27. THE INFINITY OR THE IMMENSITY AND THE ETERNITY OF GOD

There are two properties peculiar to the natural world which make everything in it finite. One is space, the other time. Because that world was created by God, and spatial distances and periods of time were created along with it and serve to define it, their two starting-points, immensity and eternity, need to be discussed. For the immensity of God relates to space, and His eternity to time, while His infinity embraces both immensity and eternity. But since infinity transcends the finite, and it is beyond the finite mind to grasp it, to permit some sort of perception of it, the following series of propositions will be discussed:

(i) God is infinite, because He is and comes into being in Himself, and everything in the universe is and comes into being from Him.

(ii) God is infinite, because He existed before the world did, and thus before space and time came into existence.

(iii) Since the making of the world God is non-spatially in space and non-temporally in time.

(iv) The infinity [of God] as predicated of space is called immensity, and as predicated of time is called eternity. Despite these predications His immensity is totally devoid of space and His eternity is totally devoid of time.

(v) There is much in the world which can enable enlightened reason to see the infinity of God the Creator.

(vi) Every created object is finite, and the infinite is contained in finite objects as in receivers, and in human beings as images of it. These propositions will be explained one by one.