Maimonides.

Question 1

Proving God’s existence.

Answer 1

• He rejected the Kalam argument, instead using 4 proof’s for God’s existence.
• From motion.
• From the composition of elements.
• From neccessity and contingency.
• From potentiality and casuality.
• All of these rely on a prime mover.
• Therefore, it must exist apart from it incorporeally.
• There cannot be two prime movers so there is one God.

Question 2

The Creation.

Answer 2

Maimonides looked at 3 theories of creation.

• The Torah.
• Plato - God created the world out of pre-exisent matter.
• Aristotle - the world is eternal.

Human reason can only offer arguments for the explanation of creation. On this premise he accepted creation ex nihilo.

Question 3

Conception of God.

Answer 3

• The idea that God is one.
• God is a perfect unity.
• Without end.
• One cannot discuss God in terms of positive attributes.
• One can describe what God is not.
• God can be described via negativa.
• We come to know God and the world through a combination of revelation and reason.