El problema cronológico de la caída angélica en Tomás de Aquino

Abstract

When defi ning his notion of “demon”, Thomas Aquinas introduces some corrections to the Augustinian tradition, with the intention of moving away from the anthropologizing conceptions that dominated the previous millenium. But Aquinas’ attempt at keeping the angels far from human beings, grants them at
the same time an ontological weight that seems to bring them dangerously near to God. Of all the consequences of Aquinas’ conception, I am particularly interested in the chain of implications derived from one of them: both from a metaphysical and gnoseological standpoint, angelic perfections are problematic when confronted to the factum of the Fall. Thus, I propose to analyse here the theological and philosophical grounds of Aquinas’ chronology of the angelic drama. First, I will draw attention to some of the peculiarities of angelic natures; second, I will point out the main problems issuing from Aquinas’ angelology concerning the instant of the Fall. Finally, I will present the solutions that can be gathered from Aquinas’ text.