Panentheism is the belief that god exists inside of everything, but is at the same time, transcendent of everything. God is everything in the universe, but god also is greater than the universe. In panentheism, god is viewed as the soul of the universe, the universal spirit present everywhere, which at the same time transcends all things created. Sep 14, 2012 in reform judaism, god is affirmed as being one, but what is meant by god is different to different jews in the reform movement. Panentheism greek pan which means all, en which means in, and theos which means god is the position that god is greater than the universe, that the universe is in god, that he permeates every part of nature, is part of nature, extends beyond nature, and is also distinct from it. Jewish panentheism, the world is included or located within the divine. There is, though, a related approach, panentheism, which avoids this problem. It includes the same books as the old testament in the christian bible. Spinozas approach and his general independent attitude to religion.
I am understanding from these two comments that the difference between classical monotheism and panentheistic monotheism is a question of the relationship between the creator and the created. Panentheism rather than pantheism is more like what some jews believe. Nov 09, 2011 panentheism does feature in certain streams of judaism and is the subject of disute between kabbalah al pi haarizal also known as lurianic kabbalah after the arizals secular name rabbi isaac luria and kabbalah al pi baal shem tov i. The term was coined by the german philosopher karl krause in 1828 to distinguish the ideas of georg wilhelm friedrich hegel 17701831 and. This survives today as the panentheistic religion, oversoul. Apr 24, 2011 panentheism now the term panentheist may not be familiar to a lot of people, but i have been a panentheist christian since 1979.
What is pantheism, and how does it differ from polytheism. Panentheisms enticingly heretical vision of the relationship between the divine and matter has historically been denied a serious place in scholarship. Panentheism across the worlds traditions edited by loriliai biernacki and philip clayton. Theologians call this biblical position panentheism, meaning literally, all in god. Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward god, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Charles hartshorne, who conjoined process theology with panentheism, maintained a lifelong membership in the methodist church but was also a unitarian. Annabran documents, the holy book of pantheism book.
In reform judaism, god is affirmed as being one, but what is meant by god is different to different jews in the reform movement. Hasidic judaism merges the elite ideal of nullification to a transcendent god, via the. Annabran documents, the holy book of pantheism by barbara. Jan 02, 2020 panentheism holds that god is the supreme effect of the universe. That perfect union with god which pantheism seems to promise, is no powerful inspiration to right living when one considers how far from holy must be a god who continually takes up into himself the worst of humanity along with the bestif indeed one may continue to think in terms that involve a distinction between evil and good. The jewish sacred text is called the tanakh or the hebrew bible. It is not something we recite, or that we are obliged to learn and accept every word of.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading panentheismthe other god of the philosophers. Panentheism across the worlds traditions by loriliai. Mapping frontiers in the theology of god, has come under much criticism from the us bishops on doctrine. Judaism s texts, traditions and values strongly influenced later abrahamic religions, including christianity, islam and the bahai faith. Theos, god is the belief that the divine pervades and interpenetrates every part of the universe and also extends beyond time and space. Contemporary pantheism, however, often rejects its spinozan origins, effectively favoring pan over theism and resembling, in the end, a paganism against which judaism has historically stood. Unlike pantheism, which holds that the divine and the universe are identical, panentheism maintains an ontological distinction between the divine and the nondivine and the significance of both. This is actually the major debate between the interpretation of the kabbalah between rabbi isaac luria the arizal, also referred to as haari and rabbi israel ben eliezer the baal shem tov also referred to as the besht. The book is faulted by the usccb for her panentheism as well as her rejection of divine omnipotence and impassibility etc. The world pantheist movements basic orienting beliefs known as scientific pantheism are set out in the wpm belief statement. It is best known for its use by charles hartshorne and recently by matthew fox. Theos, god is the belief that the divine pervades and interpenetrates every part of the universe and also extends beyond space and time.
Philosopher and theologian john coopers panentheism the other god of the philosophers is the first text of its kind written in english. This universal arrangement is not pantheism all is god, but panentheism, a term devised by karl c. The noun pantheism was first used in 1709 by one of. The other holy book for the jewish religion is the talmud which includes the mishnah, which means repetition or study and the gemara, which means addition or completion.
Yes, in the philosophical sense, the singularity, which is the essence of the multiverse has. Mar 24, 2009 panentheism rather than pantheism is more like what some jews believe. If the holy spirit entered each believer, this meant that god entered. Sepher yirah, book of formation, or book of creation is the title of the earliest extant book on jewish mysticism, although some early commentators treated it as a treatise on mathematical and linguistic theory as opposed to kabbalah. Panentheism maintains that the world is in god, included in the divine life, but that gods reality is not reducible to nor. Panentheism meaning allingod, from the ancient greek pan, all, en, in and. Panentheism does feature in certain streams of judaism and is the subject of disute between kabbalah al pi haarizal also known as lurianic kabbalah after the arizals secular name rabbi isaac luria and kabbalah al pi baal shem tov i. Certainly to look towards sky, is to contemplate a beauty that is free, that cannot be. It can be contrasted to the more commonly used term pantheism, which means simply that the all is, or means the same thing as, god. Panentheism was a major force in the unitarian church for a long time, based on ralph waldo emersons concept of the oversoul. Includes groundbreaking new essays on panentheism in the twentyfirst century.
Also, in reform judaism, afterlife beliefs are of secondary importance to this life and the way it is lived. I had just published a book where i reconcile the big bang and evolution with genesis from a panentheist view of god. Apr 03, 2016 spinoza, panentheism and mystical judaism. In his book, radical judaism, green explicitly adopts the mantle of a.
Pantheism and pandeism it is useful to distinguish pantheism goduniverse from pandeism god becomes universe. Panentheism project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Panentheism considers god and the world to be interrelated with the world being in god and god being in the world. For a class at the local baptist university, i had to write a paper defending my worldview. Among christian theologians a book by sister elizabeth johnson, quest for the living god. Differences between orthodox theism and panentheism truth. Pantheism, maybe, and panentheism, more certainly, seem to provide approaches which not only have authentic jewish connections but may also appeal to what a substantial number of american jews claim to believe, even if they do not know the names of the philosophies they have intuitively adopted. Panentheism is the belief that the divine pervades and interpenetrates every part of the. While the original tension between science and religion is eased, another. Scholarly efforts to compare hinduism and judaism were popular during the enlightenment era, in the process of arguing the deistic worldview. In this type belief, god is seen as an eternal spark of all things, the prime mover, etc. Since the scientific revolution of the fifteenth century, there has been an increasing tendency in.
Panentheism yehuda is correct that chassidusor rather, normative judaism, meaning standard jewish theology, meaning the kabbalahis not pantheistic, but panentheistic. The psalmist and the skeptic and the prophet and the professor look at the universe in which we find ourselves, see the same stars, feel the warmth of the same sun, hear thunder pealing from the same sky, understand the processes by which nature unfolds in spring, retreats in fall only to regenerate again the following year, and yet often draw different conclusions from the same observable data. The adjective pantheist was introduced by the irish deist john toland in the book socinianism truly stated 1705. Jan 01, 2012 annabran documents, the holy book of pantheism book. Hananya goodman states that hinduism and judaism have played an important role in european discussions of idolatry, spirituality, primitive, theories of race, language, mythologies, etc.
Jun 20, 2012 contemporary pantheism, however, often rejects its spinozan origins, effectively favoring pan over theism and resembling, in the end, a paganism against which judaism has historically stood. Classical monotheism relates to gd as mostly transcendent. This is different from panentheism also called monistic monotheism, where all is in god. The hebrews and israelites were already referred to as jews in later books of the tanakh such as the book of esther, with the term jews replacing the title children of israel. Its a shame krause, who coined the term in 1828, didnt recognize this. By contrast, biblical monotheism, as it emerged in the hebrew tradition and. Robinson, ontario consultants on religious tolerance. What distinguishes monotheistic panentheism from classical monotheism. Like pauls position this too was a form of selective panentheism. You dont have to refute your friends panentheism, jane. Panentheism is distinguished from pantheism, which maintains that god is all, and all is god. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter. Panentheism, although championed by many as the true view of the torah, is certainly a mistake and an aberration.
Judaism is considered by religious jews to be the expression of the covenant that god established with the children of israel. As society changed, the jews found that the torah needed to be updated from its original agricultural emphasis. As the universe grows and learns, god also increases in knowledge and being. Another possible interpretation of panentheism is that god, when. Panentheism holds that god is a dipolar entity comprising both the physical world and a transcendent aspect of some sort. It specifically teaches that god is greater than the universe and that the universe exists within god. The first book to address panentheism across the worlds religious traditions, including asian traditions. Pantheism and judaism the london controversy torah. Put your hands in mine and lets be quiet, surrounded by life.
Panentheism holds that god is the supreme effect of the universe. The author traces the development and proliferation of panentheism from plato to alfred north whitehead and beyond. Either way, such a conception of god can be found in medieval esoteric judaism kabbalah, in the writings of seventeenthcentury jewish philosopher baruch spinoza, and in hasidut hasidic judaism and even in yahadut mitkhadeshet reconstructionist judaism. I dont regret anything i was before because i still am. Hasidic judaism merges the elite ideal of nullification to a transcendent god, via the intellectual articulation of inner dimensions through kabbalah and with. Philosopher and theologian john coopers panentheismthe other god of the philosophers is the first text of its kind written in english. As panentheism across the worlds traditions shows, the dynamism between matter and spirit that panentheism offers has had a profound influence in the modern world. Such asking brings us to deep and sacred beliefs that incorporate all creation. I am a conservative jew living in whitefield, manchester. Events and changes in the universe affect and change god. Another possible interpretation of panentheism is that god, when creating the universe, turned into the universe itself.
The religious beliefs of neoplatonism can be regarded as panentheistic. In these cases we are not talking about an expansive, worldaffirming kind of pantheism quite the. In this essay, we will use the term deity in a very broad, generic, genderneutral sense to refer to a male god, or a female goddess, or a group of gods, or a set of. Anglicanism also include the 15 books of the apocrypha between the old testament and the new testament, for a total of 81 books. Both ancient today, but the trace of history establishes the delineation. If the word panentheist seems alien to judaism, a synonymous term is available. Since the scientific revolution of the fifteenth century, there has been an increasing tendency in christianity to see god as separate from creation. For most of protestantism, this includes the 66 book canon the jewish tanakh of 24 books divided differently into 39 books and the universal 27 book new testament. Panentheism is a constructed word composed of the english equivalents of the greek terms pan, meaning all, en, meaning in, and theism, meaning god. Panentheism is a blending of theism belief in a god and pantheism all is god. While panentheism is not a new theological system, it has experienced a renaissance, especially among thinkers who study the intersection of science and religion. The most important thing to keep in mind in dealing with a panentheist is that there is just no good reason to believe that panentheism is true. Later theology identified the holy spirit as an integral part of the trinity, and therefore part of god.
The idea of pantheism and its connection with judaism came to me only a few days ago when i was thinking of life and death and how death seemed to be just a normal part of the process of being and it coming to an end. Panentheism meaning allingod, from the greek pan, all, en, in and. From plato to the present kindle edition by cooper, john w download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Jul 01, 2014 theologians call this biblical position panentheism, meaning literally, all in god. Hinduism includes a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy book. Actually, my definition of god, defined as panentheism, is definitely found in scripture. Panentheism considers god and the world to be interrelated with the world. Panentheism now the term panentheist may not be familiar to a lot of people, but i have been a panentheist christian since 1979.
Panentheism panentheism is a derivative of pantheism and is defined this way. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, panentheistic, pandeistic, henotheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or. Literally, this word denotes that the all is in god. Basic beliefs of scientific pantheism world pantheism. Judaism has always championed the belief in creatio ex nihilo creation from nothing by a completely transcendent and nonphysical god whom is completely removed from his creation. In panentheism, god is viewed as the soul of the universe, the universal spirit present everywhere, which at the same time transcends all things created while pantheism asserts that all is god, panentheism claims that god is greater than the universe. Spinoza, panentheism and mystical judaism richard mather. Pantheism stresses the identity between god and the world, panentheism greek en, in that the world is included in god but that god is more than the world. Panentheism across the worlds traditions paperback. Pantheism is the belief god and the universe can be equated.