Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 09.djvu/397

LEFT THEIPVAL 335 THEMISTOCLES Guillemont was bloodily repulsed by the Germans though an advance was made near Theipval. On August 18, 1916, the British again attacked along a front of 11 miles between Theipval and Guille- mont and captured important positions on Theipval ridge, the Germans unsuc- cessfully counter-attacking on the follow- ing day. It continued the scene of fight- ing during the autumn, and on Sept. 26, 1916, was captured by the British. THEISM, etymologically equivalent to belief in a god or gods, and as such op- posed to Atheism (g. v.), is now usually understood to mean the doctrine of the one, supreme, personal God, "in whom we live, and move, and have our being" — aa distinguished from Polytheism (g. v.), which recognizes more gods than one; from Pantheism {q. v.), which denies the divine personality; from Agnosti- cism (q. v.), which denies that we can know anything of God; and from Deism (g. v.), which, etymologically equivalent to Theism, is generally defined as recog- nizing the personality of God, but deny- ing His providence and active presence in the life of the world. Deism further explicitly rejects revelation and trini- tarian conceptions of the godhead, while Theism may or may not accept these doctrines. Theism as the doctrine of the nature and attributes of God covers a large part of the field of theology and speculative philosophy. But in practice it is usually restricted to the maintenance of the the- sis that God may be known; the history of the origin and development of the idea of God; and the statement, criticism, and defense of the arguments for the exist- ence of God. The main part of its work is apologetic, in opposition to the hostile systems and theories, rather than a scheme of systematic Theology {q. v.). No competent apologist now stakes the existence of God on any one argument, or exhibits the proof as a series of syl- logisms. It is rather maintained that the study of human history, of human nature, especially on its moral and spir- itual side, and of the world as far as science reveals it to us make for the existence of a God, demand such a pos- tulate as the key to the universe, and render the belief in a personal God greatly more probable than any other thesis. But it is necessary to name what are often referred to us the four great arguments for the existence of God. (1) The ontological argument first formu- lated by St. Anselm proceeds from the notion of a most perfect being to infer his existence; without actual existence the idea would fall short of perfection. The argument was restated in a different shape by Descartes (q. v.) and by Samuel Clarke, and, though very con- temptuously treated by Kant, is still an element of the argument that without a God the world is a chaos. (2) The cosmological argument, em- ployed by Aristotle, Aquinas, and a host of Christian authors, is an application of what is called the principle of Causal- ity. We cannot conceive an infinite re- gression of finite causes; therefore be- yond the last or first of the finite causes is the Infinite. From motion the argu- ment is to a mover. (3) The theological argument, or ar- gument from design, proceeds from the order and arrangement of the universe, the reign of law and beauty and adapta- tion, to the intelligent and supreme fountain of order. This is the most fa- miliar of the arguments, especially on the lines laid down by Paley. (4) The moral argument was that re- lied on by Kant when he destructively criticized the other three, and forms a part of the most modem theistic argu- ments. God is a postulate of our moral nature; and the moral law in us implies a lawgiver without us, THEISS, a river of Hungary, formed in the E. of the kingdom by the junction of the Black and the White Theiss, both descending from the Carpathians and flowing into the Danube about 20 miles above Belgrade; length, about 800 miles. It is the second river in Hungary, being inferior only to the Danube, with which, for about 100 miles, the lower part of its course is almost parallel. Its prin- cipal tributary is the Maros from the E. THEMIS, in Greek mythology, one of the Titanides, the daughter of Uranus and Ge, was after Metis married to Zeus, and bore him the Horse — Eunomla ("Equity"), Dike ("Justice"), and Ei- rene ("Peace") ; also the Moirai or Fates. She was regarded as the personification of order and justice, or of whatever is es- tablished by use and wont; and as such was charged by Zeus to convoke the gods and preside over them when as- sembled, being likewise represented as reigning in the assemblies of men. In art Themis holds a cornucopia and a pair of scales. THEMISTOCLES, an Athenian gen- , eral and statesman; born about 520 ' B. c. His father, Neocles, belonged to an undistinguished family of the middle class; his mother was a Carian. Am- bitious, he used his archonship of 493 for the promotion of his political plans. He saw what was best for Athens when he