I've had several people ask what in the world I am talking about with these terms.

There are a lot of assumptions we make when we talk about God. Let's use the phrase "God is wise" as an example. Everyone agrees that God is wise...but what do we actually mean by that? https://twitter.com/JakeRainwater/status/1276906413424553984

Univocal language about God says that when we attribute wisdom to God, we mean that God is "wise" *in the same way* that we mean man is wise. "Wisdom" is univocal when applied to God and man.

But we know God can't be wise in a univocal sense. God is infinitely wise, and man's wisdom is finite. God's wisdom is intrinsic, and man's is gathered. There are countless discrepancies in how God is wise and how man is wise.

If there are so many discrepancies, maybe God is wise in an equivocal sense - that is, maybe God is wise in a totally different way than man is wise. Maybe divine wisdom and human wisdom has totally different meanings.

Yet, we know this can't be the case either. Scripture is clear that we can know *something* about God. If all God-talk is equivocal, then we cannot say with certainty anything about God.

What if, in distinction from the univocal and equivocal positions, we said that God's wisdom is analogous to human wisdom? That is, what if there are both similarities and dissimilarities between God's wisdom and man's wisdom?

Analogical language about God can maintain that God is totally other as the Creator, and yet still knowable. Man can be wise like God, yet not in the same exact way.

Analogical language is helpful in all sorts of ways.

For example, the First Person of the Trinity is the "Father," and the Second Person is the "Son."

The Father and the Son are not father and son in the same exact way as a human father and son (human fathers aren't always fathers, human sons come into being, etc).

Yet, these terms aren't completely meaningless. We can know *something* about the First and Second Persons of the Trinity based on being Father and Son.

For example, the Father is like a father because he begets the Son (though eternally) (Jn 3:16).

This is just one example. Understanding that our language about God is analogous is important in all sorts of theological issues.

Because we must talk about God, it is of vital importance to know what is going on when we engage in that talk.