Analogia Entis: On the Analogy of Being, Metaphysics, and the Act of Faith

Analogia Entis: On the Analogy of Being, Metaphysics, and the Act of Faith is an intellectually rigorous and systematic account of Thomas's teaching regarding the analogy of being. Steven A. Long's work stands in contradistinction to historical-doctrinal surveys and general introductions, retrieving by way of an interpretation of Aristotle and Aquinas the indispensable role that analogy of being plays for metaphysics and, consequently, for theology. In his later writings St. Thomas did not return to questions about the analogy of being that he had answered earlier in his career. This has led most historical-textual treatments of analogy in current scholarship to the mistaken conclusion that Thomas actually changed his answers to these questions. Scholars fail to see the continuity between his treatment in the Summa theologiae and his earlier De veritate. Long's study demonstrates the coherence of St. Thomas's earlier and later analyses. It shows how Thomas's later account in the Summa theologiae necessarily presupposes his earlier teaching. This is a book that invites the reader to a demanding and speculatively intense appreciation of the metaphysics of analogy. It will contribute significantly to the growing debate on the analogy of being.

About the Author :
Steven A. Long is professor of theology at Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida.

Review :
"With this new work, brief but incisive, 'on the analogy of being, metaphysics, and the act of faith,' Steven A. Long pursues his crusade in support of the restoration in Christian culture of a philosophy that is likely to help in understanding the faith, as the encyclical Fides et Ratio clearly hopes for." —The Thomist "Analogia Entis is a major strategic contribution to the practice of contemporary Thomistic thought and bears numerous crucial implications for philosophy and theology generally. Long's chief speculative claims are well argued and penetrating. . . . [He] lays the groundwork for robustly conceptual and realist philosophy of God and theology of God." —American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly "Analogia Entis has a complex agenda. First the book intends to defend the theological value of the idea of 'the analogy of being understood as the analogy of proper proportionality founded on a division of being by act and potency.' . . . Second, the author argues that this idea is to be found not only in Aquinas's earlier works, but also remained central to the thought of Thomas Aquinas in his later works." —Catholic Library World "This book has a modest size but an ambitious argument. Long confidently takes up issues of language, epistemology, and metaphysics vital to Thomas Aquinas's philosophical and theological reflections about God. The centerpiece is a sustained and refreshing rehabilitation of analogy of proportionality; understanding why it has been wrongly rejected or criticized by recent Thomists helps us to appreciate how Aquinas's metaphysical insight safeguards the transcendence of God and the intelligibility of faith." —Joshua P. Hochschild, Mount St. Mary's University "Professor Long's very selection of the topic shows the seriousness with which he takes getting at the truth. His case for the ineluctable role of proper proportionality is, I would say, sound and crucial for both natural theology and revelation. I hope that this work will stimulate lively conversation among Thomists." —Lawrence Dewan, Dominican University College "Steven A. Long's Analogia Entis: On the Analogy of Being, Metaphysics, and the Act of Faith is a remarkable book containing a stunning speculative performance. Long speaks for a classical tradition of Thomistic thought but does so with a keen eye on precisely the ways it can help contemporary reflection. His compelling and substantive argument for the value and truth of a set of classical metaphysical understandings—for the necessity of the analogy of proper proportionality in the thought of Thomas Aquinas—will have to be taken seriously by anyone working in analogy in Aquinas as well as by a wide range of scholars within both philosophy and theology." —John F. Boyle, University of St. Thomas