Boethius

Question 1

What is the best definition of omniscience ?

Answer 1

Every statement that is true, he knows is true and every statement that is false he knows is false

Question 2

What would an omniscient God have ?

Answer 2

Divine foreknowledge

Question 3

An omniscient God in the sense of what would have divine foreknowledge ?

Answer 3

Truest sense of the word

Question 4

What is divine foreknowledge?

Answer 4

Would know everything that is going to happen and must happen no other alternative

Question 5

What is Boethius first view ?

Answer 5

God is eternal-outside of time

Question 6

Who is Boethius ?

Answer 6

• 6th century Roman philosopher and senator
• imprisoned and sentence to death for defending his friend from charges of conspiracy so wrote consolation of philosophy and dialogue between him and lady philosophy

Question 7

What century Roman philosopher and senator was Boethius ?

Answer 7

6th century

Question 8

What was Boethius book called ?

Answer 8

Constellations of philosophy

Question 9

What was the dialogue of lady philosophy and Boethius of ?

Answer 9

Personification of philosophy

Question 10

What does Boethius believe ?

Answer 10

God is eternal and must be outside of time

Question 11

How do we experience time according to Boethius ?

Answer 11

1. Past
2. Present
3. Future

Question 12

What does Boethius refer to God as ?

Answer 12

Simetaneously present

Question 13

What does God experience according to Boethius ?

Answer 13

A unified experience

Question 14

What is God not bound by according to Boethius ?

Answer 14

By time like we are

Question 15

What does God experience simultaneously?

Answer 15

The past , present and future

Question 16

God has full knowledge of what according to Boethius ?

Answer 16

Of every single thing the past, present and future

Question 17

What example to use to show God knows all things at once?

Answer 17

God has infinite amount of TV screens showing him the past, present and future which he experiences all at once

Question 18

What is the first retort to Boethius ?

Answer 18

God’s eternity and omniscience compromises free-will

Question 19

Retort 1, What does God omniscience and eternity do ?

Answer 19

• restriction on our freedom and making free choices if God knows our choice

Question 20

What does retort 1 says about God

Answer 20

• God has divine Foreknowledge
• actions are pre-destined

Question 21

Retort 1: our actions bring about Gods knowledge but does not fit with what ?

Answer 21

Does not fit with our understanding of God

Question 22

Retort 1: what is our understanding of God ?

Answer 22

Understanding of God being immutable, unchanging and omniscient

Question 23

Retort 1: our actions can’t be free otherwise what ?

Answer 23

Would be Changing God’s knowledge

Question 24

Why is Changing Gods knowledge wrong ?

Answer 24

Contradiction to our understanding of immutable

Question 25

What is the conflict for retort 1

Answer 25

Gods eternal nature and omniscience has compromised free- will either for two reasons

Question 26

What is the first conflict ?

Answer 26

God is eternal , immutable , and omniscient but free-will isn’t possible

Question 27

What is the second conflict , from retort 1:

Answer 27

God is everlasting, mutable and has limited omniscience and free will is possible

Question 28

What is Boethius view to retort 1 ?

Answer 28

We need to understand the nature of God

Question 29

What is Gods nature according to Boethius ?

Answer 29

Eternal

Question 30

What is this view really about ?

Answer 30

God’s providence , that’s how he oversees the world and our free choice NOT his knowledge of the future

Question 31

What does God providence allow ?

Answer 31

Allow free will which can be rewarded or punished afterlife rather than God intervening

Question 32

What does Fedrich Schleimarcher say ?

Answer 32

- when you go out with your best friend for a meal you’re may guess what they’re going to have - just like God , he knows what you’re likely to do , not pre-determined - God knows what you’re likely to do but your are free to make the choice

Question 33

What does Friedrich Schleiermarcher say God is ?

Answer 33

God is everlasting

Question 34

However If you believe God is everlasting what does it mean ?

Answer 34

- God is everlasting he exist within time so running along the same temporal line as us

Question 35

What does it mean if God has the same temporal timeline as us ?

Answer 35

He experience time as we do so does not know the future or does not have divine foreknowledge

Question 36

What are the problems ?

Answer 36

- God can’t be omniscience in the truest sense of the world. He doesn’t have infinite knowledge OR - God has imposed self-limiting restrictions on himself to allow us to have free will

Question 37

Where can’t God be omniscient ?

Answer 37

In the truest sense of the word

Question 38

Why can’t God be omniscience in the truest sense of the word ?

Answer 38

He doesn’t have infinite knowledge

Question 39

What does God have on himself ?

Answer 39

Imposed self-limiting restrictions

Question 40

By God having imposed self-limiting restrictions on himself what does it allow for us to?

Answer 40

Allows us to have free will