Two questions regarding contemporary theological and philosophical studies are often overlooked: “Is God infinite or finite?” and, “What does it mean to say that God is infinite?” In The Infinity of God, Benedikt Paul Göcke and Christian Tapp bring together prominent scholars to discuss God’s infinitude from philosophical and theological perspectives. Each contributor deals with a particular aspect of the infinity of God, employing the methods of analytic theology and analytic philosophy. The essays in the first section examine historical issues from a systematic point of view. The contributors focus on the Cappadocian Fathers, Thomas Aquinas, Leibniz, Kant, Hegel, Bolzano, and Cantor. The second section deals with particular issues concerning the relation between God’s infinity and both the finitude of the world and the classical attributes of God: eternity, simplicity, omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, and moral perfection. There are some books that deal with the notion of infinity in mathematics and in general philosophy, but no single text brings together the best analytic philosophers and theologians tackling the various aspects of the infinity of God and the correlated problems. This book will interest students and scholars in philosophy of religion, theology, and metaphysics.
Contributors: Benedikt Paul Göcke, Christian Tapp, Franz Krainer, Adam Drosdek, William E. Carroll, Christina Schneider, Ruben Schneider, Robert M. Wallace, Bruce A. Hedman, Bernhard Lang, Richard Swinburne, Kenneth L. Pearce, William Hasker, Paul Helm, Brian Leftow, Ken Perszyk, Thomas Schärtl, and Philip Clayton.
Table of Content
Introduction: The Infinity of God Benedikt Paul Göcke and Christian Tapp
Part 1. Historical Approaches to the Infinity of God
2. The Concept of the Infinity of God in Ancient Greek Thought Franz Krainer
3. Infinity in Augustine’s Theology Adam Drosdek
4. Aquinas on Creation and the Analogy of Infinity William E. Carroll
5. Spinoza and Leibniz on the Absolute and Its Infinity – A Case-Study Christina Schneider
6. Kant and the Infinity of Reason Ruben Schneider
7. Infinity and Spirit: How Hegel Integrates Science and Religion, and Nature and the Supernatural Robert M. Wallace
8. Divine Infinity according to Bernard Bolzano Christian Tapp
9. Cantor and the Infinity of God Bruce Hedman
Part 2. Systematic Approaches to the Infinity of God
10. God Almighty. Divine Power and Authority in the Biblical Period Bernhard Lang
11. God’s Omnipotence Richard Swinburne
12. Infinite Power and Finite Powers Kenny L. Pearce
13. Infinite God, Open Future William Hasker
14. Infinity and God’s Atemporality Paul Helm
15. Infinite Goodness Brian Leftow
16. Divine Infinity and Personhood Ken Perszyk
17. Divine Infinity and the Trinity Thomas Schärtl
18. (A)symmetries between God and World: Process Philosophy, Postmodern Theology, and the Two Families of Infinity Arguments Philip Clayton
19. The Quantitative and the Qualitative Infinity of God Benedikt Paul Göcke
About the Contributors Index
About the author
Christian Tapp is professor of philosophy and chair of interdisciplinary questions in philosophy and theology at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. He currently holds the Endowed Professorship for Christian Philosophy of the Gedächtnisstiftung Peter Kaiser (1793–1864) at the University of Innsbruck. He is the author of Kardinalität und Kardinäle and the co-editor of God, Eternity, and Time.
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