Barth's Rejection of Analogia Entis

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Karl Bath asserted in his Church Dogmatics that the so-called analogy of being—analogia entis, viz., that we can only know God here below on earth with analogical knowledge (cognitio analoga or analogica), not proper (cognitio propria) knowledge—is the “invention of anti-Christ” (cf. Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma pg. 19 and K. J. Johnson’s Analogia Entis*Karl Barth and the *).

The New Catholic Encyclopedia article on “Analogy of Faith” says:
Originally a mathematical term, the Greek word for analogy
means ‘‘proportion’’ and was borrowed by
philosophers to refer to the relationship between concepts
of things that are partly the same and partly different. It
took on special importance in the concept of analogy of
being (analogia entis).
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…]
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Code: 
 Karl Barth’s violent rejection of the analogia entis
‘‘as the invention of Antichrist’’ and his insistence that
in questions of revelation only the analogia fidei is ac-
ceptable occasioned further study of this problem. In its
reaction against the extremes of liberal Protestantism, DI-
ALECTICAL THEOLOGY (or crisis theology) built upon
KIERKEGAARD’s notion of God as ‘‘completely other’’
than man, and as totally transcendent. Analogia fidei
means for Barth that we possess a ‘‘theological lan-
guage’’ in which God and not man gives meaning to the
words. His great fear is that philosophy (represented by
analogia entis) will sit in judgment on the Word of God.
Söhngen points out that Barth misunderstands the
Catholic notion of analogia entis, and that it does not
make philosophy master over faith [Catholica, three
(1934) 113–136, 176–208; four (1935) 38–42]. Though
not convinced, Barth admits the pertinence of Söhngen’s
remarks. Barth’s fear of rationalistic ‘‘proofs’’ for the
mysteries of faith may indicate here an identification of
the Catholic doctrine with the admittedly too rationalistic
theories of faith of the post-Cartesian era; a clearer grasp
of the Thomist-Suarezian approaches might remove this
fear. Barth seems to be more concerned here with certi-
tude, so that he looks upon the analogia entis as some-
thing on the level of knowledge rather than being—noetic
rather than ontic. The Catholic will not hesitate to admit
that it is God who gives His meaning to the human words
used to express the divine; an analogia fidei in this sense
is essential. The Christian vocabulary has only gradually
been formed throughout the life of the divinely guided
Church. To reject the analogia entis entirely, however,
cuts man off so radically from God that, as Emil Brunner
points out, the end result can be nothing but the most ad-
vanced form of Nominalism, in which human words take
on divine meanings that are purely arbitrary and are in no
way reflected in a reality already existing in the midst of
creatures.
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St. Thomas Aquinas, e.g., addressing whether we can name God based on our knowledge of creatures, writes:
Since according to the Philosopher (Peri Herm. i), words are signs of ideas, and ideas the similitude of things, it is evident that words relate to the meaning of things signified through the medium of the intellectual conception. It follows therefore that we can give a name to anything in as far as we can understand it. Now it was shown above (12, 11, 12) that in this life we cannot see the essence of God; but we know God from creatures as their principle, and also by way of excellence and remotion. In this way therefore He can be named by us from creatures, yet not so that the name which signifies Him expresses the divine essence in itself. Thus the name “man” expresses the essence of man in himself, since it signifies the definition of man by manifesting his essence; for the idea expressed by the name is the definition.
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Addressing whether any created intellect can see the essence of God, he says that although “it must be absolutely granted that the blessed see the essence of God,” on earth “the created intellect can be proportioned to know God.” (Remember “proportion” is etymologically related to “analogy.”)

Pope Pius XII allegedly claim a Protestant theologian, Karl Barth, to be the greatest theologian since St. Thomas Aquinas? Why not Dietrich von Hildebrand or Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.? Barth also opposed child-Baptism (cf. Ott’s idem pg. 359). I know Pope Benedict XVI is very knowledgeable about Barth, too. Why?
 
I have always suspected the errors of Protestantism could be traced to the rejection of analogia entis, the rejection of mediate and analogical knowledge (cognitio analogica) of Him here on earth in favor of the proper knowledge (cognitio propria) of the blessed in heaven. Protestants seem to think they have “a direct connection to God” with no mediation of creatures, human (like the saints, priests, the Pope) or otherwise (cf. Rom. 1:20), and this pertains to their fideism; rejection of Mary as co-redemptrix; rejection of prayer to the saints; rejection of the sacrament of confession and the transubstantiation; iconoclasm; and sola fide. As the New Catholic Encyclopedia article I quoted above says: “the end result [of rejecting *analogia entis] can be nothing but the most advanced form of Nominalism, in which human words take on divine meanings that are purely arbitrary and are in no way reflected in a reality already existing in the midst of creatures.”
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               This  book seems very interesting. I have always suspected the errors of  Protestantism could be traced to the rejection of analogia entis, the  rejection of mediate and analogical knowledge (cognitio analogica) of  Him here on earth in favor of the proper knowledge (cognitio propria) of  the blessed in heaven. Protestants think they have "a direct connection  to God" with no mediation of creatures, human (like the saints) or  otherwise (cf. Rom. 1:20), and this pertains to their fideism; rejection  of Mary as co-redemptrix; rejection of prayer to the saints; rejection  of the sacrament of confession and the transubstantiation; iconoclasm;  and sola fide.
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I have always suspected the errors of Protestantism could be traced to the rejection of analogia entis, the rejection of mediate and analogical knowledge (cognitio analogica) of Him here on earth in favor of the proper knowledge (cognitio propria) of the blessed in heaven. Protestants seem to think they have “a direct connection to God” with no mediation of creatures, human (like the saints, priests, the Pope) or otherwise (cf. Rom. 1:20), and this pertains to their fideism; rejection of Mary as co-redemptrix; rejection of prayer to the saints; rejection of the sacrament of confession and the transubstantiation; iconoclasm; and sola fide. As the New Catholic Encyclopedia article I quoted above says: “the end result [of rejecting *analogia entis] can be nothing but the most advanced form of Nominalism, in which human words take on divine meanings that are purely arbitrary and are in no way reflected in a reality already existing in the midst of creatures.”%between%
 
Geremia said:
I have always suspected the errors of Protestantism could be traced to the rejection of analogia entis, the rejection of mediate and analogical knowledge (cognitio analogica) of Him here on earth in favor of the proper knowledge (cognitio propria) of the blessed in heaven. Protestants seem to think they have “a direct connection to God” with no mediation of creatures, human (like the saints, priests, the Pope) or otherwise (cf. Rom. 1:20), and this pertains to their fideism; rejection of Mary as co-redemptrix; rejection of prayer to the saints; rejection of the sacrament of confession and the transubstantiation; iconoclasm; and sola fide. As the New Catholic Encyclopedia article I quoted above says: "the end result [of rejecting *analogia entis
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] can be nothing but the most advanced form of Nominalism, in which human words take on divine meanings that are purely arbitrary and are in no way reflected in a reality already existing in the midst of creatures."
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               This  book seems very interesting. I have always suspected the errors of  Protestantism could be traced to the rejection of analogia entis, the  rejection of mediate and analogical knowledge (cognitio analogica) of  Him here on earth in favor of the proper knowledge (cognitio propria) of  the blessed in heaven. Protestants think they have "a direct connection  to God" with no mediation of creatures, human (like the saints) or  otherwise (cf. Rom. 1:20), and this pertains to their fideism; rejection  of Mary as co-redemptrix; rejection of prayer to the saints; rejection  of the sacrament of confession and the transubstantiation; iconoclasm;  and sola fide.
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I would consider that a rejection of the Analogia Entis and a focus on the Analogia Fidei is the beginning of a trip down the road of intellectual arrogance. Analogia Entis embraces the observable creation, of which we are a part. Here I’d invoke the Eastern Orthodox notion of Theoria and suggest that the idea of contemplating God without reference to the observable creation and placing reliance upon reason and faith alone gives licence to a potentially very subjective analysis of God Himself. Isn’t that an arrogance of intellect? Isn’t it a license to actually seperate mankind from Creation itself? The link you gave to the forum is a good start in this. Barth, I concluded, was a genius marketer and his idea of Analogia Entis being the work of an antichrist was a clever marketing tool, but a betrayal of Christianity. Reliance upon the Analogia Fidei must assume Faith before an enquiry can begin. Analogia Entis takes one on a journey of discovery from which Faith springs. Big difference!

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