Qualities of God (Omniscience) Flashcards
what is divine foreknowledge
God knowing the future
Bible passages on God’s omniscience
“everything in all create is exposed and lies open before his eyes” Hebrews
“the eyes of the lords are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” Proverbs
“but even the hairs of your head are all numbered” Matthew
“Great is our Lord [..] his understanding is infinite” Psalm
Bible passages on God’s omniscience
“everything in all create is exposed and lies open before his eyes” Hebrews
“the eyes of the lords are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” Proverbs
“but even the hairs of your head are all numbered” Matthew
“Great is our Lord [..] his understanding is infinite” Psalm
What is Swinburne’s idea of omniscience?
God chooses to limit his omniscience in order to preserve human free will:
- Bible shows that he changes his mind - if God truly knew future: he wouldn’t: ‘if God changes his mind he cannot have foreknown his future actions, and so his knowledge cannot be unlimited’
What is the initial argument about God’s omniscience?
If yes…then lack of free will
If no…then lacks the characteristics of a judo-Christian God
What does John Calvin argue?
That we have no choice in the decisions we make….’for he does not create everyone in the same condition…eternal life for some…eternal damnation for others’
Calvinists believe it is predetermined who will go to heaven or hell bc he created everything.
“in love he predestines us…” Ephesians 1:5
What was the main question the Boethius was asking?
How can God have divine foreknowledge of the future and human beings still have free will?
How did Boethius explore the question of Free will?
In a discussion with Lady Philosophy…
‘there is a hopeless foreknowledge of all things and freedom of human will’
- God has providence and we cannot possible fool him or make an alternative choice about what we do
- If we could do this then God would have fallible knowledge
- Boethius was not happy with this conclusion
What is Boethius’ answer to his issues?
- it is pointless to reward and punish if our actions are not free
- therefore we must control our actions and be responsible for our vices and virtues
- so therefore God must have full knowledge but our actions still be free
oethius’ answer to this is that God is eternal
God’s eternity is not temporal and therefore experiences all of time in one go ‘eternal present’
By seeing the past, present and future at once he cannot predetermine our actions (but not necessarily in order
What is the quote from Boethius’ conclusion?
‘not knowledge of future events but knowledge of a never changing present’
What does Boethius reject in his conclusion?
- there is no divine foreknowledge
- time is a human concept, not one god is aware of
What is the quote and explanation from Aquinas about God not having divine foreknowledge?
‘God sees all things together and not successively’
God takes in history as a whole, a birds eye view. God can see our paths but he does not intervene with them. Theocentric view.
This is a good negotiation between a personal and timeless God.
What are the three explanations of everlasting omniscience?
- god omniscience is limited to what is possible (swinburne)
- god deliberately chooses to limit what he knows
- God knows all possible choices but we are free to chose which one
