“God should not be called an individual substance, since the principal of individuation is matter.”
- 1225 – March 7, 1274
- Born in the Kingdom of Sicily (Italy)
- Theologian, philosopher
- A representative figure of scholasticism, who systematized the relationship between the doctrines of the Catholic Church and reason through his masterpiece, the Summa Theologica
Quote
“God should not be called an individual substance, since the principal of individuation is matter.”
Explanation
In this quote, Thomas Aquinas makes a subtle but significant distinction about the nature of God compared to created beings. Aquinas argues that God should not be described as an “individual substance” because individuation—the concept of distinguishing one being from another—depends on matter. In the world of physical beings, matter plays a key role in making one individual distinct from another. For instance, each person or object is made unique by the specific material form it takes. However, God is not composed of matter; God is immaterial and infinite, transcending the limitations of physical form and substance.
Aquinas lived during the 13th century, a time when Aristotelian philosophy was being used to explore and explain theological ideas. In Aristotelian metaphysics, individual beings are distinct from one another because of their material composition. Aquinas took this philosophical concept and applied it to his understanding of divine nature. Since God is understood to be pure being without material components, He cannot be “individual” in the same sense that physical beings are. Instead, God is one in an absolute sense, not bound by the limitations and differentiations that apply to material substances. This distinction highlights the transcendence of God, who exists beyond the conditions that apply to created, material beings.
In modern terms, this quote invites reflection on the unique nature of the divine and the limits of human language in describing God. Our attempts to understand and define God often rely on concepts and terms that are suited to the physical world, but Aquinas’s insight reminds us that God is fundamentally beyond these categories. For those interested in theology or philosophy, this distinction serves as a reminder that divine unity and essence are not like anything we encounter in the material world. God, being beyond matter and time, is not subject to the rules of individuation that define physical beings, which means that our understanding of the divine must always take into account God’s infinite and transcendent nature.
