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Religious Language

Analogy and symbol: Aquinas, Ramsey, Randall and Tillich

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 2

Overview

Aquinas's analogy of attribution, aquinas's analogy of proportion and model in Ian Ramsey's account of religious language.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Why does Aquinas reject both univocal and equivocal language about God?

Key term

Explain Aquinas's analogy of attribution.

Key term

Explain Aquinas's analogy of proportion.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Why does Aquinas reject both univocal and equivocal language about God?

    Model answer

    Univocal language would make God a being of the same order as creatures. Equivocal language would empty religious words of any usable meaning.

  2. 2

    Explain Aquinas's analogy of attribution.

    Model answer

    Qualities found in creatures are attributed to God because God is their source. Health in a bull's urine is Aquinas's illustration, since the health properly belongs to the bull.

  3. 3

    Explain Aquinas's analogy of proportion.

    Model answer

    A quality belongs to a being in proportion to the kind of being it is. Human goodness is good in a human way, and God's goodness is good in a manner proportionate to being God.

  4. 4

    What does analogy achieve for Aquinas?

    Model answer

    Analogy keeps religious statements meaningful without collapsing God into a creature. Talk of God says something true while leaving God's nature beyond full comprehension.

  5. 5

    Give two challenges to Aquinas's use of analogy.

    Model answer

    Analogy presupposes that God exists and causes the world, so it convinces nobody who doubts that. Critics also complain that we learn only that God is good, never what divine goodness is like.

  6. 6

    What is a model in Ian Ramsey's account of religious language?

    Model answer

    A model is a familiar word or situation used as a starting point for talk of God. Father, cause and wisdom serve as Ramsey's models.

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