Supreme Being

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

Relative being

Being, generally defined, is that which is.

In humans being is conditioned because it is mixed with non-being insofar as it is not completely actual, it has potential being not yet realized. 

Absolute being

God's being is unconditioned.  With God, being is transformed into  being-itself. God is “completely actual without any potentiality” whatsoever, God simply and completely is, whereas conditioned being is a combination of is and not yet.    In human beings there is an inherent possibility that in the transition from essence to existence, the nature of their being may contradict or lose itself.  This possibility is excluded for God, for God as pure being-itself does not participate in non-being.

As pure being, God cannot be said to “exist” in the ordinary sense.  In conditioned creatures essence and existence are split; they are a combination of what may be and what is.  But in God essence and existence are one, so that it is inaccurate to split existence from God and make it into a particular category.

Since essence and existence are one in him – he simply is, with no becoming or change; the unconditional and pure reality of being.

God's absolute being would be the ground of all being.  Upon his being all other beings would depend.

If God were not supreme being, or being-itself, that is, if his being was conditioned, his being would not be the greatest possible being and therefore would not be ultimate.  He would be subordinate to the true ultimate, namely unconditioned being - just as Zeus was inferior to Fate in the Greek religion, or the lesser gods are inferior to Brahman-Atman, the Absolute in Hindu religion.   

Infinite being

Human being ends, it has boundaries, limits.

In contrast, the being of God does not end, it is unbounded, limitless.  This means God's being would transcend, or go beyond, all limited beings. 

God's endless being would silhouette all finite beings, without his endless being no particular being would be possible.

If God’s being were finite, he would not be the greatest possible being, but would be inferior to that which is infinite.  Therefore, such a god would not be the truly ultimate God.

By Truthseeker

Notes

• Being-itself:  p. 235
• completely actual:  p. 187
• non-being:  p. 236
• one:  p. 197
• inferior:  p. 236

Resources

The Supreme Being of the Herero: An exploration of an indigenous tribes' conception of Supreme Being.  

• Supreme Being: an archive of articles related to supreme being.

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