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God’s Timelessness, Our Temporal Nature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2025

Roberta Lynne Bayer
Roberta Lynne Bayer*
Affiliation:
Patrick Henry College, Purcellville, VA, USA
*
Email: rlbayer@phc.edu
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Abstract

The timeless and unchanging nature of God was defended by Dr. Eric Mascall throughout his books. He argued against process theology, and in particular the works of mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, who was one of its foremost exponents. In his books, Mascall defended the distinction between our temporal and created nature and God’s divine and uncreated nature as found in historic theology. In a manner suited to his learning, he discussed the implications of modern physics for theology.

Keywords

Heidegger, MartinHooker, RichardhistoricismNewtonSir Isaacpantheismprocess theologyWhiteheadAlfred North

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Anglican Studies , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , November 2024 , pp. 529 - 541
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Journal of Anglican Studies Trust

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References

1 E. L. Mascall, Saraband: The Memoirs of E. L. Mascall (Leominster Herefordshire: Gracewing, 1992), p. 76.

2 E. L. Mascall, Saraband: The Memoirs of E. L. Mascall (Leominster Herefordshire: Gracewing, 1992), p. 78.

3 In Saraband, Mascall remarks that although encouraged to pursue a doctorate, he chose rather to go into the ministry, having recognized that there is a difference ‘between being capable of getting a good degree in mathematics and having a flair for making original contributions in the subject.’ p. 73.

4 E. L. Mascall, Saraband: The Memoirs of E. L. Mascall (Leominster Herefordshire: Gracewing, 1992), p. 73.

5 E. L. Mascall, The Importance of Being Human: Some Aspects of the Christian Doctrine of Man (London: Oxford University Press, 1959), p. 53.

6 E. L. Mascall, The Importance of Being Human: Some Aspects of the Christian Doctrine of Man (London: Oxford University Press, 1959), p. 54.

7 E. L. Mascall, Whatever Happened to the Human Mind? Essays in Christian Orthodoxy (London: SPCK, 1980). In the first chapter, Mascall accounts for how the mind knows reality. See also: Words and Images: A Study in Theological Discourse (London: Longman, Green and Co, 1957), Ch. 2 and ‘Thomism, Thomist or Transcendental?’ Tijdschrift voor Filosofie, 36ste Jaarg., Nr.2 JUNI 1974, pp. 323–341.

8 Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology (New York, NY: The Macmillan Co, 5th edn, 1960).

9 Eric Mascall first discussed process theology in He Who Is: A Study in Traditional Theism (New Haven, CT: Archon, 1970 [1943]), pp. 150–160.

10 E. L. Mascall, He Who Is: A Study in Traditional Theism (New Haven, CT: Archon Books, 1970 [1943]), pp. 194–195.

11 Mascall, Christ the Christian and the Church (London, UK: Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd, 1946), p. 106.

12 E. L. Mascall, The Openness of Being: Natural Theology Today (Philadelphia, PA: the Westminster Press, 1971), p. 159.

13 E. L. Mascall, The Openness of Being: Natural Theology Today (Philadelphia, PA: the Westminster Press, 1971), p. 160. On reativity as novelty see: Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality; An Essay in Cosmology (New York, NY: The Macmillan Co, 5th edn, 1960), pp. 31–33.

14 E. L. Mascall, The Openness of Being: Natural Theology Today (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1971), p. 160.

15 Dr. Rudolf Bultmann’s attempted Christianization of Heidegger’s ideas in his ‘demythologizing’ programme is discussed by Mascall in Words and Images, and his influence on Karl Rahner in The Openness of Being. Mascall does not address the existentialism of Heidegger directly but in Existence and Analogy he distinguishes between the secular existentialism of Sartre, who on this point is like Heidegger, from the existentialism of a Gilsonian Thomist. Mascall, following Thomas Aquinas, holds that in God essence and existence are identical.

16 Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology (New York, NY: The Macmillan Co, 5th edn,1960), p. 519.

17 Martin Heidegger, ‘The Question Concerning Technology’ in Basic Writings, tr. David Farrell Krell (New York, NY: Harper Row, 1977), pp. 283–317. Also: Martin Heidegger, The Principle of Reason, tr. Reginald Lilly (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1996).

18 E. L. Mascall, The Openness of Being: Natural Theology Today (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1971), p. 161.

19 E. L. Mascall, The Openness of Being: Natural Theology Today (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1971), p. 170.

20 E. L. Mascall, The Openness of Being: Natural Theology Today (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1971), p. 161.

21 E. L. Mascall, The Openness of Being: Natural Theology Today (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1971), p. 164. Quoting Augustine, City of God, XI, vi.

22 E. L. Mascall, The Openness of Being: Natural Theology Today (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1971), p. 165.

23 E. L. Mascall, The Openness of Being: Natural Theology Today (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1971), pp. 165–166.

24 E. L. Mascall, The Openness of Being: Natural Theology Today (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1971), p. 166.

25 E. L. Mascall, The Openness of Being: Natural Theology Today (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1971), p. 166.

26 E. L. Mascall, Christ, the Christian, and the Church: A Study of the Incarnation and its Consequences (London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1946), pp. 105–106.

27 E. L. Mascall, Christian Theology and Natural Science (London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1956), pp. 25–26.

28 E. L. Mascall, Christian Theology and Natural Science (London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1956), pp. 49–50.

29 E. L. Mascall, Christian Theology and Natural Science (London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1956), p. 51.

30 E. L. Mascall, ‘Thomism, traditional or Transcendental?’ Tydschrift coor Filosofie, 36ste Jaarg., Nr. 2 JUNI 1974, p. 328. Mascall discusses the meaning of this Thomistic phrase.

31 E. L. Mascall, Christian Theology and Natural Science (London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1956), p. 8.

32 E. L. Mascall, Christian Theology and Natural Science (London: Longmans, Green and Co), p. 57.

33 E. L. Mascall, Christian Theology and Natural Science (London: Longmans, Green and Co), p. 57.

34 E. L. Mascall Christian Theology and Natural Science (London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1956), p. 56.

35 E. L. Mascall, Christian Theology and Natural Science (London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1956), p. 56.

36 E. L. Christian Theology and Natural Science (London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1956), p. 31.

37 Richard Hooker, Laws of the Ecclesiastical Polity, I, ch. 2, 3.

38 E. L. Mascall, Christian Theology and Natural Science (London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1956), pp. 28–29.

39 E. L. Mascall, The Openness of Being: Natural TheologyToday (Philadelphia, PA; The Westminster Press, 1971), p. 164.

40 E. L. Mascall, Whatever happened to the Human Mind (London: SPCK, 1970), p. 14.

41 E. L. Mascall, ‘Thomism, Thomist or Transcendental?’ Tijdschrift voor Filosofie, 36ste Jaarg., Nr.2 JUNI 1974, p. 327.

42 E. L. Mascall, ‘Thomism, Thomist or Transcendental?’ Tijdschrift voor Filosofie, 36ste Jaarg., Nr.2 JUNI 1974, p. 327.

43 E. L. Mascall, Words and Images (London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1957), p. 35.

44 E. L. Mascall, Words and Images (London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1957), pp. 63–64. Josef Pieper, Leisure: The Basis of Culture, tr. Alexander Dru (Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund, 1952), pp. 7–9.

45 E. L. Mascall Words and Images (London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1957), p. 65.

46 E. L. Mascall, The Theology of the Future (London: Dartman, Longman & Todd, 1968), p. 47.

47 Jacques Maritain, The Peasant of the Garonne, tr. Michael Cuddihy and Elizabeth Hughes (New York, NY; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1968), pp. 53–58.

48 E. L Mascall, The Christian Universe. The Boyle Lectures 1956 (New York, NY:Morehouse-Barlow Co.,1966), pp. 53–55.

49 Dante, Paradiso, tr. D. L. Sayers and Barbara Reynolds (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1962).