Joshua Appel, pastoral assistant at Trinity Reformed Church, informs me that Aquinas’ argument from motion is not what many (including me) think it is. It is not an argument that God is the first domino in the line; rather, it is an argument that God is the universal magnet, the One toward which all things move. Once that’s stated, it seems obvious (and probably always has been to true students of Aquinas, unlike me). It is certainly the way Dante interpreted Aquinas: Love for God animates everything, so that all things move toward God as toward their final end. Likewise, this fits with Fergus Kerr’s claim that Aquinas is an “eschatological foundationalist,” for whom the foundation of knowledge is the beatific vision.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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