On Augustine and 'Analogy': A Historical Note on the Philosophico-Theological Terminology of 'Analogy' in Latin Theology

This article examines the total lack of the terminology of 'analogy' in philosophico-theological contexts within the works of Augustine of Hippo. This non-use of the terminology of 'analogy' in Augustine’s theology is contrasted with the later theological tradition’s focus on the doctrine of analogy and the scholarly literature’s significant focus on Augustine’s analogies. This is further confirmed by his similar rejection of the terminology of 'proportion' in philosophico-theological contexts. Augustine’s rejection of this terminology is, furthermore, shown to be consistent with the first 500 years of the Latin theological tradition. Indeed, this avoidance of the terminology of 'analogy' is seen in both Christian and non-Christian authors of this epoch. Seneca, Ambrose of Milan, Marius Victorinus, Jerome of Stridon, Claudianus Mamertus, Bachiarius, and Favonius Eulogius will be specifically discussed in this context. Moreover, Augustine’s non-use of the terminology of 'analogy' is contrasted with the Greek Fathers of the same time-period. Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Cyril of Alexandria will be particularly considered. However, Chalcidius’s Hellenistic commentatorial work will be singled out as a possible mediating force between these Latin and Greek traditions. The purpose of this essay is the elaboration of the history of the terminology of 'analogy' in Christian thought, helping to fill an apparent lacuna in the scholarly literature within the history of the doctrine of analogy.