Folia Theologica et Canonica 11. 33/25 (2022)

Sacra theologia

DENKEN DES UNÜBERTREFFLICHEN - DIE ZWEIFACHE NORMATIVITÄT...85

Kongruenz des begrifflichen Gehalts seines ontologischen Gottesbegriffs mit dem christlichen Gottesverständnis besteht die epochale Leistung der Gotteslehre Anselms von Canterbury. Mit anderen Worten: Anselm hat gezeigt, dass der Gott des christlichen Glaubens, wenn er real existiert, schlechthin unübertrefflich sein muss.

Abstract

After a general introduction to the discovery of the normativity of the concept of God in Western thought, this contribution first introduces the history of discovery of the factual normativity of the name of God in the mythical theology of the (ancient) Greeks and then it introduces the history of discovery of the normativity of the metaphysical concept of God in the philosophical thought of the (ancient) Greeks. In a second step, the conceptual synthesis between this metaphysical concept of God and the Christian understanding of God in Greek and Latin patristics and in the Latin Middle Ages is exemplified. Thereafter, the twofold, namely an affirmative-theological and a negativetheological, normativity of the ontological concept of God as the epitome of an unsurpassability existing in every possible respect, discovered in its full form by Anselm of Canterbury and later specified by Duns Scotus as actually infinite perfection, is explicated. Finally, this contribution demonstrates the congruence of the content of the ontological concept of God with the content of the Christian understanding of God.

Markus Enders

Albert-Ludwigs Universität, Freiburg markus. enders@theol. uni-freiburg. de