Attributes of God
,God and time
Eternal (outside time):
● Knowledge and power not limited as hes apart from the universe
● Boethius : God cannot be subject to time so being eternal means outside of the
past,present and future and surveys the whole of time in an eternal present,
calls Gods eternity a “simultaneous present”
● Aquinas adds to this by suggesting the illustration of being on top of a tower
on a hill and having birds eye view, so while u see everything, the traveller only
sees what is in front or behind them
● (Wrote in jail and to lady philosopher who consoled him hence the name of the
book 5 “the consolation of philosophy”)
, God and time/Omniscience
Free will:
● Boethius’ work is written as a convo between him and lady philosophy and draws towards “If God
sees our future actions we cannot do otherwise”
● solution=
Simple necessities: the necessity of nature acting according to natural,physical laws
Conditional necessities: an action is observed only because it has been freely chosen
Providence: God’s knowledge, not of the future but how God oversees the world and our free choices
● Boethius uses conditional necessity and uses example of man walking out on a sunny day and
“necessary” is applied to the sun shining and the man walking. Sun shining is a necessity because
the sun must do it (simple) and the man walking is a necessity or u wouldnt see him walking but he
has chosen to walk (conditional) and God knows the man is walking simply because he chose to
and God sees things we consider to be the future because theyre the result of human free will
,God and time
Eternal (outside time):
● Knowledge and power not limited as hes apart from the universe
● Boethius : God cannot be subject to time so being eternal means outside of the
past,present and future and surveys the whole of time in an eternal present,
calls Gods eternity a “simultaneous present”
● Aquinas adds to this by suggesting the illustration of being on top of a tower
on a hill and having birds eye view, so while u see everything, the traveller only
sees what is in front or behind them
● (Wrote in jail and to lady philosopher who consoled him hence the name of the
book 5 “the consolation of philosophy”)
, God and time/Omniscience
Free will:
● Boethius’ work is written as a convo between him and lady philosophy and draws towards “If God
sees our future actions we cannot do otherwise”
● solution=
Simple necessities: the necessity of nature acting according to natural,physical laws
Conditional necessities: an action is observed only because it has been freely chosen
Providence: God’s knowledge, not of the future but how God oversees the world and our free choices
● Boethius uses conditional necessity and uses example of man walking out on a sunny day and
“necessary” is applied to the sun shining and the man walking. Sun shining is a necessity because
the sun must do it (simple) and the man walking is a necessity or u wouldnt see him walking but he
has chosen to walk (conditional) and God knows the man is walking simply because he chose to
and God sees things we consider to be the future because theyre the result of human free will
