Presentation Type
Presentation
Department
Christian Studies
Location
Berry-Peeples Bible Building Room 126
Description
The doctrine of divine simplicity is significant because it is fundamental to the way that a person thinks about God and who God is. How one thinks about the simplicity, or non-simplicity, of God will have implications for the way that one thinks about all of God’s attributes, being, and existence. Moreover, the doctrine of divine simplicity is a doctrine that has been affirmed throughout church history by the church fathers, medieval theologians, and both Roman Catholics and Protestants. In fact, some have argued that, until Enlightenment thinking made inroads into Christian theology, virtually all Christian theologians affirmed that God was a simple, uncompounded being. Therefore, this paper will seek to address the doctrine of divine simplicity. It will do so by first explaining the basic claims of the doctrine, along with some implications of the doctrine as these two subjects overlap frequently. Next, an explanation of significant alternate views will be offered, followed by an evaluation of these views. Finally, conclusions will be drawn concerning divine simplicity and the alternative views suggested.
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Included in
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God Without Parts: The Doctrine of Divine Simplicity
Berry-Peeples Bible Building Room 126
The doctrine of divine simplicity is significant because it is fundamental to the way that a person thinks about God and who God is. How one thinks about the simplicity, or non-simplicity, of God will have implications for the way that one thinks about all of God’s attributes, being, and existence. Moreover, the doctrine of divine simplicity is a doctrine that has been affirmed throughout church history by the church fathers, medieval theologians, and both Roman Catholics and Protestants. In fact, some have argued that, until Enlightenment thinking made inroads into Christian theology, virtually all Christian theologians affirmed that God was a simple, uncompounded being. Therefore, this paper will seek to address the doctrine of divine simplicity. It will do so by first explaining the basic claims of the doctrine, along with some implications of the doctrine as these two subjects overlap frequently. Next, an explanation of significant alternate views will be offered, followed by an evaluation of these views. Finally, conclusions will be drawn concerning divine simplicity and the alternative views suggested.
Comments
This paper was presented to Dr. Eubanks as part of the Philosophy of Religion course.