Nature Of God Key Words Flashcards
Paradox
Two contradictory statements that both appear true
Eternal - timeless
God stands outside of time and all time is equally present to him
Eternal - everlasting
God moves along the same timeline as us but does not begin or end
Process theology
God moves through time with his creation and is affected by this interaction
Middle knowledge
God knows all the possibilities of your free choice
Schleiermacher and omniscience
God’s knowledge is like that of a close friend
Coherence
A reasoned argument that makes sense
Different omnipotence meanings
- God can do all things (logically impossible)
- God can do anything logically possible
- God can do anything that is logically possible for a being such as God to do
- God has power over everything
Divine eternity
God’s relationship with time
Different omniscience definitions
- God can know what is logically possible
- God has knowledge like you would of a best friend
- middle knowledge
Simple necessity (Boethius)
The necessity of nature acting according to natural, physical laws
Conditional necessity (Boethius)
An action is observed only because it has been freely chosen
Following necessity (Anselm)
The moment of choice is known in God’s eternal present
Preceding necessity (Anselm)
No free agent or choice, dependent on natural lawas
Simultaneously present
All things are known to God at the same time
Divine eternity
‘Eternity is the simultaneous possession of boundless life which is made clearer by companion with temporal things’
Temporal
Relation to time
Non temporal
No relation to time
Immanent
Within time and with us
Providence
God’s knowledge, not of the future but how God oversees the world and our free choices
Everlasting
A view of divine eternity, God has no beginning or end, moves through time and is in time
Anslem’s four dimensionalism
All times and places are equally real and present to God
Eternal boethius
The simultaneous possession of boundless life which is made clearer by comparison with temporal things
Euthyphro dilemma
Is the action good because God commands it or does God command it because it is good
Presentism
Only present things exist and what s present changes
