lements becoming more prominent.
Modern rationalism, however, has intensified the discussion of those
fundamental problems which St. Thomas handled so thoroughly. As his
writings furnish both a forcible statement of the Catholic position and
satisfactory replies to many current objections, the Thomistic system
has recently been restored. The "neo-scholastic movement" was initiated
by Leo XIII. in his Encyclical 'AEterni Patris,' dated August 4th, 1879,
and its rapid growth has made Aquinas the model of Catholic thought in
the nineteenth century, as he certainly was in the thirteenth.

The subjoined extracts show his views on some questions of actual
importance, with regard not alone to mediaeval controversies, but to the
problems of the universe, which will press on the minds of men
twenty-five hundred years in the future as they did twenty-five hundred
years in the past.

[Illustration: Signature: Edw. A. Pace]

ON THE VALUE OF OUR CONCEPTS OF THE DEITY

Part I--From the 'Summa Theologica'

It is obvious that terms implying negation or extrinsic relation in no
way signify the divine substance, but simply the removal of some
attribute from Him, or His relation with other beings, or rather the
relation of other beings with Him. As to appellations that are absolute
and positive,--such as _good, wise_, and the like,--various opinions
have been entertained. It was held by some that these terms, though used
affirmatively, were in reality devised for the purpose of elimination,
and not with the intent of positive attribution. Hence, they claimed,
when we say that God is a living being, we mean that God's existence is
not that of inanimate things; and so on for other predicates. This was
the position of Rabbi Moses. According to another view these terms are
employed to denote a relation between God and creatures; so that for
instance, when we say, God is good, we mean, God is the cause of
goodness in all things.

Both interpretations, however, are open to a threefold objection. For,
in the first place, neither can offer any explanation of the fact that
certain terms are applied to the Deity in preference to others. As He is
the source of all good, so He is the cause of all things corporeal;
consequently, if by affirming that God is good we merely imply that He
is the cause of goodness, we might with equal reason assert that He is a
corporeal being.

Again, the inference from these positions would be that all te