The 60-Second Aquinas
Lesson
Faith is of Things Unseen
December 22, 1998
Aquinas is well known for his five proofs of the existence of God. (An explanation of these proofs exists on the Lux Veritatis webpage. See the topics page for the location.)
Though he provides philosophical proof of the existence of God, faith still is required. We can know that God exists; we must take on faith that God exists. There seems to be a contradiction.
But, if we take faith to be "the substance of things hoped for" (ST II-II, Q. 4, Art. 1) and as "the evidence of things that appear not" (Hebrews 11:1 as quoted in ST II-II, Q. 1, Art. 4), we can determine that faith still is required. We all hope for God; we cannot see God.
Though we can prove the existence of God philosophically, we cannot know God in his essence, nor can we know him by our physical senses.
Thus, Aquinas says "Faith implies assent of the intellect to that which is believed" (ST II-II, Q. 1, Art. 4). One of the ways we have this assent is "through something else already known." In the five proofs, Aquinas proved God’s existence by reason based upon things already known namely the relationship between cause and effect.
Faith remains necessary because 1) we must have faith in our deductions as scientists have faith in their theories and 2) God is unseen and unknowable with regard to his essence.
Explanation of The 60-Second Aquinas Lesson
