Metafizyczna koncepcja złożeń wewnątrzbytowych i jej rola w wykładzie angelologii św. Tomasza z Akwinu

Abstract

St Thomas Aquinas’s angeology is a perfect example of use of philosophical instruments for the purposes of rationalisation of contents manifested. It includes, among others, a concept of compositions of intra-being as developed within realistic metaphysics. The Aristotelian hylomorphism makes it possible to indicate a significant difference between a human being and simple spiritual substances, which are not composed of matter and form. Owing to this differentiation, it becomes possible to avoid blurring of the border, which results in either reductionism in perception of a human nature limiting the human nature to spiritual context or ascribing any type of material form to angels.The existential context of being developed by St Thomas Aquinas allows, on the other hand, for resolving an apparent incompatibility, which, as some thinkers thought, was to have been a result of ascribing the attribute of immateriality to angels (and which, as they thought, meant acceptance of polytheism). Within the meaning of this concept, deity is not associated with immateriality of pure spiritual substances (i.e. being a pure act in the sense of being a pure form without any share of matter), as the thinkers tended to think, but it is associated with being a pure act in the sense of having full existence (ipsum esse), which belongs to the very essence of being and, thus, there is no real difference between essence and existence.