There are various opinions about God and the universe. Some believe that the universe is God. This view is called pantheism. Others say that God created everything, set everything in motion, and distanced Himself from all of His creation by not interacting with it. That view is called deism. Others say that God created everything and is involved in His creation. That is the view of the monotheists.
If the view of the pantheists is correct, then everything is God and all of nature should be worshiped as God. Treating anything with contempt, then, would be a sacrilegious act, deserving divine judgment. Each individual, according to this view, would deserve to be worshiped as part of the Divine Entity. Any evil deeds done by anyone would, then, be part of the divine will.
The monotheists, on the other hand, regard all of nature as something separate from God. The view held by most monotheists is that God created everything out of nothing. This doctrine can be found expressly stated in the Second Book of Maccabees.
I beseech thee, my son, look upon the heaven and the Earth, and all that is therein, and consider that God made them of things that were not; and so was mankind made likewise. (II Macc. 7:28)
The Second Book of Maccabees is included in the Christian Canon of Holy Scripture by the Council of Carthage (419 A.D.) in its 24th Canon and by the 85th Canon of the Canons of the Holy Apostles. The Quinisext Council (692 A.D.), an extension of the Fifth and Sixth Ecumenical Councils of the Church, adopted these canons in its Second Canon.*
God, according to most monotheists, brought everything from non-existence into existence.
If the view of the deists is correct, then there is no divine intervention in the affairs of men. God just simply watches what happens and does not attempt to influence our actions in any way.
Monotheists disagree with this view of the deists respecting God and His creation. God, according to them, takes enough interest in His creation to interact with it and try to influence it for good.**
Most monotheists believe that God reveals Himself to people in various ways. They believe there is a collection of Sacred Writings that contain God's revelation to man. For the Jews, this is the Old Testament as approved by the Council of Jamnia in 100 A.D. For Muslims, this is the Koran. For Christians, it is the Old and New Testaments. There is a difference of opinion among Christians as to which books make up the Old Testament canon. Protestants adopt the same books that were approved by the Jewish Council of Jamnia in 100 A.D. Roman Catholics go by the decision of the Council of Trent (1545-1564). For Orthodox Christians, the Canon of the Old Testament consists of all of the books found in the Septuagint and approved by the Quinisext Council (692 A.D.) in its Second Canon. It accepted the various canons of certain bishops, the Canons of the Holy Apostles, the canons of the Council of Carthage (419 A.D.), and the canons of some other regional councils of the Church. Among Christians, the Orthodox have the largest collection of books in their Old Testament.
The evidence for God's interaction with men is found in various recorded miracles in the Sacred Writings of Christians. There are also various events in history that have been attributed to divine intervention. Many of these events are recorded in the lives of the Saints.
As for the Orthodox Christian view regarding God and His creation, Orthodox say that God transcends time and space, but He is immanent. God can be known, but not fully known. Nature provides us with proof of His existence. In the Wisdom of Solomon, it says:
Surely vain are all men by nature, who are ignorant of God, and could not out of the good things that are seen know Him that is: neither by considering the works did they acknowledge the Workmaster; but deemed either fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circle of the stars, or the violent water, or the lights of heaven, to be the gods which govern the world. With whose beauty if they being delighted took them to be gods; let them know how much better the Lord of them is: for the First Author of beauty hath created them. But if they were astonished at their power and virtue, let them understand by them, how much mightier He is that made them. For by the greatness and beauty of the creatures proportionably the Maker of them is seen. (Wisd. 13:1-5)
The Wisdom of Solomon is one of the Five Books of Solomon approved as canonical Scripture by the Council of Carthage (419 A.D.) in its 24th Canon. The canons of this regional council were adopted by the Quinisext Council (692 A.D.) in its Second Canon.***
God can be seen in the greatness and beauty of His creation. This same doctrine is taught in the 18th Psalm:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. Day to day utters speech, and night to night proclaims knowledge. There are no speeches or words, in which their voices are not heard. Their voice is gone out into all the Earth, and their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 18:1-4, LXX; Psalm 19:1-4, Hebrew)
It is also found in St. Paul's writings:
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. (Rom. 1:19-20)
God reveals His power, glory, and beauty to us through the things that He has created. There is evidence of His intelligence and wisdom in the multitude of creatures and things that make up the created order. In the 103rd Psalm it says:
How great are Thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast Thou wrought them all. (Psalm 103:24, LXX; Psalm 104:24, Hebrew)
So then, to sum up what has been said, God created everything out of nothing. The created universe is not God, but it reveals to us the glory, power, wisdom, and beauty of God. God transcends His creation, but He still interacts with it. There are records of His interactions with the created universe in the Sacred Writings of Christians and in the lives of the Saints.
If the view of the pantheists is correct, then everything is God and all of nature should be worshiped as God. Treating anything with contempt, then, would be a sacrilegious act, deserving divine judgment. Each individual, according to this view, would deserve to be worshiped as part of the Divine Entity. Any evil deeds done by anyone would, then, be part of the divine will.
The monotheists, on the other hand, regard all of nature as something separate from God. The view held by most monotheists is that God created everything out of nothing. This doctrine can be found expressly stated in the Second Book of Maccabees.
I beseech thee, my son, look upon the heaven and the Earth, and all that is therein, and consider that God made them of things that were not; and so was mankind made likewise. (II Macc. 7:28)
The Second Book of Maccabees is included in the Christian Canon of Holy Scripture by the Council of Carthage (419 A.D.) in its 24th Canon and by the 85th Canon of the Canons of the Holy Apostles. The Quinisext Council (692 A.D.), an extension of the Fifth and Sixth Ecumenical Councils of the Church, adopted these canons in its Second Canon.*
God, according to most monotheists, brought everything from non-existence into existence.
If the view of the deists is correct, then there is no divine intervention in the affairs of men. God just simply watches what happens and does not attempt to influence our actions in any way.
Monotheists disagree with this view of the deists respecting God and His creation. God, according to them, takes enough interest in His creation to interact with it and try to influence it for good.**
Most monotheists believe that God reveals Himself to people in various ways. They believe there is a collection of Sacred Writings that contain God's revelation to man. For the Jews, this is the Old Testament as approved by the Council of Jamnia in 100 A.D. For Muslims, this is the Koran. For Christians, it is the Old and New Testaments. There is a difference of opinion among Christians as to which books make up the Old Testament canon. Protestants adopt the same books that were approved by the Jewish Council of Jamnia in 100 A.D. Roman Catholics go by the decision of the Council of Trent (1545-1564). For Orthodox Christians, the Canon of the Old Testament consists of all of the books found in the Septuagint and approved by the Quinisext Council (692 A.D.) in its Second Canon. It accepted the various canons of certain bishops, the Canons of the Holy Apostles, the canons of the Council of Carthage (419 A.D.), and the canons of some other regional councils of the Church. Among Christians, the Orthodox have the largest collection of books in their Old Testament.
The evidence for God's interaction with men is found in various recorded miracles in the Sacred Writings of Christians. There are also various events in history that have been attributed to divine intervention. Many of these events are recorded in the lives of the Saints.
As for the Orthodox Christian view regarding God and His creation, Orthodox say that God transcends time and space, but He is immanent. God can be known, but not fully known. Nature provides us with proof of His existence. In the Wisdom of Solomon, it says:
Surely vain are all men by nature, who are ignorant of God, and could not out of the good things that are seen know Him that is: neither by considering the works did they acknowledge the Workmaster; but deemed either fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circle of the stars, or the violent water, or the lights of heaven, to be the gods which govern the world. With whose beauty if they being delighted took them to be gods; let them know how much better the Lord of them is: for the First Author of beauty hath created them. But if they were astonished at their power and virtue, let them understand by them, how much mightier He is that made them. For by the greatness and beauty of the creatures proportionably the Maker of them is seen. (Wisd. 13:1-5)
The Wisdom of Solomon is one of the Five Books of Solomon approved as canonical Scripture by the Council of Carthage (419 A.D.) in its 24th Canon. The canons of this regional council were adopted by the Quinisext Council (692 A.D.) in its Second Canon.***
God can be seen in the greatness and beauty of His creation. This same doctrine is taught in the 18th Psalm:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. Day to day utters speech, and night to night proclaims knowledge. There are no speeches or words, in which their voices are not heard. Their voice is gone out into all the Earth, and their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 18:1-4, LXX; Psalm 19:1-4, Hebrew)
It is also found in St. Paul's writings:
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. (Rom. 1:19-20)
God reveals His power, glory, and beauty to us through the things that He has created. There is evidence of His intelligence and wisdom in the multitude of creatures and things that make up the created order. In the 103rd Psalm it says:
How great are Thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast Thou wrought them all. (Psalm 103:24, LXX; Psalm 104:24, Hebrew)
So then, to sum up what has been said, God created everything out of nothing. The created universe is not God, but it reveals to us the glory, power, wisdom, and beauty of God. God transcends His creation, but He still interacts with it. There are records of His interactions with the created universe in the Sacred Writings of Christians and in the lives of the Saints.
Steve
* See Canons of the Holy Apostles, Canon 85, vol. 7, p. 505, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Canon XXIV of the Council of Carthage, 419 A.D., vol. 14, pp. 453-454, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, and Canon II of the Quinisext Council, 692 A.D., vol. 14, p. 361, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series.
** God loves His creation.
For Thou lovest all the things that are, and abhorrest nothing which Thou hast made: for never wouldest Thou have made any thing, if Thou hadst hated it. (Wisd. 11:24)
If God loves all that He made, then He is not just an indifferent onlooker. He takes an active interest in what happens in the lives of His creatures. So, it is reasonable to say that He interacts with His creation that He created and loves. God can and does perform miracles.
*** See Canon XXIV of the Council of Carthage, 419 A.D., vol. 14, pp. 453-454, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, and Canon II of the Quinisext Council, 692 A.D., vol. 14, p. 361, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series. Blessed Augustine, a bishop within the North African jurisdiction of which Carthage was a part, said that the Five Books of Solomon are: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Solomon, the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus), and the Wisdom of Solomon. Ecclesiasticus and the Wisdom of Solomon are classified with the other three books that, according to tradition, were actually written by King Solomon, not because they were written by Solomon, but because they have "a certain resemblance of style." See On Christian Doctrine, Book II, chapter 8, by Blessed Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D., vol. 2, pp. 538-539, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series.
** God loves His creation.
For Thou lovest all the things that are, and abhorrest nothing which Thou hast made: for never wouldest Thou have made any thing, if Thou hadst hated it. (Wisd. 11:24)
If God loves all that He made, then He is not just an indifferent onlooker. He takes an active interest in what happens in the lives of His creatures. So, it is reasonable to say that He interacts with His creation that He created and loves. God can and does perform miracles.
*** See Canon XXIV of the Council of Carthage, 419 A.D., vol. 14, pp. 453-454, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, and Canon II of the Quinisext Council, 692 A.D., vol. 14, p. 361, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series. Blessed Augustine, a bishop within the North African jurisdiction of which Carthage was a part, said that the Five Books of Solomon are: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Solomon, the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus), and the Wisdom of Solomon. Ecclesiasticus and the Wisdom of Solomon are classified with the other three books that, according to tradition, were actually written by King Solomon, not because they were written by Solomon, but because they have "a certain resemblance of style." See On Christian Doctrine, Book II, chapter 8, by Blessed Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D., vol. 2, pp. 538-539, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series.
Bibliography
Ante-Nicene Fathers, edited by Alexander Roberts, D.D. & James Donaldson, LL.D., volumes 1-10, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. & Henry Wace, D.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. & Henry Wace, D.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts
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