short article, after introducing key terms and concepts, I will argue that phenomenology can illuminate aspects of natural revelation and also clarify aspects of special revelation. The starting point of phenomenology as a human activity is both necessary in terms of the limits of its discipline as an epistemology, yet also a limitation which points to the necessity of ‘outside’ help from special revelation. I will treat in particular the theme of ‘consciousness’ in phenomenology as a potential subject matter of natural revelation and discuss to what extent phenomenology opens up or distorts this light. The important insight that hiddenness is a condition for the reception of revelation is dealt with next, alongside its corollary of the inexhaustibility of revelation. Finally there is a brief exploration of how phenomenology’s treatment of ‘things themselves’ could help clarify an understanding of the relationship between the immanent and the economic trinity.
This paper builds on my previous published thesis that whereas the negative theology of Pseudo-... more This paper builds on my previous published thesis that whereas the negative theology of Pseudo-Dionysius entailed the complete unknowability of God as One beyond language, concept and being, Thomas developed a distinctly ‘positive apophaticism’ which transformed ‘Denys’ in the light of Augustine, Aristotle and especially Scripture itself. In this present dissertation I examine how Thomas’ approach to Scripture, particularly in the value he assigns to the ‘literal sense’ of Scripture, begins to reconfigure the hierarchical vision of the cosmos found in Pseudo-Dionysius. I argue that Thomas’ approach to the different senses of Scripture is both more comprehensive and rigorous than that of Pseudo-Dionysius and that it still offers a guiding light through the hermeneutical fog of contemporary theology with its dual challenges both from historical/critical methods and from deconstructive neo-kabbalistic approaches, culminating in the God without Being of Jean-Luc Marion whose silence, ‘precisely because it does not explain itself, exposes itself to an infinite equivocation of meaning.’
The mysterious figure of Pseudo-Dionysius was probably a heterodox Origenist and monophysite theo... more The mysterious figure of Pseudo-Dionysius was probably a heterodox Origenist and monophysite theologian from 6th century Syria, yet he successfully deceived the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches for 900 years into believing he was a first century disciple of the apostle Paul. This paper explores how he managed to pull off this ruse through appealing to the commonly accepted authority of Scripture, through concealing his more overt heterodox teachings within a secret oral tradition and through the use of pseudonymity. In my evaluation I point out that Dionysius’ success at avoiding condemnation and persecution this paper came at a price, namely that the subsequent ‘receptions’ of the Pseudo-Dionysius within orthodoxy ‘corrected’ his teachings to such an extent that his original message is shrouded in obscurity.
Based on a paper given at Cambridge University, Faculty of Divinity, Postgraduate Study Day, May... more Based on a paper given at Cambridge University, Faculty of Divinity, Postgraduate Study Day, May 26th, 2017
Martin Luther famously denounced Pseudo-Dionysius as ‘downright dangerous; he Platonizes more than he Christianizes.’ In this 500th year of the Reformation I critically examine Luther’s judgement firstly by exploring the Neoplatonic background to ritual in Dionysius, secondly by presenting a Reformed critique of this background and finally by arguing for a distinctively Christian Dionysius who survives this critique.
In this paper I discuss a theological and philosophical question about the nature of God and how... more In this paper I discuss a theological and philosophical question about the nature of God and how it relates to human freedom, namely Can God be omniscient (all knowing), including knowing future free choices and human beings still have genuine libertarian free will? Although this is not directly related to atheism, some have argued that if the attributes of God can be shown to be contradictory then God as He is generally understood cannot exist. In today’s talk I am going to defend the position that God’s foreknowledge is compatible with genuine human free will and that it is coherent to believe in both.
Now that Scripture is back on the A level curriculum for Religious Studies as a ‘source of wisdo... more Now that Scripture is back on the A level curriculum for Religious Studies as a ‘source of wisdom and authority’ alongside Church and reason, this paper argues that it is time to seize the opportunity to revisit the Angelic Doctor’s approach to Scripture as a unique perspective of a magesterial figure within classical theism and especially within the Roman Catholic tradition. What can still be gleaned from the insights of this medieval Doctor of the Church? This paper examines the importance of Scripture for Aquinas, not simply as one among a number of competing authorities, but as the Authority of authorities ( auctoritate auctoritatibus ) and notes that for Thomas it defines the very parameters of the term authority (auctoritate) which evolves a usage analogical to its original referent. It also examines the range and depth of meaning Aquinas discerned in this unique Book of books, which has God as its auctor. Thomas presents a Christocentric sensus plenior (full sense) which draws from a well of moral, allegorical and anagogical meanings, while at the same time remaining grounded in what he terms a ‘literal’ sense . The paper discusses how the literal sense for Aquinas is very different from the modern sense of ‘literal’ as applied by and to fundamentalists. Consequently revisiting the perspective of Thomas Aquinas is a fertile exercise in ressourcement which can both engage with and also carry the potential to critique contemporary perspectives.
In this paper I compare the treatment of Scripture found in the ‘anagogical’ method of late 5th ... more In this paper I compare the treatment of Scripture found in the ‘anagogical’ method of late 5th century writer Pseudo-Dionysius with the ‘architectural’ method of Aquinas’ four senses of Scripture using the literal sense as its foundation. I argue that, instead of rejecting the approach of Dionysius, Aquinas accommodates it within a wider synthesis within which it can be transformed.
It is through Pseudo- Dionysius (5th c) that the neologism ‘hierarchy’ entered the dictionarie... more It is through Pseudo- Dionysius (5th c) that the neologism ‘hierarchy’ entered the dictionaries. This was to become a master narrative from the Middle Ages and into the modern period which Karl Marx would later seek to explain by material and economic conditions. But for Dionysius, hierarchy embodied a cosmic order, a ‘harmonious law, the wonderful source of all visible and invisible order’ intrinsic to reality itself. This paper examines how Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) both received and transformed this notion of hierarchy and whether any aspects of his vision could still have relevance today.
The 13th century inaugurated a new era in which old hierarchies were weakening and new ones were being formed. A new mercantile class was emerging, international bankers, monastic orders and religious movements. Universities too created a new public space for dialogue and learning. At the beginning of this time of great social change, Aquinas looked back conservatively to the threefold structure for society carved out in Plato’s Republic as a model of stability to emulate. Yet at the same time, Aquinas can be seen as progressive for his age by introducing important distinctions or limits to absolute power. This paper focuses on five of these distinctions: 1. The possibility of being called ‘King’ only by equivocation, 2. The recognition of limits on obedience. 3. The possibility of submitting to one’s inferior. 4. The recognition of an appropriate correction of a superior and 5. The potential deconstruction of the notion of hierarchy implicit in Aquinas’ doctrine of the Trinity. This paper argues that the emerging theology in Aquinas which transforms Neoplatonic understandings of hierarchy into a qualitatively different order ultimately flows out of the normative role of Scripture in Thomas’ thinking.
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Papers by Alan Darley
The theological sensibility of Radical Orthodoxy in its quest to return to traditional sources of orthodoxy for a ‘radical’ critique of secular thought has particularly privileged the thought of Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) as the pinnacle of the ‘ancient way’ prior to the nominalistic ‘fall’ which entered with Duns Scotus. This paper however questions whether Radical Orthodoxy has been radically Thomistic enough in its metaphysics and particularly highlights the importance of first principles of knowledge such as the law of non-contradiction to Thomas Aquinas. Whereas Aquinas insisted that God cannot break the law of non-contradiction, key RO writers have argued that this law is somehow suspended in God. This paper argues that compromising the law of non-contradiction weakens RO’s critique of secularism and opens up the possibility of nihilism.
One fundamental question raised by Aquinas’ treatment of analogy which I seek to address in this paper is whether analogy is primarily a grammatical or else a metaphysical doctrine. Is it, to put it another way, a matter of predication or of participation?
I propose to answer this question by firstly examining the metaphysical interpretation of Cardinal Cajetan, followed by the ‘predication only’ view of Ralph McInerny. I will discuss problems raised by both approaches. Next I will discuss to what extent predication might depend on participation in the metaphysical and clarify the nature of this dependence. It will become evident during this discussion that the issue of the nature of analogy impinges on the wider issue of how far Aquinas is working within an Aristotelian or a Platonic framework of epistemology. Finally I will draw some tentative conclusions.
Drafts by Alan Darley
This paper explores how he managed to pull off this ruse through appealing to the commonly accepted authority of Scripture, through concealing his more overt heterodox teachings within a secret oral tradition and through the use of pseudonymity.
In my evaluation I point out that Dionysius’ success at avoiding condemnation and persecution this paper came at a price, namely that the subsequent ‘receptions’ of the Pseudo-Dionysius within orthodoxy ‘corrected’ his teachings to such an extent that his original message is shrouded in obscurity.
Martin Luther famously denounced Pseudo-Dionysius as ‘downright dangerous; he Platonizes more than he Christianizes.’ In this 500th year of the Reformation I critically examine Luther’s judgement firstly by exploring the Neoplatonic background to ritual in Dionysius, secondly by presenting a Reformed critique of this background and finally by arguing for a distinctively Christian Dionysius who survives this critique.
This paper examines the importance of Scripture for Aquinas, not simply as one among a number of competing authorities, but as the Authority of authorities ( auctoritate auctoritatibus ) and notes that for Thomas it defines the very parameters of the term authority (auctoritate) which evolves a usage analogical to its original referent.
It also examines the range and depth of meaning Aquinas discerned in this unique Book of books, which has God as its auctor. Thomas presents a Christocentric sensus plenior (full sense) which draws from a well of moral, allegorical and anagogical meanings, while at the same time remaining grounded in what he terms a ‘literal’ sense .
The paper discusses how the literal sense for Aquinas is very different from the modern sense of ‘literal’ as applied by and to fundamentalists. Consequently revisiting the perspective of Thomas Aquinas is a fertile exercise in ressourcement which can both engage with and also carry the potential to critique contemporary perspectives.
The theological sensibility of Radical Orthodoxy in its quest to return to traditional sources of orthodoxy for a ‘radical’ critique of secular thought has particularly privileged the thought of Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) as the pinnacle of the ‘ancient way’ prior to the nominalistic ‘fall’ which entered with Duns Scotus. This paper however questions whether Radical Orthodoxy has been radically Thomistic enough in its metaphysics and particularly highlights the importance of first principles of knowledge such as the law of non-contradiction to Thomas Aquinas. Whereas Aquinas insisted that God cannot break the law of non-contradiction, key RO writers have argued that this law is somehow suspended in God. This paper argues that compromising the law of non-contradiction weakens RO’s critique of secularism and opens up the possibility of nihilism.
One fundamental question raised by Aquinas’ treatment of analogy which I seek to address in this paper is whether analogy is primarily a grammatical or else a metaphysical doctrine. Is it, to put it another way, a matter of predication or of participation?
I propose to answer this question by firstly examining the metaphysical interpretation of Cardinal Cajetan, followed by the ‘predication only’ view of Ralph McInerny. I will discuss problems raised by both approaches. Next I will discuss to what extent predication might depend on participation in the metaphysical and clarify the nature of this dependence. It will become evident during this discussion that the issue of the nature of analogy impinges on the wider issue of how far Aquinas is working within an Aristotelian or a Platonic framework of epistemology. Finally I will draw some tentative conclusions.
This paper explores how he managed to pull off this ruse through appealing to the commonly accepted authority of Scripture, through concealing his more overt heterodox teachings within a secret oral tradition and through the use of pseudonymity.
In my evaluation I point out that Dionysius’ success at avoiding condemnation and persecution this paper came at a price, namely that the subsequent ‘receptions’ of the Pseudo-Dionysius within orthodoxy ‘corrected’ his teachings to such an extent that his original message is shrouded in obscurity.
Martin Luther famously denounced Pseudo-Dionysius as ‘downright dangerous; he Platonizes more than he Christianizes.’ In this 500th year of the Reformation I critically examine Luther’s judgement firstly by exploring the Neoplatonic background to ritual in Dionysius, secondly by presenting a Reformed critique of this background and finally by arguing for a distinctively Christian Dionysius who survives this critique.
This paper examines the importance of Scripture for Aquinas, not simply as one among a number of competing authorities, but as the Authority of authorities ( auctoritate auctoritatibus ) and notes that for Thomas it defines the very parameters of the term authority (auctoritate) which evolves a usage analogical to its original referent.
It also examines the range and depth of meaning Aquinas discerned in this unique Book of books, which has God as its auctor. Thomas presents a Christocentric sensus plenior (full sense) which draws from a well of moral, allegorical and anagogical meanings, while at the same time remaining grounded in what he terms a ‘literal’ sense .
The paper discusses how the literal sense for Aquinas is very different from the modern sense of ‘literal’ as applied by and to fundamentalists. Consequently revisiting the perspective of Thomas Aquinas is a fertile exercise in ressourcement which can both engage with and also carry the potential to critique contemporary perspectives.
The 13th century inaugurated a new era in which old hierarchies were weakening and new ones were being formed. A new mercantile class was emerging, international bankers, monastic orders and religious movements. Universities too created a new public space for dialogue and learning. At the beginning of this time of great social change, Aquinas looked back conservatively to the threefold structure for society carved out in Plato’s Republic as a model of stability to emulate. Yet at the same time, Aquinas can be seen as progressive for his age by introducing important distinctions or limits to absolute power. This paper focuses on five of these distinctions: 1. The possibility of being called ‘King’ only by equivocation, 2. The recognition of limits on obedience. 3. The possibility of submitting to one’s inferior. 4. The recognition of an appropriate correction of a superior and 5. The potential deconstruction of the notion of hierarchy implicit in Aquinas’ doctrine of the Trinity.
This paper argues that the emerging theology in Aquinas which transforms Neoplatonic understandings of hierarchy into a qualitatively different order ultimately flows out of the normative role of Scripture in Thomas’ thinking.