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  • From: "Liz Fried" <lizfried AT umich.edu>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: Maimonides' static God
  • Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 15:43:52 -0400


Hi Mike,
Maimonides' notion of a static god is based on Greek philosophical ideas.
Maimonides refers to Aristotle primarily, but perhaps Plato also had this
idea. The notion is that God is perfect, and a perfect entity can't by
definition change. He can't go from one perfect state to another perfect
state. Both states can't be perfect, there aren't different types or degrees
of perfection. You cannot derive this notion of an unchanging perfect god
from the OT, tho Maimonides does an impressive job of trying to do just
that.
The god of the OT changes his mind, regrets, etc. He is not perfect, by any
means. I don't know yet how Maimonides explains these things, but I'm sure
he will.

What is Paul's view? Does he have a god who changes or who is unchanging?

Liz


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike Myers [mailto:mmyers AT helium.biomol.uci.edu]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 1999 4:26 PM
> To: Corpus-paul
> Subject: Maimonides' static God
>
>
>
> Hi Lewis, Welcome to Corpus-Paul,
>
> My torah study group and I have been plowing through Guide to the
> Perplexed for the past few months. We are only halfway through the
> first part. Maimonides could not have believed in system which was
> valid at one time for/to God and then no longer valid. The primary
> starting point for M was that God does not change. We haven't
> gotten up to M's stand on the commandments yet, but I can't imagine
> his God actually giving out commandments. His God does nothing but
> think about himself. I don't know where the commandments would have
> fit into his system. Certainly God is not influenced by whether or
> not people follow them, since God does not change. Once you assume
> an unchanging God you have a major paradigm shift.
>
> Liz
>
> *******************************************************************
>
> This is a really interesting point Liz. Ever since I read Jack
> Miles' "God: A Biography", this is a question that I can't get out
> of my head -- Why can't God change?
>
> Is there strong reason to think that the HB teaches a static God?
> Isn't this a Greek idea? Would be interested in what you and Lewis
> think about this.
>
> Mike
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Michael D. A. Myers
> University of California, Irvine
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> <mmyers AT helium.biomol.uci.edu>
> 06/02/1999
> 12:25:52
>
Lisbeth S. Fried
Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies
New York University
51 Washington Sq. S.
New York, NY 10012
lqf9256 AT is3.nyu.edu
lizfried AT umich.edu




  • Maimonides' static God, Mike Myers, 06/02/1999
    • <Possible follow-up(s)>
    • RE: Maimonides' static God, Liz Fried, 06/02/1999

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