Education Quote by David Bentley Hart
““To speak of “God” properly, then—to use the word in a sense consonant with the teachings of orthodox Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Bahá’í, a great deal of antique paganism, and so forth—is to speak of the one infinite source of all that is: eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, uncreated, uncaused, perfectly transcendent of all things and for that very reason absolutely immanent to all things. God so understood is not something posed over against the universe, in addition to it, nor is he the universe itself. He is not a “being,” at least not in the way that a tree, a shoemaker, or a god is a being; he is not one more object in the inventory of things that are, or any sort of discrete object at all.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Beauty of the Infinite by David Bentley Hart, 2019
God is described as an all-encompassing, transcendent source that is both beyond and within everything.
In simple terms: God is an infinite source beyond and within all.
Key Takeaway
Consider the paradox of divine immanence and transcendence.
Themes
theology
philosophy
interfaith
metaphysics
Mood
reflective
inquisitive
Type
theological
academic
inspirational
When to use this quote
- interfaith dialogue
- spiritual contemplation
- academic study
- personal belief
Key Concepts
ineffability
unity
divine nature
religious pluralism
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this view affect personal worship?
- Can such a concept bridge religious differences?
A Different Perspective
The description may be too abstract for practical faith experiences.
![“[God is] the eternal, independent, and self existent Being; the Being whose purposes and actions spring from himself, without foreign motive or influence; he who is absolute in dominion; the most pure, the most simple, the most spiritual of all essences; infinitely perfect; and eternally…” quote by Adam Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f83/adam-clarke-14388_god_god-is-the-eternal-independent-and-self_1574867.jpg)
