Dr. William Lane Craig, a distinguished lecturer on God's self-existence and platonism at the University of Birmingham, dives deep into divine aseity. He explores how this concept asserts God's independence and critiques Platonism's uncreated entities. Craig discusses the Logos Doctrine's implications in creation and the distinctions between God's nature and Christ’s. Additionally, he examines the nature of evil as a lack of good, the philosophical interplay between Christianity and Platonism, and affirms that God's essence embodies moral goodness.
Divine aseity underscores God's self-existence as independent of all creation, ensuring His eternal and unique nature within theology.
Contemporary Platonism's claim of uncreated abstract entities challenges traditional views on divine aseity, necessitating a robust defense from Christian theists.
Deep dives
Understanding Divine Aseity
Divine aseity refers to the concept that God is a self-existent being, meaning His existence is independent of everything else. While everything else in existence is contingent and dependent on God for creation, His nature stands alone as the sole ultimate reality. This characteristic asserts that if all else were to cease to exist, God would remain. The doctrine of divine aseity forms a foundational aspect of the relationship between God and creation, emphasizing His uniqueness and sovereignty.
Biblical Testimony and the New Testament
The biblical argument supporting divine aseity is significantly backed by New Testament testimonies, particularly in the Gospel of John. The prologue emphasizes that everything came into being through the Word, which was both with God and was God from the beginning. This assertion establishes that God and His Word have no origin and remain eternal, whereas everything else is created through Him. The implication drawn from this text strongly challenges the notion of any eternal entities existing outside of God, reinforcing the exclusivity of His divine nature.
Challenges from Platonism
Contemporary Platonism poses a significant challenge to the doctrine of divine aseity by claiming the existence of abstract objects that are uncreated and eternal. This viewpoint suggests that entities such as mathematical objects exist independently of God, contradicting traditional views on divine aseity and creation. As Platonism argues for an infinite realm of abstract realities existing alongside God, it undermines the idea of God as the sole source of all that exists. The discussion highlights the need for Christian theists to defend the traditional view against these philosophical challenges to maintain the integrity of their theological beliefs.
Historical Perspectives and Church Fathers
The historical development of the doctrine of divine aseity can be traced through the considerations of early Church Fathers, who emphasized God's uncreated status as a distinctive feature of His deity. Notable theological distinctions, such as the differences between 'agenetos' (uncreated) and 'genetos' (created), played a vital role in shaping the Church's understanding of God's nature. They asserted that all things, apart from God, were created, ensuring that nothing existed that could rival God's sovereignty. The Nicene Creed ultimately consolidated these views, affirming that God is the maker of all things visible and invisible, upholding the doctrine of divine aseity against competing philosophical frameworks.