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Divine incorporeality

A reference page linking a name, group, or concept to the materials that discuss it.

Denial of a material divine body; distinct from image prohibition and simplicity.

Three distinct axes, not one historical transition or a doctrine shared by every school
Three distinct axes, not one historical transition or a doctrine shared by every schoolIL Archive · original diagram · CC BYImage source

Text

This doctrine excludes body, organs and dimensions as the constitution of divine essenceOusia — essenceGreek term for essence or nature, with meanings changing between authors.Glossary · Click to read the explanation. AquinasThomas AquinasThirteenth-century theologian linking incorporeality, simplicity and immutability through philosophical premises.Glossary · Click to read the explanation argues for it in Summa I.3; exegetes reconsider bodily language in their scriptures. [1]

Not seeing a form at one event does not entail this doctrine; it also does not alone establish identity of all attributes with essence. The diagram distinguishes axes without depicting God.

References and notes

  1. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I, question 3, articles 1, 4, 7 No body; essence/existence and composition; selected passages. Return to the text ↑

Research history

Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.

  1. Edition 2 · 11 October 2026 · editor:aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

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Cite this record

IL Archive, «Divine incorporeality», Edition 2, https://ilarchive.com/en/entities/divine-incorporeality