Introduction to Thomistic Metaphysics VIII: The nature of God (1)

Man is metaphysically incapable of comprehending the Deity, that is, the essence of God itself. However, this does not imply that God cannot be apprehended in His nature. Indeed, through the entities, which are His effects, we can approach Him and, employing methods of remotion and analogy, transcend ignorance. Nevertheless, the true nature of God Himself will forever elude our understanding. Even an angel, possessing a finite mind, acknowledges its own inferiority in the face of divine infinitude and cannot fully comprehend God.

St. Thomas undertakes the intellectual challenge of drawing as near as possible to this divine essence. Consequently, he elucidates the entitative attributes, which directly pertain to the Being of God. This book focuses on these attributes. The exploration of the operative attributes, constituting the internal life of God, will be reserved for the subsequent volume. By examining both sets of attributes, we aspire to attain the utmost knowledge of the divine essence that reason can attain.

This volume comprises sixteen chapters, an epilogue, and extensive notes. The chapters are organized as follows: 1. The Way of remotion. 2. The attributes of God. 3. How we know God. 4. The names of God. 5. God is eternal. 6. God is simple. 7. God is not a body. 8. God is His own essence. 9. God is perfect. 10. God is infinite. 11. God is immutable. 12. God is one. 13. God is immense. 14. God is good. 15. God is the truth. 16. Pantheism.

St. Thomas expounds his doctrine primarily in Summa contra Gentiles and Summa Theologica, employing abundant arguments. These two comprehensive works reflect Aquinas's renowned capacity for reflection and response.