To Talk About God Analogy in the Thought of Thomas of Vio Cajetan

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Paulo Vasconcelos Jacobina

Abstract

The analogy is one of the most used ways to talk about God, because it allows to express perfections, similarities and proportions without disregarding the limits of human


language about the divine. One can speak of God from the perfection of creation, order and intelligibility of the world by analogy, without reducing or imprisoning God in mere concepts. Starting from Thomas de Vio Cajetan, the author sought to demonstrate the richness, limits and virtues of analogy in this dialogical process. Evidencing three modes of analogy: by inequality, attribution and proportionality, only the latter is considered as an analogy in stricto sensu. In the proportionality analogy, each analogate has a perfect concept and relates to the analogous principle in a proportional and essential way, with a similarity unity among the analogates. This mode of analogy offers a coherent tool for theology, as it respects the transcendence and the relationship of God with all creation, by reflecting on the divine without manipulating it or compartmentalizing it in laws or formulas, as the positive sciences do.

Article Details

How to Cite
Vasconcelos Jacobina, P. (2019). To Talk About God: Analogy in the Thought of Thomas of Vio Cajetan. Brasiliensis, 8(16), 41-75. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8128441
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Articles
Author Biography

Paulo Vasconcelos Jacobina

Mestre em Direito Econômico pela UFBA, Bacharel em Direito pela UCSal, Bacharel em Teologia pelo CST/DF.

How to Cite

Vasconcelos Jacobina, P. (2019). To Talk About God: Analogy in the Thought of Thomas of Vio Cajetan. Brasiliensis, 8(16), 41-75. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8128441