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NATURE OF GOD (OMNI-BENEVOLENCE (GOD AS GOOD IN THE BIBLE (when he does…

- - - - Benefit:even those without faith can know morality.
      - Problem: we don't need God to know morality, He isn't the source.
    - - Benefit: God is the source of morality, we need God.
      - Problem: Goodness is dependant on God's whims, what if he changes his mind, e.g. sacrifice of Isaac.
  - - - JEROME BIBLE COMMMENTARY: Responds to Kant. Commentary tells us analysing Gods actions is a mistake.
      - KANT: When voice commands him- opposing moral law must count it a deception as there re cases where a man is convinced the voice isn't God. He opts for 1st horn- God would never disobey moral law. Its not God commanding it.
      - ALTERNATIVE: Child sacrifices were commonplace in the time of Abraham in Mesopotamia. Story impor- Abraham ends tradition of child sacrifice & initiates animal sacrifice.
- - - - God can do logical & illogical.
      - Can do anything . no limitation to God's ability . He can make square circles.
      - God was the 'sum of all perfections'.
    - - Considered various challenges to God's ability
        
        God cannot change history
        
        God cannot sin
        
        God cannot do the illogical.
      - Convinced theses weren't limitations but rather contradictions on our part.
      - 'Whatever holds a contradiction is not held by omnipotence'.
      - God can do anything that is logically possible for God to do.
- - - - PLATO: Ideas about WoF's & goodness - transcendent essential Form that keeps the Forms, the gods & the world in existence.
      - A'S PM: Unnecessary, unchanging God- cause & effect. Gives everything its telos.
    - - Wrote his dilemma in dialogue form w/ Lady Philosophy who reveals God's nature demonstrating that God's foreknowledge was compatible w/ free will & so his right to reward & punish.
    - - God has perfect knowledge of future events. Boethius is concerned how God can fairly reward & punish us if we cannot escape God's knowledge. E.g. If God knows I will steal, it must be the case I will. Therefore, I have no freedom to do otherwise.
        
        God's perfect knowledge- no freedom. God cannot reward or punish us fairly.
    - - Problem is: our ignorance not God's nature. God is the only being capable of understanding everything in the universe-, we can only understand things- sense experiences. Nature in which God knows universe is different from ours.
  - - - Definition of eternity: 'Eternity exists as a simultaneous whole and time is not'. God cannot be w/ time if he created universe & is the Unmoved Mover & Uncaused cause but outside of it. E.g. architect cannot be part of his building.
      - Anthony Kenny's response : birth must be simultaneous w/ my death.
      - Aq on God's simplicity: God's nature is eternal, he's simple. Exodus 3:13 'I AM that I AM'.
    - - Time doesn't exist for God.
      - God's eternity: if God created universe then- eternal & transcendent, because he can't exist within time & space. All Q's of God's nature must be considered from a non-spatiotemporal perspective.
    - - CHALLENGE: examples where God changes his mind, e.g. sacrifice of Issac.
      - Clement of Alexandria (2nd-3rd Century): Cant be distracted from his essential nature so whatever meaning we put on God won't come close to his nature 'Gods will comes from within, not without'.