This essay will argue that, while there is truth in the traditional christian claim that god transcends time, this should not 1 paul helm, divine timeless eternity. So i was glad that i had changed my topic from addressing specifically relativity theory to a more general discussion of the topic god, time, and eternity. All parts of this have, in gods design, a beauty and a harmony, their own season for appearance and development, their work to do in carrying on the majestic. Traditionally, the christian church has taken it to mean timeless. However, there are many individual noteworthy ideas in his book, but in my opinion not the place to start coming to grips with the ancient greek philosophical distinction between. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal. Download time and eternity in pdf and epub formats for free. Those who try to think about god and time are pressing the very limits of human understanding. Their contributions range from analyzing and defending classical conceptions of eternity boethius and aquinas to vindicating everlastingness accounts, and from the foreknowledge problem to einsteins. How the arrow of time we are locked into, place in an expanding time space, effects our view of time and god s limitless eternity is at best given a glancing blow. Anselm develops boethius suggestion that god has all of time present to him into a doctrine of gods temporal omnipresence read online download pdf. God, time, and eternity religious studies cambridge core. In that book, a scientist builds a time machine, travels far into the future, then returns and tells his astonished friends what the world will be like in 800,000 years. Is gods eternity to be construed as timeless or temporal.
Time and eternity from plotinus and boethius to einstein article pdf available in schole 81. Although the scripture does not speak of god explicitly in terms of such timeless eternity, there are, nevertheless, some biblical passages that do intimate a transcendence of god beyond time. What an appropriate message for a culture like ours. Craig argues his case philosophically by carefully weighing evidence for and against divine temporality and personhood in light of dynamic versus static theories of time and their warrants, in turn, in. Exploring gods relationship to time by william lane craig. Each day, created and controlled by god, is a precious gift. That is, eternity can be seen as a nontemporal location as. The term eternity plays a key role in discussions about how the god of western theism relates to time. He cannot suffer anything that he does not anticipate, foreknow, and choose to undergo. Exploring gods relationship to time a semipopular exploration of the nature of divine eternity, focusing on the question of whether god is timeless or temporal. A bold new vision of human destiny, god, and the bible. In this fascinating treatment of gods relationship to time, william lane craig argues that god, though timeless without the universe, is in time since the creation of the universe. Undaunted, this is precisely the project which we have set for ourselves in this study. Pdf time and eternity download full pdf book download.
This conception of time and eternity might be termed chronistic. It is important to speak of intervals and not instants in this statement of temporal eternity. It covers such topics as god s timelessness and his relationship to time, static verses dynamic views of time, the past eternity or finitude of time, and has an appendix on god s foreknowledge. As a result, gods eternity, says cullmann, must be expressed in terms of endless time. Gods eternity is not only beyond time, but somehow embraces all time as well.
Exploring gods relationship to time william lane craig download bok. As a result, god s eternity, says cullmann, must be expressed in terms of endless time. Craig has done a great work, and it is marvelous that now the philosophy of religion is engaging with the philosophy of science to the great benefit of both. Those who try to think about god and time are pressing the very limits of human understa. God, declares the prophet isaiah, is the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity is. The dominant view among christian theologians and philosophers is that god is timelessthat he exists outside of time in an atemporal eternity. Eternity and time contents introduction 1 eternity and time must be distinguished 2 distinction between eternity and time is illustrated 3 gods eternal purpose is executed in time 4 the eternal god adapted man for time 5 man in time has eternity in his heart 6 the certainty of eternity and the uncertainty of time are contrasted. He hath made every thing beautiful in his its time. Includes a lengthy discussion of the nature of time as dynamic versus static and proposes a novel understanding of divine eternity which is biblically. The ontological distinction between past, present, and future is nullified. Since therefore eternity is not a part of time, forasmuch as eternity exceeds time, and includes it, it seems that time is a part of eternity, and is not a different thing from eternity. Jul 23, 2002 although the scripture does not speak of god explicitly in terms of such timeless eternity, there are, nevertheless, some biblical passages that do intimate a transcendence of god beyond time. The reason for this longstanding and continued interest is straightforward.
In time and eternity, william lane craig defends the remarkable conclusion that god is timeless without creation and temporal since creation. Pannenberg, physics, and eschatology in creative mutual. The bible describes gods relationship to time in several places. We enjoy this temporal life, knowing that our god, the creator of time itself, has designed us for eternity. On this picture, god is the absolute source of absolutely everything that is not himself. Download time and eternity exploring gods relationship to time in pdf and epub formats for free. God, wisdom of god, infinite gods ways beyond human understanding immortality, in ot hearing about god creator orthodoxy, in ot. Pdf download time and eternity exploring gods relationship. Pl30 boethius god is timeless suffolk county community. Time and eternity deals with difficult issues in modern physics and brings them into relation with traditional theologi. In monotheism, time can still be personified, like father time. Those who foolishly demand that god operate according to their time frame ignore the fact that he is the high and lofty one.
Intervarsity press, 2001, 32 2 william lane craig, time and eternity. Time is an a priori given, conditioning all things. Thus god is timeless, and gods act of creation exists in eternity. If we want to overcome our prayerlessness perhaps we need to embrace the fact that prayer is hard work. University of victoria 1987 thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of. Because everything has a season, nothing at least on earth lasts forever. Jan 02, 2020 though we cannot possibly comprehend this idea of eternity or the timelessness of god, we in our finite minds try to confine an infinite god to our time schedule. Eternity and time contents introduction 1 eternity and time must be distinguished 2 distinction between eternity and time is illustrated 3 god s eternal purpose is executed in time 4 the eternal god adapted man for time 5 man in time has eternity in his heart 6 the certainty of eternity and the uncertainty of time are contrasted. If youre looking for a free download links of god, time, and eternity. God inside time and before creation dean zimmerman the paper has been revised slightly, in order to fix some mistakes in the version that appears as a chapter in god and time. Everlasting god growing weary god has understanding tired god, living and self sustaining god, omniscience of god, the eternal names of god.
Or could a god who wasnt strictly timeless also be omniscient. But if god sustains real relations with the world, the co. Though we cannot possibly comprehend this idea of eternity or the timelessness of god, we in our finite minds try to confine an infinite god to our time schedule. God, eternity, and time books store apologetics biola. God inside time and before creation rutgers university. God is the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, 1 declared the prophet isaiah, but exactly how we are to understand the notion of eternity is not clear. To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. Trust in the lord forever, for in god the lord, we have an everlasting rock. He concludes that god is or was timeless prior to creation, and became temporal at creation in an act of condescension analogous to the incarnation. God, wisdom of god, infinite god s ways beyond human understanding immortality, in ot hearing about god creator orthodoxy, in ot. It covers such topics as gods timelessness and his relationship to time, static verses dynamic views of time, the past eternity or finitude of time, and has an appendix on gods foreknowledge.
It could be said that although god does not exist at any time god exists at eternity. Accounting for particularity in reformed soteriology. This much, at least, is common property among almost all disputants in debates about the nature of time. A lifechanging spiritual masterwork on god, human destiny, and the bible a unique spiritual journey guide when time and eternity kiss is a boldly provocative and highly original new interpretation of the. Time and fate deities are personifications of time, often in the sense of human lifetime and human fate, in polytheistic religions. Wells the time machine in 1895, people have been captivated by the idea of traveling in time. This is why the psalmist can speak of the lord whose plans shall stand forever, and whose counsel endures for all generations ps 33. All are present at once metaphorically speaking to gods timeless gaze. Wolfhart pannenberg, theological questions to scientists a. Theories of time intersect crucially with theories of divine eternity and with cosmogony. Ganssle and god, time and eternity by william lane craig, international journal for the philosophy of religion 54. In this essay, i will explore how god relates to time.
In this fascinating treatment of god s relationship to time, william lane craig argues that god, though timeless without the universe, is in time since the creation of the universe. God lives completely outside of time, in a changeless eternal now that contains all of time within itself. The chronistic understanding of time sees it as an independent, objective reality for humans and possibly also for god. Time and eternity book also available for read online, mobi, docx and mobile and kindle reading. But god can create time only if he exists and acts in eternity. The two words hereseason and timeimply duration and a point in time. God s existence prior to or sans creation would not entail the existence of time if god in such a state is changeless. Pdf time and eternity from plotinus and boethius to einstein. Eternity in christian thought stanford encyclopedia of. Time and eternity deals with difficult issues in modern physics and brings them into relation with traditional theological doctrines. But in his classic work on this subject, oscar cullmann has contended that the new testament does not make a philosophical, qualitative distinction between time and.
Philosophers and theologians are also deeply divided over the nature of divine eternity, debating whether god s eternity is to be construed as a state of timelessness or of infinite, omnitemporal duration. To the early church, what the bible meant by eternal life and eternal death was the same as everlasting life and everlasting death. What most people fail to realize is that we dont need a. Time is that dimension of reality whose constituent elements are ordered by relations of earlier than, simultaneous with, and later than, and are experienced by us as past, present, and future.
Time and eternity exploring gods relationship to time book also available for read online, mobi, docx and mobile and kindle reading. These discussions have a long and venerable history. Thus, god knows the flight of time in his eternity, in the way. The topic and motivation for time in eternity in theology and science the topic of. Boethius god is timeless in this selection, boethius c. An outstanding group of american, uk, german, austrian, and swiss philosophers and theologians discuss the problem of god s relation to time. God, time, and eternity volume 14 issue 4 william lane craig. This grace was given us in christ jesus before the beginning of time, but.
Is god s eternity to be construed as timeless or temporal. In god, time, and the incarnation, richard holland offers a critical evaluation of this traditional view in light of the most central doctrine of christianity. God, time, and eternity the coherence of theism ii. Beyond that point, philosophers are deeply divided about the nature of time. Given that the universe began to exist, a relational view of time suggests that time also began to exist. This grace was given us in christ jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our. Because god is the supreme lord of time and eternity, nothing can catch him by surprise. How one sees gods relationship to time has repercussions. This plan is revealed to us through jesus christ v. How the arrow of time we are locked into, place in an expanding timespace, effects our view of time and gods limitless eternity is at best given a glancing blow.
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