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Subsection
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Order of Contents
Articles 16+
Knowledge of Future 1
Knowledge of Evil 1
Historical 2
Latin 4
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Articles
1500’s
Zanchi, Girolamo – ch. 3, ’Of the Foreknowledge & Predestination of God’ in Confession of the Christian Religion… (1586; Cambridge, 1599), pp. 14-18
Beza, Theodore & Anthony Faius – ch. 7, ‘Concerning the Knowlege that is in God’ in Propositions & Principles of Divinity… (Edinburgh: Waldegrave, 1591), pp. 13-14
These were disputations defended by theological students in Geneva were held under the presiding of professors Theodore Beza and Anthony Faius.
Perkins, William – ‘God’s Counsel [Foreknowledge & Will]’ in An Exposition of the Symbol, or Apostles’ Creed… (Cambridge, 1595), pp. 54-59
Perkins (d. 1602) was an influential, puritan, Anglican clergyman and Cambridge theologian.
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1600’s
Alsted, Johann H. – ch. 24, ‘On the Knowledge of God’ in ‘God’s Intellect, Will, Power & Knowledge’, pp. 9-11 tr. by AI by Nosferatu in Theologia Scholastica Didactica: Exhibens Locos Communes Theologicos Methodo Scholastica, Quatuor in partes tributa Ref (Conrad Eifrid, 1618)
Rutherford, Samuel – Examination of Arminianism tr. by AI by Monergism (1639-1642; Monergism, 2024), ch. 2, ‘On God’ Latin
Title 1, On the Knowledge [Cognitione] of God: 1. Whether or not a living and right knowledge of God is commanded? We affirm against the Remonstrants, pp. 155-57
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Title 4, On God’s Knowledge [Scientia], pp. 176-79
11. Whether there is a middle knowledge in God. We deny against the Jesuits and Arminians
12. Whether God foreknows future contingencies with certainty. We affirm against the doubting Remonstrants.
Voet, Gisbert
Select Theological Disputations, vol. 1, pt. 1 tr. by AI by Onku (Utrecht: Johannes a Waesberg, 1648) Latin
On God’s Own Knowledge 236
On the Conditioned or Middle Knowledge in God, pt. 1 251
. pt. 2 258
. pt. 3 268
. pt. 4 286
Leigh, Edward – ch. 7, ‘Of God’s Understanding, that He is Omniscient, & of his Will’ in A System or Body of Divinity… (London, A.M., 1654), bk. 2, pp. 160-67
Baxter, Richard – Catholic Theology (London: White, 1675)
4. God’s relations to the creature and denominations (thereupon) in his power, knowledge and will
5. Futurity and its pretended causes
6. God’s knowledge, and the co-existence of the creature
7. School curiosities and uncertainties about God’s knowledge
8. More of God’s foreknowledge and of permission of sin
Le Blanc de Beaulieu, Louis – ‘Divine knowledge: that which is in God and the object of it’ in Theological Theses Published at Various Times in the Academy of Sedan 3rd ed. tr. by AI by Colloquia Scholastica at Discord (1675; London, 1683), pp. 214-19 Latin
Le Blanc (1614-1675) was a French reformed professor of theology at Sedan.
Charnock, Stephen – Discourse 8, ‘On God’s Knowledge’ in Discourses upon the Existence & Attributes of God, vol. 1 (d. 1680; NY: Robert Carter, 1853), vol. 1, pp. 406-98
Owen, John – ch. 5, ‘Of God’s Prescience or Foreknowledge’ in Vindiciae Evangelicae; Or the Mystery of the Gospel Vindicated & Socinianism Examined (1655) in Works, 12.108-40
Turretin, Francis – 12. ‘Do all things fall under the knowledge of God, both singulars and future contingencies? We affirm against Socinus.’ in Institutes of Elenctic Theology, tr. George M. Giger, ed. James Dennison Jr. (1679–1685; P&R, 1992), vol. 1, 3rd Topic, pp. 206-34
van Mastricht, Peter – 13. ‘The Intellect, Knowledge & Wisdom of God’ in Theoretical-Practical Theology ed. Joel Beeke, tr: Todd Rester (RHB, 2018), vol. 2, Faith in the Triune God, pt. 1, bk. 2, pp. 251-79
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1700’s
Abernethy, John – Sermon 9, ‘The True Notion of Divine Omniscience, of its Nature, Manner & Extent’ on Ps. 147:5 in Discourses concerning the Being & Natural Perfections of God 3rd ed. (London: H. Whitridge, 1757), vol. 1, pp. 288-326
Abernethy (1680-1740) was reformed and was an Irish, presbyterian minister.
De Moor, Bernard – Continuous Commentary (d. 1780), ch. 4, ‘On God’
15. God as Intelligent Substance
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34. Divine Knowledge
35. God’s Knowledge, a Most Pure Act
35. God’s Knowledge Eternal & Self-Sufficient
35. Perfection of God’s Knowledge
35. Perfection of God’s Knowledge Asserted from Hebrews 4:13
35. Perfection of God’s Knowledge Asserted from Romans 11 (by Voetius)
36. God’s Knowledge of All Things
36. God’s Knowledge of Himself
36. God’s Knowledge of All Things Possible, & of All Universals & Particulars
36. God’s Knowledge of Thing Great & Small, Good & Evil
36. God’s Knowledge of the Hidden Things of the Heart
36. God’s Knowledge of Free & Contingent Futures
36. The Socinian Denial of God’s Knowledge of Free & Contingent Futures
36. Remonstrant Hesitation concerning God’s Knowledge of Free and Contingent Futures
36. Answering Objections to God’s Knowledge of Free & Contingent Futures, pt. 1, 2, 3
37. God’s Knowledge of Vision, & of Simple Intelligence
37. Defense of God’s Knowledge of Vision, & of Simple Intelligence
38. Advocates of the Doctrine of Middle Knowledge
38. Verbal Dispute among the Reformed over Middle Knowledge
38. Middle Knowledge: Definitions & Clarification of the Question
38. Refutation of the Doctrine of Middle Knowledge
39. Answering the Molinists, pt. 1, 2
40. God’s Knowledge not properly the Cause of Things
Venema, Herman – ‘On God’s Understanding’ in Translation of Hermann Venema’s inedited Institutes of Theology tr. Alexander W. Brown (d. 1787; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1850), ch. 6, ‘Attributes of God’, pp. 145-55
Venema (1697-1787) was a professor at Franeker. Venema “maintained the fundamental line of confessional orthodoxy without drawing heavily on any of the newer philosophies… and maintained a fairly centrist Reformed position. Venema… evidence[s] the inroads of a rationalistic model…” – Richard Muller
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2000’s
Feser, Edward – ‘Omniscience’ in ch. 6, ‘The Nature of God & of his Relationship to the World’ in Five Proofs of the Existence of God (Ignatius Press, 2017), pp. 208-16
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On God’s Knowledge of the Future
Historical
On Thomism
Quote
Allan B. Wolter, Little Summary of Metaphysics (Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing Co., 1958), p. 98, fn. 28
“A distinction must be made between the doctrine of Thomas himself and that of Thomists [i.e. Banesians], for according to Aquinas God knows the future by reason of his eternity, for by virtue of his eternity God is present to every moment of time, whether that moment is present, past, or future (ST Ia q.14 a.13).
By contrast, Scotus rather than Thomas was of the opinion that God knows creatures that are actual by decrees of his will. The opinion of the Banesians is founded on this opinion of Scotus, to which they add the principle rejected by Scotus that ‘whatever is moved is moved by another’.”
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On God’s Knowledge of Evil
Quote
1900’s
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange
Reality: a Synthesis of Thomistic Thought (St. Louis: Herder, 1950), ch. 9, God’s Knowledge, p. 99 Lagrange was a Neo-Thomist.
“This divine knowlege [of what God decrees] is the cause of things, since it is united to God’s free will, which, among all possible things, chooses one particular thing to exist rather than another. God’s knowledge of possible things, since it presupposes no decree of the divine will, is called simple intelligence. But his knowledge of actual things, since it does presuppose such a decree, is called ‘knowledge of approbation,’ approbation, not of evil, but of all that is real and good in the created universe.
How then does God know evil? He knows it by its opposition to the good wherein alone evil can exist. Hence God knows evil by knowing what He permits, what He does not hinder. No evil, physical or moral, can come to be unless, for a higher good, God permits it to be. Knowing what He permits, God knows by that permission all evil that has been, is, or will ever be.”
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Historical
On the Middle Ages
Hoenen, M.J.F.M. – Marsilius of Inghen: Divine Knowledge in Late Medieval Thought in Studies in the History of Christian Thought, vol. 50 Buy Ref (Brill, 1992) 287 pp.
Kelley, Carl Franklin – Meister Eckhart on Divine Knowledge (Yale Univ. Press, 1977) 300 pp. ToC
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On the Post-Reformation
Muller, Richard – in PRRD, vol. 3
Heppe
1800’s Lutheran Anthology
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Latin Articles
1500’s
Zanchi, Jerome – ch. 2, ‘Of the Knowledge [Scientia] or Wisdom, and Foreknowledge of God’ ToC in Of the Nature & Attributes of God, bk. 3, ‘The Attributes’ in The Theological Works, vol. 2 (Heidelberg, 1577; n.d.)
Zanchi (1516-1590)
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1600’s
Voet, Gisbert
Syllabus of Theological Problems (Utrecht, 1643), pt. 1, section 1, tract 2, I. ‘Of God’, 4. Attributes of God in Specific, 2nd Kind Abbr.
(1) Intellect or Knowledge [Scientia] of God
. Appendix: Of Ideas in God
Disputation 14, ‘Of the Knowledge [Scientia] of God’ in Select Theological Disputations (Utrecht: Waesberg, 1648-1669), vol. 1, pp. 246-64
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1700’s
Holtzfus, Barthold – A Theological Tract on God, Attributes & the Divine Decrees, Three Academic Dissertations (1707) 210 pp.
6. Of the Life, Intellect & Knowledge [Scientia] of God 55
7. Of the Distinctions in Divine Knowledge [Scientiae], in Theory & in Practice, Natural & Free, of the Knowledge of Simple Intelligence & Vision, & so of Conditional, Middle Knowledge & of the Wisdom of God 71-106
Holtzfus (1659-1717) was a reformed professor of philosophy and theology at Frankfurt.
Roy, Albert – Theological Exercitation 23 on the Knowledge [Scientia] of God (Bern, 1717)
Roy (1663-1733) was a reformed, professor of Hebrew, Catechesis and theology at Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Related Pages
Of God, his Attributes & Man’s Knowledge of God
Absolute & Relative Attributes
Christ did not Experience the Beatific Vision in his Earthly Life
Against the Ubiquity & Multi-Presence of Christ’s Human Nature
On the Communication of the Properties of Christ’s Human & Divine Natures
Christ’s Mediatorial Operations, Divine & Human, unto the Same Work
On the Person of Christ, his Human & Divine Natures & the Hypostatic Union