Three More Jigs in the Puzzle: The Unity of Analogy, Beatitude and Virtue in Thomas' Summa Theologiae

摘要

Scholarship abounds on the notion of analogy in Thomas Aquinas' writing. Scholarship also abounds on Thomas' treatment of beatitude and virtue. Yet seldom does scholarship treat the fundamental unity Thomas intended among analogy, beatitude and virtue in the Summa Theologiae. This article traces the connections between these terms to re-endow terms like 'beatitude' and 'virtue' with a theological meaning that may surprise, and it shows how Thomas assumes that what we say of God is of first importance.