analogia entis | Theological Word of the Day

The following is the definition of a theological term utilized by Cornelius Van Til in his critique of Karl Barth. Oddly enough, Van Til's critique of Barth is applied against Van Til himself by Gordon H. Clark. The relationship between Van Til and Clark came to a head when Van Til falsely accused Clark of "rationalism" during the controversy at Westminster Seminary, Pennsylvania. Unfortunatly, Van Til's theology of paradox, contradiction, and analogy has more in common with Barth's neo-orthdooxy than with classical Reformed theology. More evidence of this is Van Til's defense of the semi-Arminian theology of "common grace" espoused by the neo-Kuyperians.

(Latin, “analogy of being”) Also, “analogy of imitation” or “analogy of participation.”

The belief that there exists an analogy or correspondence between the creation and God that makes theological conversation about God possible. While many would say that finite beings with finite language cannot describe an infinite God, theologians of the medieval era discussed this problem, seeking to resolve it by developing a theory which allotted the communication of words into three separate categories. Some words are univocal (always used with the same sense), some were equivocal (used with very different senses), and some were analogical (used with related senses). It is this third sense that the analogia entis finds meaning. While finite man cannot describe an infinite God perfectly (univocally), he can do so truly, as God has created man in his image and hence, has provided an analogical way of communicating himself. To deny the analogia entis is thought by some to be a self-defeating proposition since it would present the situation where an all-powerful God is not powerful enough to communicate himself to his creation.

analogia entis | Theological Word of the Day

See also: Lloyd-Jones on Van Til on Barth