World-contemplation can reach God — and His existence is demonstrable
World-contemplation can reach some knowledge of God — sin's darkness does not block that path for most.
Open question: are the reasons necessary or only probable?
Verdict with nearly all theologians, ours and Rome's: God's existence is demonstrable by necessary arguments.
Latin
VII. Igitur omnino certum est ex contemplatione Mundi, & eorum quae in eo videntur, homines posse ad Dei cognitionem pervenire: nec obstitisse tenebras humanae menti per peccatum offusas, quin maxima pars hominum, hac via, & natura duce, qualemcunque numinis notitiam adeptasit. Sed quaeritur, cujus generis sint rationes illae, quibus ex operum naturae consideratione ostenditur esse Deum. An scilicet sint necessariae, an vero probabiles tantum? Et an Dei existentia sit demonstrabilis ingenio humano, an vero duntaxat illam assequi possit conjecturis nonnullis, & probabilibus quibusdam argumentis. In hac autem sumus sententia, cum omnibus fere Theologis tam nostris quam Pontificiis, Dei existentiam rem esse, quae demonstrari potest, & necessariis argumentis evinci.
About this text
Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu - Sedan Theological Theses, newly rendered from the 1675 London Latin. Covers De Theologia through Angelorum & Hominum Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII and Pars Secunda (Reformata) I-XL. Not the collected folio.
English follows locked Pitt Latin through Imaginum CLOSED + Sanctorum Cultu Romana CLOSED + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL. 1675 PDF ~384-390 (book ~370-376); Vision OCR + pdftotext + tess. No modern English. This slice densifies Sanctorum Pars Secunda I-XL. Next: Pars Secunda XLI–fin (~CI). Claim stays claimed (book densify not done).
Catalogue & scope
ESTC R17887; Wing L802. IA bub_gb_eOkHAW4G0-wC (+ EEBO 1675 for gap leaves). Densify through Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL (Pars Secunda not closed; not whole folio).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Theologia I-XLIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive PDF of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Checked print pdftotext of De Theologia pages (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive DjVu OCR of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Fide I-XXII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Authoritate Scripturae Pars I I-XLVII + Pars II I-XXXV + Pars III I-VIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Scripturae plenitudine densify (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.