The Attributes of God

What are the attributes of God?  Would God be ultimate, infinite, and absolute? Would God have being, mind, omnipotence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence?  What are the negative versus positive attributes of God?

Note: the attributes of God as a possibility and as a necessity to what God would be are what are discussed here - whether such attributes - as well as God himself - exist in reality, is discussed elsewhere.

The Negative and Positive Attributes

The ultimate, infinite, and the absolute are the negative attributes.

These attributes are possessed by God alone in his essence and as such, are not shared with his creatures - hence, the term negative.

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Being, mind, knowledge, power, and goodness are examples of positive attributes.

God would share these attributes with his creatures, thus they are positive: both God and humans would essentially have being, mind, knowledge, power, and goodness.

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A.  Ultimate (Attributes of God)

Ultimate reality is that which is the greatest possible.  As applied to God, the ultimate is a negative attribute: cardinally whatever God is, whatever other attributes he has, would be the greatest possible, and this characteristic would not be shared with his creatures.  If God were not ultimate, then he would be subordinate to something else, which would be the truly supreme reality.

The ultimate would be the most fundamental attribute.  It would be applied as a "greatest possible" test to all others in determining whether they could belong to a God who in all his aspects would likewise be the greatest possible.  

B.  Infinite

The infinite is that which has no boundaries or limits.  Fundamentally, everything God possesses would be boundless, without end.  Since it is a negative attribute, individuals would not participate with God in his essential infinity.

An unlimited God is the one who will be examined, since it is this God who would be paramount over a limited one.

C.  Absolute

Perfect, complete; not mixed, pure, unrestricted, without conditions is that which is absolute.  Possessing this negative attribute, God essentially is absolute and his creation would not partake in this quality.  A conditioned divinity, moreover, would not be as pre-eminent as an unconditioned one.   An absolute divinity will therefore be what will be discussed as possible reality.

As absolute, God would be immanent reality, that is, he is the unconditioned within the conditioned, the One among the many.  He would be the all-encompassing ground of reality, all reality would be dependent on him for its existence.

D.  Supreme Being

What is relative, absolute, and infinite being? Would God possess supreme being, or being-itself?

Being, generally defined, is that which is.

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E.  Omnipotent

When the infinite and the absolute are applied to it, power would be transformed into omnipotence.  God alone would be omnipotent - possessing unlimited and complete power.  As such, God would have the power to do everything that it is possible to do: everything, that is, which is not inherently a self-contradiction, nor which is contrary to his more essential attributes.

In other words, God could not commit suicide, lie or otherwise cease to exist or do wrong, since the conditions of non-existence or doing evil would be inconsistent with his essentially unconditional being and goodness.  Power would be trumped in this equation, since unconditionality applies to power to transform it and not vice versa.

Also,  the old conundrum of whether God can make a stone too heavy for himself to lift would be invalid - God could do all possible things, and he simply couldn't do nonsense.   

F.  Omniscient

God would be omniscient: he would know all possible things.  Humans also fundamentally possess knowledge, but their knowledge, unlike God's, is limited and conditional.

G.  Omnibenovelent

God's goodness (benevolence), unlike that of humans, would be immeasurable and complete.

H.  Unseen

A wholly material God would not be a subject sufficient for examination, since the non-material presents itself to us as an additional, larger possibility and must accordingly be reckoned with.  God would participate in this attribute with humans since, insofar as they possess a mind, they also possess an aspect that is non-material.

I.  Mind

If God had a mind he would be a person: a conscious center of knowing, willing, and acting.  To know, will and act introduces greater possibility in relation to reality.  A God possessing mind and personality, then, would be the ultimate candidate for examination.  

God, then, ultimately would be infinite, unconditional mind.

By Truthseeker

Resources

• The Biblical Studies Foundation: a study of the attributes of God.

• Catholic Encyclopedia: the nature and attributes of God are discussed.

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