Theology and Reason: Aquinas on Human Salvation
St. Thomas Aquinas on Theology and Reason
Location and Subject
St. Thomas Aquinas’s work belongs to the thirteenth century, the period of Medieval Philosophy. It represents the apogee of scholasticism, marking the second great synthesis of Christian philosophy attempting to reconcile faith with Aristotelian philosophy. This text explores the necessity of theology, or divine revelation, alongside reason, for human salvation.
Key Ideas
- Human salvation requires not only reason (philosophy) but also theology, the study of the divine.
- Human reason has limitations and cannot fully access the knowledge of God, essential for salvation.
- Knowledge of God, and thus of human salvation, is necessary to guide human actions and thoughts. Revelation makes this knowledge accessible.
- Due to reason’s limitations, the truths about God accessible through reason alone are attainable only by a few, with effort and potential for error.
- Since knowledge of God is essential for salvation, theology, based on revelation, offers a more accessible and reliable path to this knowledge.
Argument and Explanation
Aquinas argues that human salvation requires both reason and revelation. He bases this argument on the following premises:
- Human reason has limitations.
- Knowledge of God is necessary to direct human actions and achieve salvation.
- Complete knowledge of God can only be achieved through divine revelation.
- Reason alone can lead to the truth about God, but only for a few, and with the risk of error.
From these premises, Aquinas concludes that achieving salvation requires both reason and revelation.
Aquinas emphasizes the limitations of human reason, drawing on Aristotelian epistemology. Like Aristotle, he believes knowledge begins with the senses and requires experience. Reason, distinct from faith, deals with natural truths through abstraction. However, divine knowledge, including the articles of faith, lies beyond the reach of sensory experience and thus requires revelation.
While acknowledging that some truths about God (preambles of faith, such as God’s existence, the soul’s immortality, and the creation of the world) are accessible through reason, Aquinas argues that revelation is essential for complete knowledge. These preambles of faith represent a point of convergence between reason and faith, refuting the Averroist theory of double truth and promoting reconciliation between the two.
Given the limitations of human reason and the urgency of salvation, Aquinas concludes that revelation through faith is necessary. Not all humans are philosophers, and even philosophers are prone to error. Therefore, theology, based on revelation, provides the most accessible and secure path to the truth necessary for salvation. While philosophy plays a crucial role, it remains subordinate to theology in matters of salvation.