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God and Being

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 November 2023

Nathan Lyons
Affiliation:
Notre Dame University, Australia

Summary

This Element examines how the Western philosophical-theological tradition between Plato and Aquinas understands the relation between God and being. It gives a historical survey of the two major positions in the period: (a) that the divine first principle is 'beyond being' (e.g. Plato, Plotinus, and Pseudo-Dionysius), and (b) that the first principle is 'being itself' (e.g. Augustine, Avicenna, and Aquinas). The Element argues that we can recognise in the two traditions, despite their apparent contradiction, complementary approaches to a shared project of inquiry into transcendence.
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God and Being
  • Nathan Lyons, Notre Dame University, Australia
  • Online ISBN: 9781009026413
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God and Being
  • Nathan Lyons, Notre Dame University, Australia
  • Online ISBN: 9781009026413
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

God and Being
  • Nathan Lyons, Notre Dame University, Australia
  • Online ISBN: 9781009026413
Available formats
×