In theology, the doctrine of divine simplicity says that God is without parts.

In Christian thought

In Christian thought, the importance of the concept is that God as a simple being is not divisible, and thus, he is present in his entirety everywhere that he is present, if he is present anywhere. In light of this idea, Thomas Aquinas wrote that, because God is infinitely simple, he can only appear to the finite mind as though he were infinitely complex. This doctrine also helps keep trinitarianism from drifting or morphing into polytheism, belief in multiple distinct Gods.

See also: Trinity

In Jewish thought

In Jewish philosophy and in Jewish mysticism, Divine simplicity is often presented as synonymous with Divine Unity: "God is not two or more entities, but a single entity of a oneness even more single and unique than any single thing in creation... He cannot be sub-divided into different parts - therefore, it is impossible for Him to be anything other than one. It is a positive commandment to know this, for it is written (Deuteronomy 6:4) "...the Lord is our God, the Lord is one". (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Mada 1:7)

Despite its apparent simplicity, this concept is recognised as raising many difficulties. Divine simplicity entails a dichotomy, arising out of our inability to comprehend the idea of absolute unity:

• On the one hand, God is absolutely simple, containing no element of form or structure, as above.
• On the other hand, it is understood that His essence contains every possible element of perfection: "The First Foundation is to believe in the existence of the Creator, blessed be He. This means that there exists a Being that is perfect (complete) in all ways and He is the cause of all else that exists." (Maimonides 13 principles of faith, First Principle). The dichotomy arises here in that God's simplicity does not allow for any structure - even conceptually.

The resultant paradox is famously articulated by Moshe Chaim Luzzatto: “God’s existence is absolutely simple, without combinations or additions of any kind. All perfections are found in Him in a perfectly simple manner. However, God does not entail separate domains – even though in truth there exist in God qualities which, within us, are separate... Indeed the true nature of His essence is that it is a single attribute, (yet) one that intrinsically encompasses everything that could be considered perfection. All perfection therefore exists in God, not as something added on to His existence, but as an integral part of His intrinsic identity... This is a concept that is very far from our ability to grasp and imagine..." (Derekh Hashem I:1:5)

The Kabbalists address this paradox by explaining that “God created a spiritual dimension… [through which He] interacts with the Universe... It is this dimension which makes it possible for us to speak of God’s multifaceted relationship to the universe without violating the basic principle of His unity and simplicity” (Aryeh Kaplan, Innerspace). The Kabbalistic approach is discussed in various Chassidic writings; see for example, Shaar Hayichud, below, for a detailed explanation.

See also: Jewish principles of faith, Tzimtzum

External links and references

• Christian material
  • On Three Problems of Divine Simplicity, Alexander R. Pruss, Georgetown University
  • St. Thomas Aquinas: The Doctrine of Divine Simplicity, Michael Sudduth, Analytic Philosophy of Religion

• Jewish material
  • "Paradoxes", in "The Aryeh Kaplan Reader", Aryeh Kaplan, Artscroll 1983, ISBN 0899061745
  • Shaar HaYichud - The Gate of Unity, Dovber Schneersohn - A detailed explanation of the paradox of divine simplicity.
  • Duties of the Heart 1:8, Bahya ibn Paquda - Online class, Yaakov Feldman
  • Understanding God, Aryeh Kaplan
  • The Unity of God, Eliezer C. Abrahamson
  • The Foundations of Jewish Belief, Eliezer C. Abrahamson
  • "Innerspace", Aryeh Kaplan, Moznaim Pub. Corp. 1990, ISBN 0940118564