Reading Our Times Is God nothing? In conversation with Gilbert Markus
5 snips
Nov 4, 2025 Gilbert Markus, a former Dominican friar and expert in Celtic history, delves into profound theological discussions. He challenges perceptions of God, arguing that traditional language misrepresents God's non-thing nature. Markus explores how Genesis reinterprets ancient myths and emphasizes God as the ultimate creator. He reveals the significance of the Exodus and the dangers of idolatry while advocating for love of neighbor as a means to understand the divine. The conversation spans music, language’s limits, and questions of faith, inviting listeners to reconsider the nature of God.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Language Misleads About God
- Our language for God borrows from words for creatures, which misleads us into treating God as a thing.
- Gilbert Markus argues we must use that language carefully because God is the creator, not a created individual.
Genesis As A Subversive Creation Story
- Genesis reframes Near Eastern myth by abolishing many gods and positing a creator who is not one of the created things.
- Markus calls this God’s presence-as-absence: present in creative action but not as an individual among things.
God As 'To Be' Not A Name
- In Exodus God resists being individuated by a proper name; 'I am who I am' points to being itself, not a personal label.
- Thomas Aquinas reads this as God as esse, the ground of all being rather than an individual being.
