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    Carmelics

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    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
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    42
    Home/Original/inverse
    See Original
    Inverse View

    It is not the case that Aquinas holds that in God, relation and essence are identical, so the Son's real relation of origin to the Father is not separable from what the Son is.

    ?Set your confidence on the premises below to see your aggregate.

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Relations logically require relata (distinct entities). Identifying the relation with the Son's essence seems to conflate the relational property with one of its terms.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.Even if real in God, relations appear conceptually distinct from essence: we can understand what 'Son-ness' is without immediately understanding paternity.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.This identity claim makes divine simplicity do explanatory work that may exceed its philosophical justification, risking obscurantism over clarity.
      ?

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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.God is pure actuality (actus purus) with no composition, so any real distinction between essence and relations would introduce potentiality.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.Relations of origin (generation, procession) constitute the hypostatic identities of Father, Son, and Spirit, not accidental features added to them.
      ?

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    • 3.If relations were separable from essence, the Son could exist without being related to the Father, making Trinitarian procession contingent rather than necessary.
      ?

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