Divine Providence

Dios en la ética de Aristóteles - God in Aristotle’s Ethics

by David Torrijos-Castrillejo

Pensamiento: Revista de investigación e Información filosófica, ISSN 0031-4749, Vol. 68, Nº 255, 2012 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Razón y existencia en el acesso a la Divinidad) , págs. 5-23.

In the last few years, a new paradigm of the knowledge of the divinity in Aristotle has emerged, affording the... more In the last few years, a new paradigm of the knowledge of the divinity in Aristotle has emerged, affording the possibility of understanding him as efficient cause. In that case, if God is efficient cause and gives rise to teleology, this must have some existential significance for man. We can ask ourselves therefore whether the knowledge of metaphysics can offer some orientation also for ethics. Yet if this were true, the need would arise to deepen the question of how much the gods love men and what would the nature of their relationship be to natural justice. Given that man is born and lives thanks to the divinity, the conclusion is that two consequences follow: a response of religious thanksgiving is needed but also, that since the will of the divinity desires the good for man, the human search for happiness is the same as the fulfillment of the divine law. All this is explained, to a certain extent, in the context of the friendship between man and the divine.

Orderic Vitalis: New perspectives on the historian and his world (Call for papers)

by Daniel Roach

9-11 April 2013, St John’s College, University of Durham

Call for papers
Orderic Vitalis:
New Perspectives on the Historian and His World

(9-11 April... more Call for papers
Orderic Vitalis:
New Perspectives on the Historian and His World

(9-11 April 2013, St John’s College, University of Durham)

The organising committee of the Durham University Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies conference 'Orderic Vitalis: New Perspectives on the historian and his world' invite abstracts from prospective speakers. This event, funded by the Durham University IMRS, will provide a forum for the dissemination of new research into the life and works of the monastic scholar, Orderic Vitalis. With plans already in place to publish a 'companion' volume on Orderic, this conference will aim to re-invigorate existing work and open new lines of research around a figure whose legacy has proven vital to scholars of the Anglo-Norman world.

While the conference welcomes papers on a wide scope of topics, we particularly invite abstracts for papers relating to the following areas:

•The manuscript history of Orderic's Historia ecclesiastica.

•Orderic's scholarly and scribal career away from the Historia ecclesiastica.

•Orderic’s travels, administrative activities, and studies away from Saint-Évroul.

•Orderic’s world view and his networks of knowledge-exchange and transfer.

•The 'rediscovery' of the Historia ecclesiastica by early modern audiences, and Orderic's subsequent influence on the development of Anglo-Norman studies.

Prospective speakers are invited to submit abstracts of between 250-300 words, and should also include their contact details (name, affiliation, e-mail address). The deadline for submissions is 1 September 2012. Limited bursaries towards travel costs will be offered to postgraduate speakers. If you wish to apply for one of these, please indicate this when submitting an abstract.

For further information about Orderic Vitalis: New perspectives on the historian and his world or to submit an abstract, please email Charlie Rozier, at: c.c.rozier@durham.ac.uk or Dan Roach at: dr229@exeter.ac.uk, or visit:
www.dur.ac.uk/imrs/conferences/orderic_vitalis/

Provvidenza (Origene. Dizionario)

by Lorenzo Perrone

Provvidenza, in: Origene. Dizionario: la cultura, il pensiero, le opere, a cura di A. MONACI CASTAGNO, Città Nuova, Roma 2000, pp. 392-396.

Index of the volume:

Origene. Dizionario: la cultura, il pensiero, le opere, a cura di Adele MONACI CASTAGNO, Città Nuova, Roma 2000, pp. XXI+489.

A. MONACI CASTAGNO, Presentazione. Elenco degli autori. Indice degli articoli: Adamo (G. SFAMENI GASPARRO), Aldilà (-> Cosmo), Amore (F. COCCHINI), Angelo (A. MONACI CASTAGNO), Angelo delle nazioni (A. MONACI CASTAGNO), Anima (G. SFAMENI GASPARRO), «Apocalisse» (C. MAZZUCCO), Apocatastasi (E. PRINZIVALLI,), Apocrifi (E. NORELLI), Ascesi (P. BETTIOLO), Astri (A. MONACI CASTAGNO), Battesimo (P.A. GRAMAGLIA), Caduta (G. SFAMENI GASPARRO), Canone (E. NORELLI), «Cantico dei cantici» (scritti esegetici su) (M. SIMONETTI), Catene (F. PIERI), «Celso» (contro) (G. DORIVAL), Chiesa (G. SGHERRI), Clemente Alessandrino (M. RIZZI), «Commento al Vangelo di Giovanni» (-> Giovanni ev.), «Commento al Vangelo di Matteo» (-> Matteo), «Commento alla Lettera ai Romani» (-> Romani), Conoscenza (F. COCCHINI), Continenza (G. SFAMENI GASPARRO), Corpo (G. SFAMENI GASPARRO), Cosmo (A. MONACI CASTAGNO), Creazione (G. SFAMENI GASPARRO), Cristo (-> Figlio), Croce (B. STUDER), Culto (C. MAZZUCCO), Demoni (-> Diavolo), «Dialogo con Eraclide» (D. CLAUSI), Diavolo (A. MONACI CASTAGNO), Didascalo (-> Maestro), Dio (Padre) (M. SIMONETTI), Donna (C. MAZZUCCO), Ellenismo (M. RIZZI), Eresia (A. LE BOULLUEC), «Esapla» (G. DORIVAL), «Esodo» (scritti esegetici su) (M.I. DANIELI), «Esortazione al martirio» (-> Martirio), Esoterico/essoterico (A. MONACI CASTAGNO), Eucarestia (P.A. GRAMAGLIA), «Ezechiele» (scritti esegetici su) (F. PIERI), Fede/ragione (L. PERRONE), Figlio (D. PAZZINI), Filone Alessandrino (A.M. MAZZANTI), Filosofia (G. DORIVAL), Fuoco (E. PRINZIVALLI), Generi letterari (A. LE BOULLUEC), «Genesi» (scritti esegetici su) (M.I. DANIELI), «Geremia» (scritti esegetici su) (F. PIERI), Gesù (M.I. DANIELI), «Giosuè» (scritti esegetici su) (R. SCOGNAMIGLIO), «Giovanni ev.» (scritti esegetici su) (D. PAZZINI), Giudaismo (G. SGHERRI),«Giudici» (scritti esegetici su) (M.I. DANIELI), Giudizio (E. PRINZIVALLI), Gnosticismo (E. NORELLI), Grazia (B. STUDER), Impero (M. RIZZI), Incarnazione (B. STUDER), Intelletto (-> Anima), «Isaia» (scritti esegetici su) (M.I. DANIELI), Laico (E. DAL COVOLO), Legge (G. SGHERRI), «Levitico» (scritti esegetici su) (M.I. DANIELI), Libero arbitrio (L. PERRONE), Liturgia (-> Culto), Logos (-> Figlio), «Luca» (scritti esegetici su) (C. GIANOTTO), Maestro (A. MONACI CASTAGNO), Magia (A. MONACI CASTAGNO), Male (A. MONACI CASTAGNO), Marcione (E. NORELLI), Maria (C. GIANOTTO), Martirio (E. DAL COVOLO),  Materia (-> Corpo), Matrimonio (G. SFAMENI GASPARRO), «Matteo» (scritti esegetici su) (M.I. DANIELI - R. SCOGNAMIGLIO), Metensomatosi (M. MARITANO), Metodo (L. PERRONE), Millennio (C. MAZZUCCO), Miracolo (F. MOSETTO), Mondo (-> Cosmo), Morte (E. DAL COVOLO), «Numeri» (scritti esegetici su) (M.I. DANIELI), «Omelie su» (-> relativi libri biblici), Origene (vita e opere) (E. NORELLI), Origenismo (in Occidente, secc. IV-VI) (B. STUDER), Origenismo (in Occidente, secc. VII-XVIII) (G. LETTIERI), Origenismo (in Oriente, secc. III-IV) (E. PRINZIVALLI), Origenismo (in Oriente, secc. V-VI) (P. BETTIOLO), Ortodossia  (-> Regola di fede), Paolo (F. COCCHINI), Pasqua (G. SGHERRI), Peccato (L. PERRONE), Penitenza (P.A. GRAMAGLIA), Perfetto (P. BETTIOLO), Povertà/ricchezza (R. SCOGNAMIGLIO), Preesistenza (G. SFAMENI GASPARRO), Preghiera (L. PERRONE), «(I) Principi» (M. SIMONETTI), Profezia (G. FILORAMO), Progresso (G. LETTIERI), Provvidenza (L. PERRONE), «Re, I Libro dei (scritti esegetici su) (A. MONACI CASTAGNO), Regola di fede (R. WILLIAMS), Religione pagana (-> Ellenismo), Resurrezione (E. PRINZIVALLI), Retorica (A. LE BOULLUEC), Ricchezza (-> Povertà), Rivelazione (B. STUDER), «Romani» (scritti esegetici sulla «Lettera ai») (F. COCCHINI), Sacerdozio (E. DAL COVOLO), «Samuele», Primo libro (-> Re), «Salmi» (scritti esegetici sui) (E. PRINZIVALLI), Santo (-> Perfetto), Scrittura sacra (M. SIMONETTI), Scuola di Alessandria (M. RIZZI), Semplici (A. MONACI CASTAGNO), Sensi spirituali (P. BETTIOLO), Settanta (G. DORIVAL), Spirito (-> Anima), Spirito Santo (M. SIMONETTI), Tempo (A. MONACI CASTAGNO), Trinità (M. SIMONETTI), Virtù (D. PAZZINI). Abbreviazioni, 13-15. Bibliografia, XVII-XXI (NB. Ogni lemma è accompagnato da una bibliografia speciale). 

John Polkinghorne on Divine Action: a Coherent Theological Evolution

by Ignacio Silva

Science and Christian Belief (2012) 24:1, pp. 19-30 (commented by John Polkinghorne, same issue, pp. 31-32).

I examine John Polkinghorne's account of how God acts in the world, focusing on how his ideas developed with the... more I examine John Polkinghorne's account of how God acts in the world, focusing on how his ideas developed with the consideration of the notion of kenosis, and how this development was not a rejection of his previous ideas, but on the contrary a fulfilling of his own personal philosophical and theological insights. Polkinghorne's thought can be distinguished in three different periods:1) divine action as input of active information (1988-2000/2001);2) Polkinghorne's reception of the notion of kenosis (2000-2004);3) Polkinghorne's "thought experiment" approach to his ideas on divine action (2004- ). Finally, I consider the question of internal coherence of this theological development, focusing on the transition from the first to the second period, which I believe to be the most significant.

Ellis_Joel_The Providence of God

by Joel Ellis

Santo Tomás de Aquino y el Motor Inmóvil - Aquinas and the Unmoved Mover

by David Torrijos-Castrillejo

"Revista Española de Filosofía Medieval," 18 (2011) 123-135

Alexander of Aphrodisias understood the Aristotle´s Unmoved Mover as efficient cause only to the extent that it is the... more Alexander of Aphrodisias understood the Aristotle´s Unmoved Mover as efficient cause only to the extent that it is the final cause of heaven, which by moving strives to imitate the divine rest. Aquinas seems to agree with him. However his interpretation is original and philosophically more satisfactory: God is the efficient cause of the world, not only as creator, but also as it´s ruler. In this way God is also the final cause.

Debió de ser Alejandro de Afrodisia quien introdujo la idea de que el motor inmóvil de Aristóteles era causa eficiente sólo en la medida en que fuera la causa final del alma del cielo que, moviéndose, aspiraba a imitar la quietud divina. Santo Tomás de Aquino parece estar de acuerdo. Sin embargo, su solución es original y logra dar una explicación filosóficamente más coherente: Dios es causa eficiente del mundo no sólo como creador, sino también como su gobernante. Por esa misma razón es también causa final.

Feminism and Religion: Where Do Nontheists Fit? By Bridget Ludwa

by Feminism and Religion

originally published on the Feminism and Religion Project.

What is a woman to do when she no longer finds any type of theism relevant to her, but as a human being still needs... more What is a woman to do when she no longer finds any type of theism relevant to her, but as a human being still needs community, ritual and sense of the sacred that theistic religion inherently provides?  The most vocal representatives of atheists are men, such as the voices of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens.  I’m happy to have these voices, because they’re brilliant and well-spoken, but where are the women?  My partner shares the same belief system as I do, but he does not feel the same need for community as I do.  Is it gender?  What ratio of women to men do you observe when you look at who is spending their time and energy making sure your local Catholic Church functions?  In questioning if women are more spiritual than men, Caroline Kline observed that women outnumber men in religious observance.  For the sake of argument, let’s accept for a moment that women are more inclined than men to seek community, ritual and a sense of the sacred.  What is a nontheist woman to do?

I wanted to go through some articles posted on here before diving into this question, maybe I would find a satisfying answer and that would be the end of it.  Carol Christ consistently poses the divine gender question, and admittedly I’ve been very drawn to a feminine manifestation of the divine.  The idea of Mother resonates with me more than Father (a father whom many believe could only “save” humanity via human sacrifice).  Part of my rejection of theism does indeed stem from this issue of gender.  For many who find traditional theistic concepts unnerving, Christ’s reevaluation of the divine is gratifying and empowering.  As empowering as this reevaluation is, however, the concept of any deity, male or female, still did not settle with me.

45. Review of Michael Frede, A Free Will: Origins of the Notion in Ancient Thought, Berkeley 2011

by Susanne Bobzien

Forthcoming in Journal of the History of Philosophy 50.2, 2012.
Please quote from published version only.

Gandhi on providence and greed

by Mark Lindley

Published in the journal “Mainstream,” v.40/15 (New Delhi, 2007). Co-author: Y. P. Anand (at that time Director of the National Gandhi Museum, New Delhi).

Píndaro P.12.28-32. Demon y tiempo en la concepcion de la providencia de Pindaro

by Daniel Riaño Rufilanchas

EMERITA. Revista de Lingüística y Filología Clásica (EM) –– LXIX 1, 2001 pp. 63-91

Most commentators on the final verses of Pindar’s Twelfth Pythian Ode have expressed a discontent with the apparent... more Most commentators on the final verses of Pindar’s Twelfth Pythian Ode have expressed a discontent with the apparent banality they perceived in these lines. Yet there remains a
number of exegetical challenges in regard to the gnomic verses which render their interpretation "eine alte Crux der Erklärung." In this paper we analyze the interpretations that have addressed the final verses, and we state our reasons for rejecting each of them either on syntactical grounds or for their lack of internal coherence. In what follows, we shall propose a new interpretation of the entire passage, one which shows how Pindar is elaborating a *topos* about the role that Time and Deity play in the fulfillment of Fate.

Freedom and Providence as Anti-Modern Elements

by Thomas Fornet-Ponse

published in: Thomas Honegger and Frank Weinreich, Eds., Tolkien and Modernity 1, Zurich and Bern 2006, 177-206

Metafísica de la Creación y la Providencia Divina en Santo Tomás de Aquino

by Ignacio Silva

2010, in Héctor Velázquez Fernández (comp.), Tomás de Aquino, Comentador de Aristóteles, Universidad Panamericana, México DF.

El problema del obrar de Dios en el mundo creado ha sido tratado largamente durante la historia de la filosofía y la... more El problema del obrar de Dios en el mundo creado ha sido tratado largamente durante la historia de la filosofía y la teología cristiana e islámica. Este problema ha siempre vacilado entre dos extremos: el del ocasionalismo, en el que los agentes naturales no poseen ningún poder causal propio, dejando toda acción causal a Dios, quien es el único agente activo en el universo, y una suerte de deísmo, en el que, por querer salvar la evidente causalidad de los agentes naturales en el universo creado, se postula a un Dios creador que no se involucra en nada dentro de su creación.
La gran mayoría de las veces, al debatir este problema es común asumir que si Dios pudiese obrar en el mundo natural, los agentes naturales perderían su causalidad y su autonomía en el obrar. Es decir, si existiese la posibilidad de que Dios obrase en la naturaleza, al involucrarse con los eventos naturales, y por lo tanto intervenir en el orden causal del mundo natural, parecería que los agentes naturales no deberían poseer la autonomía que suponemos tienen en sus acciones. Esta idea se encuentra sustentada por el presupuesto de que el obrar de Dios en el mundo natural se opone directamente al obrar regular de los agentes naturales. O se recalca la regularidad de estas acciones, por lo que el obrar de Dios no debe ser admitido dentro del universo natural, o se niega la veracidad de nuestra percepción de tal autonomía causal natural y se adjudica toda acción al único agente universal: Dios. Ahora bien, si no se quiere abandonar la idea tradicional de Dios que proclaman las grandes tradiciones monoteístas (un Dios omnipotente, benevolente, omnisciente y providente), es necesario encontrar la manera de explicar cómo Dios puede guiar providencialmente un universo que ha sido creado autónomo y con agentes capaces de causar sus propios efectos.
Tomás de Aquino, reconociendo que no es fácil responder satisfactoriamente a esta cuestión, afirma un Dios omnipotente, en el sentido más amplio posible, y una naturaleza propiamente autónoma. De hecho, es precisamente porque Dios es omnipotente que los agentes naturales pueden ser causas reales. Si Dios no tuviese todo poder causal, sería imposible encontrar algún poder causal en la naturaleza, simplemente porque todo lo que existe necesita de una causa creadora, y una causa creadora no puede dar aquello que no posee.

Kierkegaard and Providence

by Daniel Haynes

A very early and immature (theologically speaking) paper on Kierkegaard.