Presuppositional Ponderings after Reading Thomas Aquinas, part 2

Presuppositional Ponderings after Reading Thomas Aquinas, part 2

by | Nov 11, 2019 | Apologetics

Why are we privileging Aquinas over Augustine?

One of the first things that became very clear to me as I read Aquinas was that with respect to the whole issue of apologetics and the proofs for the existence of God, he does not agree with Augustine, Anselm, and many other Christian theologians who preceded him.  They asserted (what Thomas denies) that the existence of God is self-evident or naturally implanted in man.  This is evident in his whole approach to the subject.  Here is his description of the arguments of those who say that the existence of God is self-evident in Summa Theologica Question 2, Article 2.  (Note that Aquinas is presenting views he rejects!)

Objection 2: Further, those things are said to be self-evident which are known as soon as the terms are known, which the Philosopher (1 Poster. iii) says is true of the first principles of demonstration. Thus, when the nature of a whole and of a part is known, it is at once recognized that every whole is greater than its part. But as soon as the signification of the word “God” is understood, it is at once seen that God exists. For by this word is signified that thing than which nothing greater can be conceived. But that which exists actually and mentally is greater than that which exists only mentally. Therefore, since as soon as the word “God” is understood it exists mentally, it also follows that it exists actually. Therefore the proposition “God exists” is self-evident.

Objection 3: Further, the existence of truth is self-evident. For whoever denies the existence of truth grants that truth does not exist: and, if truth does not exist, then the proposition “Truth does not exist” is true: and if there is anything true, there must be truth. But God is truth itself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6) Therefore “God exists” is self-evident.”[1]

These are descriptions of two well-known arguments for the self-evident-ness of the existence of God.  The first is Anselm’s ontological argument for the existence of God.  The second is Augustine’s argument from the existence of truth. He does not mention here that these arguments were brought forward not only by Anselm, but by Augustine as well.  This, however, was clear to anyone acquainted with Augustine.  Augustine’s argument from truth is plain to see in Book 2 of his treatise on The Free Choice of the Will. 

Aquinas denies that the existence of God is self-evident in both his Summa Theologica and in his Summa Contra Gentiles and rejects the above arguments. The five proofs are built, then, upon the denial of any innate knowledge of God.  Says Gordon H. Clark: 

Thomas faced two other contrasting views.  One is that the existence of God is self-evident and neither needs nor is susceptible of proof from prior first principles.  Those who hold this view argue that God has implanted in all men an elemental knowledge of himself.  The idea of God is innate.  On this showing any argument or so-called proof could be nothing more than a clarification of already present ideas; and such in effect was the nature of Augustine’s, Anselm’s and Bonaventura’s attempts.  Now, in one sense Thomas is willing to admit that God’s existence is self-evident: it is self-evident in itself, it is self-evident to God; but it is not self-evident to us.  God has not implanted ideas in the human mind, and all knowledge must be based on sensory experience.”   [2]

For the substantiation of Clark’s assertions, cf. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Volume 1, Question 2, Article 1; Summa Contra Gentiles, Book 1, Chapters 10-12.  In these places he mentions other Christian theologians with whom he is taking issue. Included among them are the ones he calls the Damascene and Bonaventura.

All of this is significant because it means that in favoring the classical apologetics of Aquinas, contemporary Reformed theologians are selecting one from among several historically “scholastic” positions.  They are really crediting Aquinas over Augustine.  They are also privileging Christian Aristotelianism over Christian Platonism.  It is well-known that the idea of the self-evident-ness of the existence of God appealed to Augustine, Anselm, and others because of their preference for a form of Christian Platonism which emphasized the importance of innate ideas over the Christian Aristotelianism of Aquinas which favored the importance of sensory or empirical evidence.

My point is not to argue for Christian Platonism—any more than I am arguing for Christian Aristotelianism. It is only to say that in their rush to identify Reformed Scholasticism with Aquinas, contemporary Reformed theologians may have forgotten that there was a different and viable option available to our Reformed fathers that did not involve the adoption of Aquinas’s view of natural theology.  That alternative was none other than the view of the one who was recognized by Calvin and others as the most important predecessor of the Reformation, Augustine himself. Scholastics such as Anselm and Bonaventura did not reject Augustine’s views in the way Aquinas did. They remained more faithful to the Augustinian tradition with regard to the self-evident nature of the knowledge of God.

There is certainly clear evidence (from the predominant number of times he quotes him in the Institutes) that Calvin privileged Augustine.  Calvin frequently cites Augustine by name and generally positively. I think the number is 300 plus times in the Institutes. Having searched I can find only three places where he cites by name Thomas Aquinas.  The references are not very positive, but usually rather equivocal.  In spite of this, we are supposed to think that Calvin adopted Aquinas’s view of apologetics and the theistic proofs rather than Augustine’s.  This is a really suspect way to reason.

Why are we privileging Aquinas over Augustine?  Furthermore, why must we privilege either Christian Aristotelianism or Christian Platonism? Of course, I am not arguing that we return to the Christian Platonism of Augustine.  I am saying, however, that there were certainly historical-theological alternatives available to the Reformed Scholastics that did not involve a return to “the classical apologetics” of Thomas Aquinas.

In further posts I will demonstrate some of the mistakes that are involved in privileging Aquinas’s views.

[1] Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica Question 2, Article 2

[2] Gordon H. Clark, Thales to Dewey, 272-273.

Lessons about True Conversion to Be Learned from Augustine’s Conversion: Our Seventh and Eighth Lessons

by | Sep 6, 2013 | Historical Theology

We must never allow church history in general or any part of church history in particular to exercise a divine authority over our faith. Nevertheless, there are some persons and events of church history that are so close to the core of what historical Christianity is that to deny their legitimacy seems close to denying the faith. One such event might be the conversion of Luther via his understanding of justification by faith alone. Another such event is the conversion of Augustine. We may well say, “If Augustine was not a Christian, and if his conversion was not true conversion, then whose conversion is?” Thus, we may well ask, indeed, we must ask, What lessons about true conversion can we learn from Augustine’s conversion?

Our Seventh Lesson: The Reality of the Mixture of Error in Conversion

Another important practical truth about all true conversion illustrated by the conversion of Augustine is that we must expect a mixture of misconception and error both in doctrine and practice in true conversions. Of course, this is not to say that such error is a matter of indifference or justifiable, but it is to say that in a fallen world and in an imperfectly redeemed church such error must be expected to be mixed in with even true conversions. Such error, assuming it is not an error which overthrows the foundation of the Christian faith, does not mean that the conversion in question is false. We know of two such serious errors which accompanied Augustine’s conversion.

Misconception about the Necessity of Celibacy

It was the example of St. Antony and the Egyptian monks which fired his imagination and deepened his conviction. It is clear that Augustine could contemplate no Christian life for himself which did not involve a commitment to celibacy. It is clear that he did not make this a standard for everyone else, but he certainly required it of himself. By rights his teachers and his conscience should have told him to go find Adeodatus’ mother and marry her! Sadly, this was not even on Augustine’s radar. This glorification of the monastic ideal including celibacy was not Christian, but it colored Augustine’s vision of Christianity.

Misconception about the Sovereignty of Grace

As becomes clear in the anti-Pelagian writings of Augustine, and as we will see in a later lecture, Augustine later confesses that he was not at first clear about the sovereignty of grace in salvation. While Augustine had never been Pelagian, he will tell us that he was for a while as a Christian semi-Pelagian in his views. That is to say, he believed, if we only take the first step, then the grace of God will intervene for our salvation. Of course, Augustine should have known that this was wrong from his own experience. It was, however, only his gradually maturing understanding of grace that showed him the error of semi-Pelagianism.

I have spoken to certain Christians who think that an Arminian cannot be a Christian. I have been asked by others who wonder if Arminians can be saved. Much can be said in response to those with such questions and such views. It is, however, certainly important to realize that the first Christian to affirm the sovereignty of grace in salvation and predestination in unmistakable terms was not himself a believer in these things when he himself was converted.

All of this teaches us the requirement of divine forbearance and mercy in the conversion of every sinner. Every sinner comes into the Christian faith with many misconceptions about both doctrine and practice from which he must be weaned by progressive sanctification. If God exercises such merciful forbearance towards his children, then so must we.

Our Eighth Lesson: The Consequence of the Seal of Baptism in Conversion

Paedobaptists will, of course, find all sorts of ways to explain away the fact that Augustine was not baptized as an infant. It is, however, clear that he was only baptized as a believer some months after the time of his conversion and only after a period careful instruction in the Christian faith had been completed.

Lessons about True Conversion to Be Learned from Augustine’s Conversion: Our Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Lessons

by | Aug 30, 2013 | Historical Theology

We must never allow church history in general or any part of church history in particular to exercise a divine authority over our faith. Nevertheless, there are some persons and events of church history that are so close to the core of what historical Christianity is that to deny their legitimacy seems close to denying the faith. One such event might be the conversion of Luther via his understanding of justification by faith alone. Another such event is the conversion of Augustine. We may well say, “If Augustine was not a Christian, and if his conversion was not true conversion, then whose conversion is?” Thus, we may well ask, indeed, we must ask, What lessons about true conversion can we learn from Augustine’s conversion?

Our Fourth Lesson: The Centrality of the Word of God in Conversion

The words from Augustine’s Confessions cited previously remind us of another universal feature of all true conversion. They remind us of the centrality of the Word of God as the instrument of true conversion. It was the Word of God and specifically Romans 13:13-14 that God used to renew and speak peace to the soul of Augustine. Augustine’s conversion shows (in the language of Scripture) that men are born again (as 1 Peter 1:23 teaches) “not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.”

Our Fifth Lesson: The Sovereignty of the Grace of God in Conversion

Another great truth about true conversion underscored in Augustine’s conversion and to Augustine himself is the fact of the sovereignty of God in all true conversion. Augustine’s experience of his own helplessness in the face of his bondage to sexual sin made clear to Him that only the direct intervention of God in power and grace could free him from his sin. I think it is clear that this prepared the way for his later, mature views of the sovereignty of God’s grace and predestination. It was first in His conversion that Augustine learned the truth of Jesus’ words in John 6:44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Our Sixth Lesson: The Reality of the Change of Lordship in Conversion

What I am saying under this heading is really a truism. Conversion means conversion! That is, true conversion always involves a radical renewal of the life and conduct of the one converted. Augustine’s conversion is again paradigmatic in this regard. Augustine would have had no peace and no sense of having been saved without the confident awareness that in the moment of his salvation God had delivered him from bondage to his sins and especially the bondage he felt to his sexual sins. This liberation and release from bondage was essential to his conversion and it is essential to every true conversion. Yes, it may be that the outward manifestations of inward repentance may struggle for a period to fully take possession of the life. Yes, it is true that Christians struggle throughout life with the principle of sin, but this sin does not reign over them. It only remains in them. This is why the modern so-called free grace movements which deny that conversion entails such repentance and transformation are fundamentally at odds with true Christian conversion. The Christian doctrine of conversion is found in the famous words of Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Lessons about True Conversion to Be Learned from Augustine’s Conversion: Our Second and Third Lessons

by | Aug 23, 2013 | Historical Theology

We must never allow church history in general or any part of church history in particular to exercise a divine authority over our faith. Nevertheless, there are some persons and events of church history that are so close to the core of what historical Christianity is that to deny their legitimacy seems close to denying the faith. One such event might be the conversion of Luther via his understanding of justification by faith alone. Another such event is the conversion of Augustine. We may well say, “If Augustine was not a Christian, and if his conversion was not true conversion, then whose conversion is?” Thus, we may well ask, indeed, we must ask, What lessons about true conversion can we learn from Augustine’s conversion?

Our Second Lesson: The Necessity of the Conviction of Sin in Conversion

The pages of Augustine’s Confessions which lead up to the account of his conversion reek of sin and the conviction of sin. The increasingly overpowering sense of his
bondage under sexual sin is underscored by the tragic account of the sending away of his much loved concubine because of the marriage arranged for him with an under-age heiress. One can sense Augustine’s crushing sense of moral failure in the astonishing account of his procuring a second concubine because he could not wait the two years till his under-age bride could marry. The deep insight which his experience gave him of the depravity or evil of sin can be read in Augustine’s account of how he and his buddies vandalized the pear tree of a neighbor and did it, as Augustine came to believe, for the sheer evil of it. The profane saying of wicked men about doing something “just for the hell of it” is more true than such men realized, Augustine was convinced. Augustine came to be deeply convinced of both the evil and the power of sin by his own experience. This experience prepared the way for his later insights.

Our Third Lesson: The Over-ruling of the Providence of God in Conversion

Here are Augustine’s remarks about the immediate circumstances of his conversion:

So was I speaking and weeping in the most bitter contrition of my heart, when, lo! I heard from a neighboring house a voice, as of boy or girl, I know not, chanting, and oft repeating, “Take up and read; Take up and read.” Instantly, my countenance altered, I began to think most intently whether children were wont in any kind of play to sing such words: nor could I remember ever to have heard the like. So checking the torrent of my tears, I arose; interpreting it to be no other than a command from God to open the book, and read the first chapter I should find. For I had heard of Antony, that coming in during the reading of the Gospel, he received the admonition, as if what was being read was spoken to him: Go, sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me: and by such oracle he was forthwith converted unto Thee. Eagerly then I returned to the place where Alypius was sitting; for there had I laid the volume of the Apostle when I arose thence I seized, opened, and in silence read that section on which my eyes first fell: Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, in concupiscence. No further would I read; nor needed I: for instantly at the end of this sentence, by a light as it were of serenity infused into my heart, all the darkness of doubt vanished away.

We are not to learn from the example of Augustine the foolish method of seeking God’s will by opening the Bible at random and putting our finger on a verse. This is what Augustine did, but we are not to imitate his superstition. We are, however, to marvel at the kindness of an over-ruling providence which in spite of the folly of such a practice used it and the striking providence of the child’s chant of “take up and read.” In His kind providence God used things to lead Augustine to the exact Words of Scripture which God used to convert His soul to Himself.

Lessons about True Conversion to Be Learned from Augustine’s Conversion: Our First Lesson

by | Aug 16, 2013 | Historical Theology

We must never allow church history in general or any part of church history in particular to exercise a divine authority over our faith. Nevertheless, there are some persons and events of church history that are so close to the core of what historical Christianity is that to deny their legitimacy seems close to denying the faith. One such event might be the conversion of Luther via his understanding of justification by faith alone. Another such event is the conversion of Augustine. We may well say, “If Augustine was not a Christian, and if his conversion was not true conversion, then whose conversion is?” Thus, we may well ask, indeed, we must ask, What lessons about true conversion can we learn from Augustine’s conversion?

Our First Lesson: The Importance of the Use of Means in Conversion

There is a debate in some Reformed circles over views of conversion which emphasize the importance of nurture in conversion and views which emphasize that conversion is a sudden event which often takes place without previous preparation in the context of revival. Now without getting deeply involved in that debate, it is clear that the use of means were vitally important to Augustine’s conversion.

The Means of Prayer—Monica

There may be no famous instance in the history of Christianity of the importance of parental nurture, but especially of parental prayers than the example of Monica. From this we learn that persevering prayer which never gives up on praying for the object of one’s concern is a mighty means in the conversion of sinners. We should never give up on the possibility of God answering our prayers in the conversion of our loved ones.

The Means of Preaching—Ambrose

The instruction from Ambrose which Augustine received in the years immediately preceding his conversion, and especially His preaching, is a strong encouragement to
bring our children faithfully, and others as we can persuade them, under the faithful ministry of the Word of God. It is plain that through the preaching of Ambrose Augustine experienced both an increasingly clear understanding of the truthfulness of the Christian religion and an increasingly deep conviction of sin. These things plainly led to (were the means of) his conversion.

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