ST. THOMAS AQUINAS’S PROOF OF GOD’S EXISTENCE: AN APPRAISAL

ABSTRACT

This work focuses on St. Thomas Aquinas’ rational arguments for God’s existence. For centuries, the issues of the existence of God have been a topical quest. The various epochal-spirits in the history of philosophy have been dominated by the problem of evil amidst God’s existence. This puzzle problem engages the minds of the contemporary philosophers and theologians; and this curiosity is still on-going. However, it was in the medieval period that a more consideration was given on a rational attempt to prove the existence of God. Medieval philosophers cum theologians were primarily concerned with the task of defending their belief in the existence of God through reason and faith. It was their main interest to defend their article of faith and belief in the existence of God. To achieve this target, they had to borrow a leaf from philosophy through the application of rational scheme (reason) to prove their claims in the knowledge of the existence of God. While the attempt to at exploring the idea of God’s existence has been the main thrust of the medieval thinkers and schoolmen, they however, did not share solidarity of opinion in their proofs of God’s existence. The different theologians had a different orientations and approaches in their defensive arguments for God’s existence. Thus, specifically, it is in view of the above that this study critically examines the efforts made by Thomas Aquinas to prove God’s existence. To undertake this task, the study logically evaluates Aquinas’ five proofs of God’s existence. From the analysis and findings of the study, we conclude that his attempts are invaluable but nevertheless not quite perfect, given the limitations imposed on human knowledge by nature or what Kant calls the ‘antinomies’.