Tag Archives: divine creation

God is Both Free and Inevitably a Creator: An Anselmian View

Posted on 13 June 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

by Katherin Rogers, Ph.D. One of the classic debates in philosophy of religion is this: Could God be doing other than He is doing? On the one hand it looks like God, being not just good, but the standard for … Continue reading →

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Ainulindalë: Eä!

Posted on 4 March 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Then there was unrest among the Ainur; but Ilúvatar called to them, and said: ‘I know the desire of your minds that what ye have seen should verily be, not only in your thought, but even as ye yourselves are, yet … Continue reading →

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Ainulindalë: The Vision

Posted on 2 March 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

The great symphony is concluded. Ilúvatar now summons the Ainur to follow him into the void, where he grants them a vision of their music translated into visual or imaginal form: Then Ilúvatar spoke, and he said: ‘Mighty are the … Continue reading →

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Ainulindalë: The Ideas of Eru and the Subcreativity of the Ainur

Posted on 28 February 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Before moving on to the next stage of Eru’s creation of Arda, I want to return to the emanation of the Ainur from the One and the significance of their participation in the Great Music.1 The Ainulindalë tells us that … Continue reading →

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Ainulindalë: The God Who is Music and Beauty

Posted on 5 February 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

“In the beginning,” the inspired writer declares, “Elohim created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the … Continue reading →

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Ainulindalë: The Creation of the Angels

Posted on 3 February 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Eru engë, i estaina ná Ilúvatar Ardassë; ar ónes minyavë Ainur, i ner i híni sanweryo, ar nentë ósë nó ilúvë ontaina né. There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy … Continue reading →

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Avicenna and Aquinas: Ruminating Divine Freedom and Necessity

Posted on 7 November 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel

I recently wrote the following letter to Dr Rahim Acar, a Muslim scholar and expert on the philosopher Avicenna. For purposes of publication, I have revised and significantly expanded the letter, adding quotations from his book, as well as specific … Continue reading →

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The Absolute Freedom of the Simple Life

Posted on 16 October 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel

In the preceding article, we were left with questions about divine freedom: specifically, if the act of creation of essential to the divine being, as Hugh McCann claims, how does this not entail the enslavement of Deity to necessity? McCann … Continue reading →

Posted in Hugh McCann, Philosophical Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments