How did Christian theology revise classical pagan conceptions of causation? Let me count the ways.
1. Identified one intelligent cause of all things.
2. Identified that one cause not only as the final cause of all but also as the efficient and formal cause (in a sense) of all
1. Identified one intelligent cause of all things.
2. Identified that one cause not only as the final cause of all but also as the efficient and formal cause (in a sense) of all
3. Claimed that this single transcendent cause is the immediate cause of all things.
4. Claimed that this single transcendent cause knows, loves, and communicates with creatures (strong Augustine energy here).
4. Claimed that this single transcendent cause knows, loves, and communicates with creatures (strong Augustine energy here).
(BTW 3 is not the denial of secondary causes. It’s the denial that God must be buffered from certain aspects of creation by intermediaries, an idea common in pagan philosophy.)
If I told you that none of this was good news for the principalities and powers, you’d think it was edgy and cool. But I’m not gonna do that (even though it is true). (Oh and Luther thinks medieval Rome unlearned these lessons in its approach to saints. But that’s another story!)
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