Abstract

One possible approach to the preambles of the preambles of faith is to consider Aquinas’ philosophical sources. It is by situating an author in their context with a view to their sources that one can best understand their thought, appreciate their philosophical debts and innovations. While it has been widely acknowledged that Aristotle is an important source for Aquinas, I argue that through his Neoplatonic and Arabic sources certain Plotinian themes have a key influence on Aquinas’ understanding of God. Viewed in this light, we can understand Aquinas not merely as an Aristotelian, but as the inheritor of a rich classical metaphysical tradition which, while beginning with Plato and Aristotle, proceeds through Plotinus, Proclus, Dionysius and the Arabic works of the Liber de Causis and Avicenna.