Description
Book SynopsisPaul Helm presents a new, expanded edition of his much praised 1988 book Eternal God , which defends the view that God exists in timeless eternity. This is the classical Christian view of God, but it is claimed by many theologians and philosophers of religion to be incoherent. Paul Helm rebuts the charge of incoherence, arguing that divine timelessness is grounded in the idea of God as creator, and that this alone makes possible a proper account of divine omniscience. He develops some of the consequences of divine timelessness, particularly as it affects both divine and human freedom, and considers some of the alleged problems about referring to God. The book thus constitutes a unified treatment of the main concepts of philosophical theology. Helm''s revised edition includes four new chapters that develop and extend his account of God and time, taking account of significant work in the area that has appeared since the publication of the first edition, by such prominent figures as Willi
Trade ReviewThe book is written with great clarity and can be read by almost anyone, including those with no specialist training in philosophy. ... The book is an excellent introduction to its subject and should be widely read and used by students of both theology and philosophy. ... a book of this kind will be just as valuable in the next generation as it was in the last one. * Gerald Bray, Churchman *
Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Issue of Divine Eternity ; 2. What is Divine Eternity? ; 3. Indexicals and Spacelessness ; 4. Eternity and Personality ; 5. Eternity, Immutability, and Omniscience ; 6. Timelessness and Foreknowledge ; 7. Omniscience and the Future ; 8. Divine Foreknowledge and Fatalism ; 9. Timelessness and Human Responsibility ; 10. Divine Freedom ; 11. Referring to Eternal God ; 12. And then... ; 13. Eternal Creation ; 14. The Two Standpoints ; 15. Time and Trinity ; Bibliography ; Index
