A Comparative Study of Mulla Sadra's Theory of Graded Hierarchy (Tashkik) and Aquinas's Analogy

Understanding and analyzing the true meaning of divine attributes has been one of the most important questions of theologians, philosophers and mystics. Different views have been presented in this regard. Limitations of human language, from one side, and infinity of God's being from the other side have maken it difficult to achieve a clear explanation of divine attributes. Mulla Sadra says that divine attributes and human attributes share not only in expression but also in meaning and in a graded hierarchy so he makes it possible to preserve God's transcendence from one side and to understand the meaning of God's positive attributes, from the other side. Thomas Aquinas, also, attempts to avoid both anthropomorphism and isolation regarding God's attributes. He denys both sharing in expression and sharing in meaning in relation to divine and human attributes and defends the theory of analogy. In this paper we will discuss and compare these two views.