2. Foundation of Knowledge
2
FOUNDATION OF KNOWLEDGE
As we seek to summarize the most significant theological teachings of Aquinas, we will set our gaze on the two foundations (principia) of theology: knowledge and existence. These foundations will help us properly to assess Thomas’s methodology and will highlight how that methodology influences his theological content.
Although the order of these two foundations is somewhat arbitrary, we will proceed, first, to discuss the principium cognoscendi (foundation of knowledge) and then the principium essendi (foundation of existence).1