Adam Crowl wrote:
>
> >From: Andrew Mandell <amandell@jpusa.org>
> >To: dfsiemensjr@juno.com, gmurphy@raex.com
> >CC: dfsiemensjr@juno.com, burgy@compuserve.com, asa@calvin.edu
> >Subject: Re: Process theology
> >Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 14:51:32 -0500
> >
> > Hello,
> >I seem to recall in the hebrew scriptures especially in some of the
> >conversations with Abraham and Moses a feeling like God changing his mind.
> >Also some of the prophets words "from God" (through man obviously)seem to
> >have an infected by time feel to them. Does this have any bearing on the
> >discussion. I have always been attracted to a God that can be suprised or
> >be changed by love but wouldn't want to sacrifice anything integral to the
> >faith.
> >
>
> Another point is that the only really clear statements of God's
> changelessness in the Tanakh seems to be wrt his moral nature eg. Malachi
> 3:6. To say God is timeless is to remove from Him any chance that He is a
> living God. A timeless Being aka Parmenides [and that's where we get this
> obsession with timelessness from] is NOT living.
>
> What does timelessness really mean? God transcends time.
>
> But in what way?
>
> For the Hebrews I say it means God commands the events of time NOT just
> forsees passively. He brings about that which He wills... quite distinct to
> the Greek concept that infests our philosophy of God.
>
> The Greeks imagined "timelessness" being above the spheres of the planets
> and stars because their revolutions generated Time - hence Aristotle's God
> propelled the Spheres of Time as the Undying Mover, and Hermetics and
> Gnostics both imagined salvation involving leaving the Spheres of Time and
> Destiny behind. Timelessness and Changelessness both involve STASIS in Greek
> philosophy and that is the poisoned well from which Church theologians have
> drunk so deeply.
As Lutherans are wont to say, "This is most certainly true."
George
George L. Murphy
gmurphy@raex.com
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
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