Some more plausibility for the reading of Hoekstra can be given
through an analysis of another passage in which Hobbes says that‘the
acknowledging (agnitio) of one God Eternall, Infinite and Omnipo-
tent’can be derived from the desire to know the causes of natural
bodies. Such is the case of people who‘by their own meditation, arrive
at the acknowledgement (cognitionem) of one Infinite, Omnipotent,
and Eternall God’. Such people‘choose rather to confesse he is
Incomprehensible, and above their understanding’.^5 Here Hobbes
emphasizes the autonomous nature of personal acknowledgement.
Although human meditation does not create God, it arrives at an
acknowledgement which fairly autonomously ascribes the predicates
of omnipotence and infinity to God.
When men give God a title like‘Spirit Incorporeall’,theydonot
do so‘with intention to make the Divine Nature understood; but
piously, to honour him with attributes, of significations’.Religious
acknowledgement of this kind is not based on understanding, but on
pious honouring and bestowing titles.^6 While Calvin’s words on
piety as a requirement of religious knowledge resemble this consid-
eration to an extent, Hobbes proceeds from an autonomous human
activity in a manner that is not found in Calvin. In general, Hobbes
thinks that faith in Christ is sufficient for salvation; not much
explicit cognitive content of this faith is needed.^7 This minimal
requirement is in keeping with the view that religious acknowledge-
ment builds on pious honouring based on the individual’s‘own
meditation’.
In his elucidation of the epistemic status of religious faith and
beliefs, Hobbes thinks that knowledge is hard to achieve and science
normally attains only conditional knowledge. Most human discourse
remains relatively unfounded opinions regarding the truth of the
matter discussed.^8 Faith and belief remain at this level of opinions
that emerge fairly easily and autonomously within the subject. While
for Hobbes faith is related to personal objects, beliefs have both
persons and sentences as their object. To believe a person thus
means to have an opinion of the veracity of this person. Analogically,
(^5) Leviathan, 12, 166–7. (^6) Leviathan, 12, 166–9.
(^7) Leviathan, 43. Cf.Leviathan, trans. Tuck, 403. Calvin,Inst. 1, 2, 1 (2.7).
(^8) Leviathan,7,98–101.
112 Recognition and Religion