William Craig on Divine Eternity; A Critical Survey

Authors
Mohammad Saeedimehr 1
Fateme Mulla-Hasani 2
1 Associate Professor at the Department Philosophy, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2 PhD Student of Islamic Philosophy, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
10.30497/prr.2012.1108
Abstract
The doctrine of Divine eternity is usually construed in two ways: 1) Temporalism, according to which, God everlastingly exists during the time, and 2) Atemporalism or Eternalism which regards Divine existence as timeless and outside time. In his renowned theory of Divine eternity, William Craig acknowledged that "prior to" or sans ceation God's existence is timeless, but after creation He becomes a temporal being since, in this situation, He must sustain a real relation to the temporal world and also have knowledge of temporal events. Craig's theory rests on certain metaphysical principles such as the relative and tensed theories of time. Though Craig's proposal has apparent merits we may reject it due to some of its unreasonable implications: it entails that God's nature becomes changeable and effective by His creatures. It also implies the ineffectuality of God's emanation or effusion sans creation.
Keywords
Divine eternity
Time
Temporality
William Craig
آون، اچ. پی (1380)، دیدگاه­ها دربارة خدا، ترجمة حمید بخشنده، قم: انتشارات اشراق (دانشگاه قم).
خراسانی، شرف الدین (1382)، نخستین فیلسوفان یونان، تهران: انتشارات علمی و فرهنگی.
حجتی، محمدعلی (1370)، ماهیت زمان از دیدگاه فلاسفة اسلامی و مک‌تاگارت، رسالة دکتری، دانشگاه تربیت مدرس.
غزالی، ابوحامد محمد (1361)، تهافت الفلاسفه، ترجمة علی­اکبر حلبی، تهران: مرکز نشر دانشگاهی.
الکندی، یعقوب بن اسحاق (1950)، رسائل الکندی الفلسفیة، تصحیح محمد عبدالهادی ابوریده، قاهره: مطبعة الاعتماد.
لفتو، براین (1387)، «سرمدیّت»: صفات خدا، فیلیپ ال. کویین (زیر نظر ...)، ترجمة رضا بخشایش، قم: پژوهشگاه حوزه و دانشگاه.
مصباح، محمدتقی (1405)، تعلیقة علی نهایة الحکمة، قم: مؤسسة در راه حقّ.
مطهری، مرتضی (1375)، حرکت و زمان در فلسفة اسلامی، تهران: حکمت، ج3.
ملاصدرا، محمد بن ابراهیم (1410ق)، الحکمة المتعالیة فی الاسفار العقلیة الاربعة، بیروت: دار احیاء التراث العربی، ج3.
همو (1378)، رسالة فی الحدوث (حدوث العالم)، تصحیح حسین موسویان، تهران: بنیاد حکمت اسلامی صدرا.
Boethius (1969), The Consolation of Philosophy, trans.V.E. Watts, Penguin Books.
Bryant, David (2006), ''Theories of Time; God and time'', Clouds of heaven, http://www.cloudsofheaven.org/2006/01/theories-of-time.html.
Craig, W. L. (2001), God, Time, and Eternity: The Coherence of Theism Π: Eternity, Kindle Edition.
Everitt, Nicholas (1998), ''Interpretations of God`s Eternity'', Religious Studies, Vol. 34, Cambridge University Press.
Fitzgerald, Cheryl. E, A Brief history of the A-Theory/B-Theory Debate about time, http://www.cefitzgerald.com/papers/historyA-B.html.
Ganssle, Gregory E. (2007): ''God and Time'', The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://www.iep.utm.edu/g/god-time.htm#SH7b.
Helm, Paul (2006): ''Eternity'', Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato. stanford.edu/entries/eternity.
Leftow, Brain (1991), ''Why Didn’t God Create the World Sooner?'', Religious studies, Vol. 27.
Plato (1971), Timaeus and Critias, trans. Desmons Lee, Penguin books.
Robinson, Conrad, The Coherence of Tenses, http://www.wko.edu/~jan.garret/kpa /rabitime.htm.
Rogers, Katherin. A (1994), ''Eternity has no Duration'', Religious Studies, Vol. 30.
Smart. J. J. C: ''Time'', The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Paul Edwards, vol. 8, New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.
Stump, Eleonore and Kretzman, Norman (1981), ''Eternity'', The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 78, No. 8.
Stump, Eleonore and Norman, Kretzman (1998): ''Eternity'', Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Edward Craig (Ed), London: Routledge.
Swinburne, Richard (1977), The Coherence of Theism, New York: Oxford Clarendon Press.
Wolterstorff, Nicholas (1982): ''God Everlasting'', Contemporary Philosophy of Religion, Steven M. Cahn and David Shatz (Ed), New York: Oxford University Press.