Knowledge of god of us

[billcu1]

Is god’s knowledge of us what brings us into existance? Summa is hard to understand on this one for me anyway.

Bill

 

[Aelred_Minor]

Interesting question. My first thought is this:

God is outside of time, so from His “perspective” you could say His knowledge of us and His creation of us are “simultanious.”

However, I would think the logical (as opposed to temporal) order would be something like

1. God’s theoretical knowledge of us together with every other logically possible creature
2. God’s decision that we ourselves (as opposed to many other theoretically possible creatures) should have existence
3. God’s creative act bringing us into existence
4. God’s knowledge of us as we actually exist

Not sure if this even addresses your question.

 

[tonyrey]

Your question presupposes that we can understand the nature of God’s knowledge and creativity - both of which are beyond our comprehension. Divine activity is indefinable because definitions impose limits and human categories on that which is infinite and indistinguishable. The Oneness of the Blessed Trinity is an example of the arbitrary separation of love, knowledge - and creativity.

The closest we can get to understanding God is the prayer of Jesus “that they may be one as we are one…”

 

[billcu1]

Your question presupposes that we can understand the nature of God’s knowledge and creativity - both of which are beyond our comprehension. Divine activity is indefinable because definitions impose limits and human categories on that which is infinite and indistinguishable. The Oneness of the Blessed Trinity is an example of the arbitrary separation of love, knowledge - and creativity.

The closest we can get to understanding God is the prayer of Jesus “that they may be one as we are one…”

I see. I was looking for St. Thomas’s perspective. Summa Theologica is kind of vague to me in this. Vague in that is kind of tough for me to chew.

Bill

 

[Aelred_Minor]

Your question presupposes that we can understand the nature of God’s knowledge and creativity - both of which are beyond our comprehension. Divine activity is indefinable because definitions impose limits and human categories on that which is infinite and indistinguishable. The Oneness of the Blessed Trinity is an example of the arbitrary separation of love, knowledge - and creativity.

The closest we can get to understanding God is the prayer of Jesus “that they may be one as we are one…”

The sentence I’m questioning I’ve reddened.

I hope you are not asserting there that the doctrine of the Trinity is an arbitrary human distinction between “attributes” of God which are in fact one. That would be Modalism, more or less.