Divine Simplicity
“Simplicity” is the underlying definition of, or way to understand, the divine essence. Though hotly contested among modern and post-modern theologians (you can see the shift in the mid-19th cent. Bavinck even critiques Charles Hodge in a footnote about this very subject), simplicity was mostly universally accepted throughout Christendom. Recently Lewis Ayres has identified three organizational planks behind pro-Nicene theology, and simplicity is right at the top of the list. It is the statement that God is not composed of “parts,” nor do his attributes make up a composite. All of God is all of God, and each of His attributes is Him. “Simple” is thus opposed to complex or composite.
Simplicity is really another way to explain infinity. If God is outside of space and time, and thus always all that He is without bounds, then no “real” distinctions can be placed within His being. This means Continue reading
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