Judeo-Christian Influence on the Philosophy of Religion

1. Creator
   1. creatio ex nihilo
   2. spoke things into creation
      1. deliberate action of God (Gen 1:1, Job 38)
   3. Theistic view
      1. God is transcendent and immanent simultaneously
         1. creation is an ongoing process
   4. Deistic view
      1. creation is a thing of the past
2. Craftsman
   1. relationship with humanity
   2. skilled builder in designing things
   3. creates things in perfection and harmony
   4. natural beauty
   5. given people talents and skills
   6. organised pre-existing matter to create the universe
      1. "The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground" Gen 2:7
         1. God brings order to his creation
            1. "first cause" Cosmological argument
               1. universe could not have caused itself but must have been caused by God
                  1. concept of crafting undermines argument
                     1. if all matter is eternal, perhaps the universe did cause itself after all, and God is a mere designer
                        1. is crafting less important than creating?
                           1. takes away some of God's omnipotence
                        2. if God didn't create out of nothing, then something else is eternal
                           1. God is not unique
   7. Psalm 8:3
3. Divine attributes

   Attachments:

   • Divine Attributes of God
   1. omnipresence
      1. everywhere all at once
         1. Psalm 147:8-9
            1. doing several things at once
   2. omniscience
      1. all-knowing
   3. omnipotence
      1. all-powerful
         1. control over everything
            1. Psalm 147:8-9
      2. supreme power
   4. omnibenevolence
      1. all-loving
         1. forgiving
         2. merciful
         3. Psalm 147:8-9
            1. cares for cattle and young ravens
   5. Immanent
      1. present in the world, knowable, within us
   6. Immutable
      1. cannot change
   7. Transcendant
      1. entirely above created universe, beyond human understanding
         1. unknowable
      2. Job 38:4-6
   8. eternal
4. Links to Aristotle's Prime Mover
   1. transcendent
   2. cause of world
   3. eternal and unchanging
   4. ultimate perfection
   5. has to exist out of necessity
5. Goodness

   Attachments:

   • Divine Attributes of God
6. Judge
   1. At the end of the world, on Judgement Day, God will judge every person, and separate the righteous from the wicked (or the sheep and the goats)
7. Perfect
   1. no flaws, completely sinless

1. describes 7 days of creation
   1. Day 1
      1. heavens and earth, day and night
   2. Day 2
      1. sky
   3. Day 3
      1. land and sea, plants and trees
   4. Day 4
      1. sun, stars and moon
   5. Day 5
      1. sea creatures and birds
   6. Day 6
      1. animals, Adam and Eve
   7. Day 7
      1. God rested (Sabbath)
2. Gen 1:27 - "God created mankind in his own image... male and female he created them."
3. First commands
   1. "Be fruitful and increase in number" (Gen 1:28)
   2. dominion: "Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves along the ground." (Gen 1:28)
4. Overview
   1. suggests male and female were created at same time
      1. in God's image
         1. important over all other life
      2. given dominion
      3. fruitful
   2. God creates by word alone
      1. shows a transcendent, powerful God
   3. helps to explain the Sabbath (holy day of rest) as God rested on the final day of creation
   4. poetic structure to this account, familiar patterns and phrases are repeated
      1. e.g) "And he saw that it was good", "the third day"
   5. Creatio ex nihilo
      1. 'creation out of nothing' in Latin
      2. God wasn't made, he just is there
         1. needs no introduction or explanation
      3. Bible does not explicitly say God created the world from nothing
         1. Genesis described the pre-creation state as a 'formless void'
         2. Myth of Babylon
            1. before the heavens and earth were formed, there were dark and swirling waters
               1. some scholars argue that the writers of Genesis used this myth when writing the account;
                  1. "Spirit of God" hovering above the waters
         3. Creatio ex nihilo did not become a part of Christian teaching until the 12th Century when it was defined by the Lateran Council
      4. opposition to the Greek understanding of creation
         1. Platonic: demiurge (creator) crafting out of pre-existing matter
         2. Aristotlean: Prime Mover attracting change in the universe
      5. did God create evil?
      6. Key quotes
         1. "Nothing comes from nothing" - Aristotle
         2. "All things were made through him" John 1:3
         3. "When I laid the earth's foundations" Job 38:4
      7. Gnosticism
         1. distinction between God of the OT and God of the NT
            1. doctrine of creatio ex nihilo developed due to rising pressure of this belief
            2. creator and redeemer
            3. God of OT regarded as lesser deity
         2. Irenaeus (130-200 AD) argued against belief in two Gods
            1. and against the Greek belief in pre-existing matter
               1. everything was required to be made from nothing

1. Gen 2 is different creation account to Gen 1
   1. "The Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Gen 2:7
   2. "The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food." Gen 2:9
   3. "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him." Gen 2:18
      1. God created all the animals, and man named them
         1. the animals were not suitable to be helpers
            1. God took a rib from Adam whilst he slept, and formed woman
               1. "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." Gen 2:23
2. The Fall (Gen 3)
   1. "You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." Gen 2:17
      1. Serpent appears to Eve and tells her to eat from the tree, as they will then know as much as God
         1. Eve, then Adam eat the fruit from the tree
            1. They realise they are naked, hear God and hide
               1. Man blames woman, woman blames serpent
                  1. Punishments
                     1. Serpent: Its legs are removed, and God tells the serpent that humans will hate the species and kill it
                     2. Adam and Eve
                        1. banished from the Garden of Eden
                        2. pain in childbirth
                        3. Man will have to work all his life and will eventually die
            2. world becomes imperfect
3. Overview
   1. explains origin of evil
   2. shows immanent God involved with his creation
   3. anthropomorphic (human structure) view of God
   4. suggests man was made first, and woman made from man
      1. craftsman, made and sculpted us
   5. focus on good and evil, temptation and responsibilty

Attachments:

• The Problems Caused by God's Divine Attributes

Attachments:

• The Problems Caused by God's Divine Attributes