Scholar

Boethius

c.480–524 · Defined God's eternity as timeless — the 'eternal present'.

Biography

Boethius defined eternity as 'the complete, simultaneous and perfect possession of unlimited life', holding that God is timeless and reconciling divine foreknowledge with human freedom.

Key Ideas

  • Timeless (atemporal) eternity.
  • God's knowledge like 'seeing from a hill'.
  • Foreknowledge compatible with freedom.

Topics Appearing In

Key Quotes

“The complete, simultaneous and perfect possession of unlimited life.”Boethius

Exam Importance

The key classical account of divine eternity in Nature of God.