I used to read many books about God and time. These scattered thoughts were developed from those studies:
Notes on Divine Temporality
Advocates for Divine temporality (Stephen T. Davis, Richard Swinburne, John Sanders, Nick Wolterstorff, Terence Fretheim, William Hasker, William Lane Craig, Alvin Plantinga, F. Pike, Greg Boyd, and Clark Pinnock).
Other side: Brian Leftow, Richard Creel, Brian Davies, Paul Helm.
1) Possible atemporal causation definition: S possibly brings it about that X happens @ t1-contiguity with space-time
2) Divine episteme: Can a timeless being know temporal particulars directly/immediately qua temporal particulars? Thomas Aquinas and Augustine seem to answer no.
3) In my estimation, it is logically possible (maybe metaphysically possible) that timeless events are impossible.
However, what about the event of God generating/creating the only-begotten Son?
4 comments:
Sean,
It seems to me that if God is timeless, then presentism could well be false and eternalism would likely be true. But, as you say, God's timelessness appears to be entailed by divine simplicity because simplicitas rules out spatial or temporal parts for God. Witbhout temporal parts, it is difficult to see how God could be temporal, but presentism seems more unlikely too in that scenario.
Given presentism or the A theory of time, I would venture to claim that atemporal events are not possible. Richard Swinburne argues for this position in one of his books. Of course, how one defines events might also determine whether this idea is right. I also believe that simultaneous causation could be included among various temporal events. An event can be simultaneous with another without being atemporal. There is certainly no logical impossibility with temporal simultaneous causation.
I see nothing impossible (logically or metaphysically) about God creating two temporally disconnected universes. Although the cosmoi would be temporally disconnected from one another, what would prevent God from being related to each world causally, especially if these worlds are temporal in se?
Don't mean to sound ignorant here, but God is King of Eternity, it would indicate that he is all about time I mean he encompasses time. He is the reason for time. it might be an intricate part of him, that he shares with all of us.
Philip, you never sound ignorant. I always like your feedback. While I agree with your understanding of the title, King of Eternity, many in Christendom understand God to be a timeless deity.
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