A Paradoxical Account of Divine Omnipresence

Abstract

This essay examines the doctrine of divine omnipresence. I begin by presenting three desiderata for an adequate account of omnipresence. Four accounts are analyzed in light of these desiderata, two in the tradition and two in contemporary philosophical theology. I argue that none succeed in providing an adequate account of divine omnipresence. As an alternative, I offer a paradoxical account of omnipresence, arguing that one can be rational in affirming that what appears to be a doctrine afflicted by apparent contradiction is in fact merely a paradox. I explain what makes affirmations of paradoxical doctrines rational, why omnipresence should be understood as a paradox, and discuss a similar account of omnipresence in the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. I. INTRODUCTION 1The doctrine of divine omnipresence is affirmed by virtually all theistic religious traditions. Classical theists, neo-classical theists, open theists, panentheists, pantheists, and almost every other model of God share this belief in common. Yet the omnipresence of God is an intuitively strange concept. In the typical list of divine attributes, it is one of the most frequently excluded. When it is included, it receives relatively less attention than the other divine attributes.The common way of articulating omnipresence is to say that God is present everywhere. As we will see, a more nuanced definition of omnipresence is necessary. For when we normally speak of some object, x, being present at a location, y, we understand x being located in or at y in a physical sense. X is present at y in virtue of occupying the space that makes up y. In other words, to be present at y is to occupy some region of space, and in order to do that, x must be physical. However, it is a point of dogmatics in most theistic traditions that God is immaterial. Perhaps more than any other divine attribute, omnipresence invokes the most apparent tensions with other divine attributes. 2 In this paper, I will outline three desiderata for a distinctly Christian understanding of omnipresence 3 and argue that none of the major views offered in the tradition or contemporary theology adequately accounts for these desiderata. Rather than motivating a rejection of omnipresence, I propose that theologians should embrace a paradoxical account of omnipresence and that they are rational in doing so. This is not to say that a coherent account, one which does not need to make recourse to paradox, could not be found. Rather, I argue that one can rationally affirm that omnipresence is a paradox in the absence of such an account. I then respond to an objection made against this appeal to paradox. II. BIBLICAL SUPPORT FOR DIVINE OMNIPRESENCEBefore moving into theological and philosophical considerations regarding omnipresence, a brief word concerning the biblical motivations for this divine attribute will be helpful. The idea