THOMAS AQUINAS, ARISTOTLE, AND THEIR CONCEPTUALIZATION OF ‘GOD’

The prime mover’s notable god-like characteristics, such as pure actuality, omnipotence, and unchangeability constituted the further blend of the figure into many religions, often as God. The most prominent is Thomas Aquinas’ modification of prime mover into God of Christian Theology, heavily based upon Aristotle’s metaphysics. However, there is no evidence in line with the that Aristotle’s prime mover is intended as God; Rather, Aristotle, as an advocate of science and physics, does not cite omnipotent power in any other instances. This essay intends to investigate the extent to which Aristotelian metaphysics is modified through the hands of influential philosopher Thomas Aquinas and evaluate the extent to which Aquinas’ five ways is reliant on Aristotle’s fundamentals, examining the bilateral interactions between Aristotelian philosophy and Christian theology made possible by the interphase of Thomas Aquinas. This essay concludes that while Aquinas’ modifications have significantly influenced Christian theology, the original concept of Aristotle's Prime Mover does not explicitly represent a deity. The relationship between Aristotelian and Christian thought reflects a nuanced interaction, where Aquinas built upon Aristotle’s foundations to support religious beliefs. Thus, the validity of ancient religious concepts remains tied to the authenticity of Aristotle’s assertions.