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Whether this Name ‘God’ is Communicable?

Writer's picture: Christian B. WagnerChristian B. Wagner

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In this article, the question is whether the name "God" can be communicated to others.


In order to demonstrate the proper answer, St. Thomas consider the manner in which we communicate names and the foundation for this communicability of name.


To illustrate this, let's consider St. Thomas Aquinas as he is a man. St. Thomas is composed of matter and form. He has the form of humanity which is individuated by his individual ("signate") matter. We can abstract this form from his signate matter and communicate this name "man" to many other men.


On the other hand, if we consider it on the part of the signate matter, we are designating an individual, i.e., "St. Thomas Aquinas." Since no others can share this numerically individual signate matter, no others can be named "St. Thomas Aquinas" in the proper sense of the term, whereas they could have been named "man" with the proper sense of the term.


Now, when we consider God, as stated above, He is a subsisting simple form, which we at time give concrete names ("living") to designate the fact that He is subsisting and at other times give abstract names ("life") to designate the fact that He is a simple form.

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