阿奎那論神學與豐盛人生

本講座將探討阿奎那關於神學和豐盛人生的論證。對阿奎那而言，神學不僅是絞盡腦汁的學術訓練，而是人享受更完滿的存在的經歷，也是人為了以後親自見神而做的準備。

阿奎那的幸福觀有其形而上學和神學的基礎。從形而上學的角度看，「存在」與「善」的概念相互解釋，所以豐盛就等於存在的不斷實現和完善。從神學的角度看，人性的完善是取決於人與神在理智和意志上的聯合，而這聯合與聖子的受生和聖靈的發出有相似的結構。我們最後也將考慮這觀點的實踐意義。

阿奎那的觀點能幫助我們克服腦心分裂並解決自我犧牲與自我實現的張力，這分裂和張力常使信徒對神學和幸福的內涵產生誤解。

This talk will present Aquinas’ argument for the importance of theology for human flourishing. Instead of viewing theology as cerebral gymnastics for mastering Christian dogmas, for Aquinas, doing theology is like experiencing the fullness of being that anticipates the beatific vision.

Aquinas’ view of human flourishing has its metaphysical and theological underpinnings. Metaphysically, the concepts of ‘being’ and ‘goodness’ are interchangeable, so that flourishing is defined through the actualization of being, which radiates perfection. Theologically, humanity is perfected by union with God through intellect and will, which structurally reflects the Trinitarian processions of the Word and the Spirit. We will close by considering some practical impacts of this view.

Aquinas’s view can help overcome the brain-heart split, as well as the tension between self-denial and self-fulfillment, both of which have caused Christian misgivings of theology and happiness.