St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology (Jul 2024)
Divine Eternity
Abstract
Among theists there is neither philosophical nor theological consensus regarding divine eternity. Disagreement can be sharp, and the literature treating God’s eternity is vast, varied, and often complex. For Christians there is a perennial interest in divine eternity because Christianity is a religion that proclaims reconciliation and communion with God through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Understanding how the eternal God both relates to the world and transcends the world plays a vital role in articulating and appreciating exactly what sort of relationship one has with God. The two major positions held by Christians are that God exists in a timeless present (atemporalism) and that he exists in a succession of moments over time (sempiternity or temporalism). The classical Christian view is that God is timelessly eternal and thus exists outside the succession of moments that characterizes all creatures. God does not move through time and is not temporally located. This classical position has been widely challenged by recent Christian theologians and philosophers. Sempiternity, or divine temporality, has been offered as more philosophically, theologically, and biblically compelling. This article considers reasons for both divine atemporality and divine sempiternity/temporality. Not all who advocate for the same theological conclusion necessarily agree amongst themselves on the best arguments for, or meaning of, their shared position. Distinctions within each position are examined as well as major arguments offered against each view. The Augustinian and Thomistic perspectives are given special attention, given their renaissance in recent Western theological thought.
