Boethius on attributes of God

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  • Created by: beckymale
  • Created on: 31-05-18 12:59
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  • Eternal (timeless) Outside of time with no beginning or end. From Biblical passages
    • Attributes of God
      • Divine foreknowledge
        • Does God know the future as part of his omniscience?
          • If yes he has divine foreknowledge and foreknows acts. Therefore, Calvin argues that our acts are not free
            • Links this to predestinationHe has already determined what will happen to us (pre elected)
        • For Boethius, God does not have divine foreknowl..as such - he sees things as Theocentric whereas we see things as anthropocenric - linear
        • Boethius defines 2 types of necessity, simple and conditioned
          • simple = some things just the way they are e.g. humans mortal
          • conditioned = necessity a consequence of choice. If i choose to walk I am necessarily.
          • Also distinguishes between 'knowing' someone will do something and 'causing' it - I know there will be an election in 2020, but that doesn't cause the event.
        • Problem of evil. However, Boethius says God not temporal, so God can see what we will do but cant change our actions bc they are fixed
    • Boethius - for God all time is present (pst, prst, future) All time is present simultaneous. He is not within time.
      • Augustine agrees - Bible indicates timeless God who chose to create night and day and he is separate from this
        • Aquinas also agrees. When we speak of God we are using analogy. We have no words for how he experiences time so everything compares him as similar - this is not realty for God
    • Anselm's four dimensionalist approach. God is not contained by space and time but controls them. Means we do still have free will. God can see the free choices we make . His God is simple and timeless
    • Problems with timeless view
      • How can a timeless God respond to people's prayers?
      • Love 2 way process
      • Deist God leaves issues about incarnation. Intrinsically different from God of classical theism
      • Aristtole believed time and eternity were interlinked (prime mover)
      • Einstein's Theory Of General Relativity suggests that time may not be the unchanging thing we experience it as
        • Kotarbinski similarly says that time is the duration of objects, not something separate
    • Solution to issues  - God as everlasting (eternal) NOT timeless. Will always exist but time passes for him. SWINBURNE VP.
      • Supports present and active God answering prayers and granting miracles
      • In Deuteronomy described as eternal and everlasting? Issue of interpretation here

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