Aquinas’s Eschatological Historiography: Job, Providence, and the Multiple Senses of the Historical Event
Drawing primarily from Thomas’ commentary on the Book of Job and the Summa Theologiae, I argue, first, that Aquinas views history and historiography in primarily eschatological terms; second, that Thomas’ eschatological reading of the events of history lead him to view those selfsame discrete puncti...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage Publishing
2021
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| In: |
Pro ecclesia
Year: 2021, Volume: 30, Issue: 1, Pages: 32-50 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274
/ Eschatology
/ History
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| IxTheo Classification: | KAA Church history KAE Church history 900-1300; high Middle Ages NBQ Eschatology |
| Further subjects: | B
Commentary
B Occupation B Collingwood B Scripture B Aquinas B Literal Sense B History B Eschatology |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Drawing primarily from Thomas’ commentary on the Book of Job and the Summa Theologiae, I argue, first, that Aquinas views history and historiography in primarily eschatological terms; second, that Thomas’ eschatological reading of the events of history lead him to view those selfsame discrete punctiliar events as having multiple, providentially determined senses or meanings; and third, that despite his seeing each historical happening as a verdically layered and eschatologically drawn event, Aquinas is nevertheless preserved from collapsing history into eschatology by his privileging of “the literal sense.” I then explore the continuities Aquinas’ medieval view of history and historiography share with our own late modern accounts through their mutual deference to “the literal sense” of events. But I hope ultimately to display from both his reading of the Book of Job and the Summa the various ways in which, for Thomas, the happenings of history are, unlike modern historiographies, providentially saturated phenomena. |
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| ISSN: | 2631-8334 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Pro ecclesia
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/1063851220965426 |