Divine aseity and the paradox of divine self-limitation
This article explores the paradox between the classical doctrine of divine aseity and the notion of divine self-limitation. Drawing from biblical narratives and theological concepts such as divine accommodation and kenosis, the article shows that God’s choice to enter into a temporal and relational...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Afrikaans |
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2025-01-01
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| Series: | HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/10328 |
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| author | Aku S. Antombikums |
| author_facet | Aku S. Antombikums |
| author_sort | Aku S. Antombikums |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article explores the paradox between the classical doctrine of divine aseity and the notion of divine self-limitation. Drawing from biblical narratives and theological concepts such as divine accommodation and kenosis, the article shows that God’s choice to enter into a temporal and relational interaction with creation affects God in such a way that God would not have been affected without the creation. Given the foregoing, open and relational theists conceptualised the notion of divine self-limitation in which, as a result of the creation and human libertarian freedom, God cannot maximally exemplify his great-making properties upheld in traditional theism. I argued in this article that although God seems to become vulnerable because of the act of creation, He nevertheless remains a se because He is not only the source of his existence, but the creation of significant others could not cause God to lose his essential attribute of independence. Therefore, God is still omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, immutable and the like because the possession of these divine attributes does not rule out the possibility that God can enter into a temporal relationship with the creatures. Divine self-limitation predicates real limitations of God contrary to the negating language of the Scripture and, therefore, undermines God’s Almightiness.
Contribution: It is argued in this article that although it may be possible to speak about God’s vulnerability because of his act of creation, which seems like a hard choice because He is omniscient, a weaker version of divine aseity that ascribes real limitations to God is not viable. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d28b742c3fea43388586f5f34a4a1c6b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0259-9422 2072-8050 |
| language | Afrikaans |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-d28b742c3fea43388586f5f34a4a1c6b2025-02-11T13:23:33ZafrAOSISHTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies0259-94222072-80502025-01-01811e1e710.4102/hts.v81i1.103286078Divine aseity and the paradox of divine self-limitationAku S. Antombikums0Department of Systematic and Historical Theology, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; and, Department of Biblical, Exegetical and Systematic Theology, Theological University, UtrechtThis article explores the paradox between the classical doctrine of divine aseity and the notion of divine self-limitation. Drawing from biblical narratives and theological concepts such as divine accommodation and kenosis, the article shows that God’s choice to enter into a temporal and relational interaction with creation affects God in such a way that God would not have been affected without the creation. Given the foregoing, open and relational theists conceptualised the notion of divine self-limitation in which, as a result of the creation and human libertarian freedom, God cannot maximally exemplify his great-making properties upheld in traditional theism. I argued in this article that although God seems to become vulnerable because of the act of creation, He nevertheless remains a se because He is not only the source of his existence, but the creation of significant others could not cause God to lose his essential attribute of independence. Therefore, God is still omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, immutable and the like because the possession of these divine attributes does not rule out the possibility that God can enter into a temporal relationship with the creatures. Divine self-limitation predicates real limitations of God contrary to the negating language of the Scripture and, therefore, undermines God’s Almightiness. Contribution: It is argued in this article that although it may be possible to speak about God’s vulnerability because of his act of creation, which seems like a hard choice because He is omniscient, a weaker version of divine aseity that ascribes real limitations to God is not viable.https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/10328aseitydivine self-limitationhard choicevulnerabilityopen and relational theists |
| spellingShingle | Aku S. Antombikums Divine aseity and the paradox of divine self-limitation HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies aseity divine self-limitation hard choice vulnerability open and relational theists |
| title | Divine aseity and the paradox of divine self-limitation |
| title_full | Divine aseity and the paradox of divine self-limitation |
| title_fullStr | Divine aseity and the paradox of divine self-limitation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Divine aseity and the paradox of divine self-limitation |
| title_short | Divine aseity and the paradox of divine self-limitation |
| title_sort | divine aseity and the paradox of divine self limitation |
| topic | aseity divine self-limitation hard choice vulnerability open and relational theists |
| url | https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/10328 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT akusantombikums divineaseityandtheparadoxofdivineselflimitation |