“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”
- 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
“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”
Explanation
In this quote, Thomas Aquinas highlights the profound and often intangible nature of faith. He suggests that for someone who possesses faith, the conviction and belief they hold are so deeply felt that they do not require additional explanations or evidence to validate their beliefs. Faith is inherently about trust in something beyond reason, and for those who have it, its truth is self-evident and beyond the need for further justification. Conversely, for someone who lacks faith, no amount of explanation or evidence can fully convey what faith entails because it involves an element of spiritual insight that transcends purely rational understanding.
Aquinas lived in a time when theological inquiry was deeply intertwined with philosophical reasoning. He worked to reconcile faith and reason, believing that both could coexist harmoniously. Despite his efforts to provide logical arguments for the existence of God and the truths of Christianity, Aquinas recognized that faith is, at its core, a gift and a matter of the heart. It cannot be completely grasped by logic alone, as it involves a leap into what is beyond empirical evidence. To those without faith, attempts to explain religious truths often fall short because they lack the inner disposition or openness needed to understand the deeper significance of what is being explained.
In the modern context, this quote captures the divide that sometimes exists between people of faith and those who rely solely on reason or evidence-based understanding. It emphasizes the idea that faith is not something that can be fully communicated through words or proofs alone—it is an experience and an inner conviction that needs to be felt. For those who have it, faith brings a sense of certainty and peace that does not depend on logical arguments. For those without it, no amount of external reasoning may suffice to instill that inner conviction. Aquinas’s insight serves as a reminder that faith and reason operate on different levels of human experience, and while they can complement each other, the essence of faith lies in something deeply personal and transcendent that goes beyond explanation.
