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St. Thomas Aquinas' views on the nature of man included an incomplete interpretation of the Fall of Man. He believed that while men had rebelled against [[God]] and the human will was fallen, the human intellect remained perfect. Therefore, human wisdom could be relied upon and given as much prominence as the teachings of the [[Bible]]. This idea justified mixing the works of the classical, secular philosophers into Christian theology. Also as a result, the authority of the Church became as important, if not more so, than that of the [[Bible]]. These ideas set the stage for humanism, which was the predominant philosophy of the [[Renaissance]].
St. Thomas Aquinas' views on the nature of man included an incomplete interpretation of the Fall of Man. He believed that while men had rebelled against [[God]] and the human will was fallen, the human intellect remained perfect. Therefore, human wisdom could be relied upon and given as much prominence as the teachings of the [[Bible]]. This idea justified mixing the works of the classical, secular philosophers into Christian theology. Also as a result, the authority of the Church became as important, if not more so, than that of the [[Bible]]. These ideas set the stage for humanism, which was the predominant philosophy of the [[Renaissance]].
Concerning the nature of God, Aquinas found that the best approach, commonly called the via negativa, is to consider what God is not. This led him to propose five positive statements about the divine qualities:
1. God is simple, without composition of parts, such as body and soul, or matter and form.
2. God is perfect, lacking nothing. That is, God is distinguished from other beings on account of God's complete actuality.
3. God is infinite. That is, God is not finite in the ways that created beings are physically, intellectually, and emotionally limited. This infinity is to be distinguished from infinity of size and infinity of number.
4. God is immutable, incapable of change on the levels of God's essence and character.
5. God is one, without diversification within God's self. The unity of God is such that God's essence is the same as God's existence. In Aquinas's words, "in itself the proposition 'God exists' is necessarily true, for in it subject and predicate are the same."
St. Thomas Aquinas is further known for his famous observation that the [[Devil]] cannot withstand mockery. Mockery can be useful in defeating a bad idea or temptation.
St. Thomas Aquinas is further known for his famous observation that the [[Devil]] cannot withstand mockery. Mockery can be useful in defeating a bad idea or temptation.