divinity and time essay

Question 1

para 1 x7

Answer 1

swinburne
coherence of theism
sempiternal self limits to be within the constraints of metric time
general
- is in time, but doesnt experience time like us, never began and will never cease

timelessness is unbiblical
- the herbre bible shows no knowledge of the doctrine of timelessness; king hezekiah

BUT
i am the alpha and the omega - john

reading into it too much
greek influence
- why must a perfect god be timeless (influences of plato and aristotle through aquinas)

criticism by anselm
- if we can imagine a god who can exist outside of time, hed be more powerful. **god cannot be all powerful if we can imagine a greater god. **

backed by barth and cullman
- both argue that a timeless god makes no sense. barth says doesnt align with the incarnation where god acts decisively and intentionally

Question 2

para 2 boethius x4

Answer 2

consolation of philosophy
**
-eternity is the simultaneous possession of boundless life**

-free will?
simple and conditional necessity
does conditional necessity leave room for** free will** if god knows?

**VALLEY ANALOGY
‘gods foreknowledge does not impose necessity on things’.

Question 3

para 3 swinburne criticism x3

Answer 3

criticises simultaneous presence **(transivity problem) **
the destruction of jerusalem by the baylonains and tis destruction bythe romans 500 years later is ‘logically impossible’ and has no connection to simultaneous.

Question 4

para 4 swinburne, love

Answer 4

**you must be changeable to have relationships adn respond to people. **a timeless god cannot love as he is immutable. **

BUT aquinas says god can be loving and immutable.** he doesnt change but causes change.** divine impassibility

also richard creel says god knows all possibilities.

Question 5

para 5 - interaction

Answer 5

**swinburne - temporal God can rsepond to humans and anser prayers. **more rational udnerstanding of god and aligns with biblical narratives eg moses. **

HOWEVER anselm solves this with atemporal god. time is within GOD (4 DIMENSIONALIST APPROACH)
**‘yesterday today and tomorrow are nothing but distinctions in time.’ **

BUT DIFFICULT TO UDNERSTAND
BUT Katherin A Kenny says that ‘ our imaginative difficulty with the theory does not rise to the elvel of evidence against it’