On the Application of Philosophy in Theology Based on the Example of Nicholas Everitt’s “Proof for the Non-Existence of God"
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/sts.3108Keywords:
philosophy, theology, interpretation, model, proofAbstract
The Second Vatican Council noted the importance of St. Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy for Catholic Theology. Although The Church also opened Herself to more contemporary philosophical currents. The Church has never called any philosophy “Her own,” but nevertheless recognizes Her right to distinguish between a proper and a harmful philosophy. Although the role of philosophy in general was deprecated in the late 19th century, it is making a contemporary comeback among other branches of science: either as a set of overarching directives for thinking or as a metaphysics. The subject of this article is the first of the applications. In this way Nicholas Everitt attributed the “definition of God” to Epicurus and accepted it on the bases of theology. The application of philosophy led him to conclude, that a definition of God constructed in this way would contradict the facts. The application of philosophy to theology described here is valid, but rather indicates that earthly reality is not suitable as a model for Epicurean definition.
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