Abstract

Fundamental to Thomas Aquinas's account of the Trinity is a specific notion of divine simplicity according to which the simple is not material to any form, nor is it subject of any accident. From this basis it follows that divinity and the divine attributes are identical with God, and the Personal properties are identical with the Persons. The Personal properties differ from one another by virtue of their different relativities, but when they are compared to the divine essence they are identical with it. This seeming contradiction is resolved by the double aspect of the Personal properties as both substance and relation. Even though the names for the divine attributes all substantially name the same thing, they are not synonymous; rather, perfections which are distinct in the created world all have the same root in divinity. Aquinas's position on several points is explicitly set in contrast with that of Gilbert.

Share