Divine presence

Divine presence
"Presence" redirects here. For other uses, see Presence (disambiguation)
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This box: view · religion, spirituality, and theology that deals with the omnipotent ability of a god and/or gods to be "present" with human beings. Most gods are commonly understood to be capable of interacting with the natural world, and more important, with human beings, such that they would be able to hold some influence with any human being.

According to some types of monotheism, God is omnipresent and telepathic— can read, see, interpret, evaluate, and understand all human thoughts and concepts, and can project his will in various ways. Such ways are commonly said to be quite subtle (cf. divine illumination), but religious texts typically deal with important occurrences wherein God deals directly with particular beings.

There are three distinct but related concepts of divine presence:

  • God's presence in nature
  • God's presence among all human beings
  • God's presence in each human being

In theological terms, a god's presence in nature is irrelevant next to his or her presence among humanity. Such presence could be in the mind, but an unseen being that influences human perception would be perceived by human beings as an external, environmental, or natural entity.

The concept is shared by many religious traditions, is found in a number of independently-derived conceptualizations, and each of these has culturally distinct terminology. Some of the various relevant concepts and terms are:

Other beings as a divine presence

  • Angel - typically a transcendental being, but in some usage may refer to a manifestation of God under a pseudo-identity that has human personality, and can therefore interact with a person without revealing himself overtly
  • Immanuel - "God [is] with us," is a Biblical concept that deals with the concept of divine presence, often used by Christians as a title for Jesus
  • Elohim - various theorized meanings such as "the host of angels," or an indication of God as a being with many aspects and manifestations
  • Angel of the Presence - name to refer to the angel of the Exodus

A related concept is the ability of Jesus to be present in human life—a Trinitarian concept that may be specifically indicated or described by various terms:

  • Christ - A term meaning the "anointed one" meaning the messiah and saviour of humanity in the past, present and in time yet to come.
    • Eucharist or Holy Communion - The re-presentation or remembrance in Christian liturgy of Christ's sacrifice symbolised through bread and wine
    • Real presence - The concept of Christ being truly present in the sacraments
    • Consubstantiation - Lutheran concept of Christ being "infused" within the species of communion with these aspects still substantially present
    • Transubstantiation - Catholic and Orthodox (terminology differs) concept of Christ fully, truly and substantially present in the Eucharist with the physical species being substantially absent

See also


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Divine Presence — n. presence of God …   English contemporary dictionary

  • divine presence —  Божественное присутствие …   Вестминстерский словарь теологических терминов

  • Presence of God — • It is of faith that God is present by His essence everywhere and in all things by reason of His immensity . . . Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Presence of God     Presence of God …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • PRESENCE, DIVINE — The notion of the Divine Presence is expressed in the Bible in two different senses: (1) in the corporeal sense, i.e., the actual dwelling (shakhan, שָׁכַן) of God in His abode; (2) in the abstract sense, i.e., symbolic representation by means of …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Divine countenance — As depicted by Michelangelo, a version of the Ancient of Days The divine countenance is the face of God. Contents 1 …   Wikipedia

  • Divine providence (Judaism) — In Judaism, Divine Providence (Hebrew השגחה פרטית Hashgochoh Protis / Hashgachah Pratit, lit. Divine supervision of the individual) is discussed throughout Rabbinic literature, by the classical Jewish philosophers, and by the tradition of Jewish… …   Wikipedia

  • Divine simplicity — Not to be confused with monotheism. In theology, the doctrine of divine simplicity says that God is without parts. The general idea of divine simplicity can be stated in this way: the being of God is identical to the attributes of God. In other… …   Wikipedia

  • presence — noun 1 being present ADJECTIVE ▪ mere ▪ The mere presence of children in the room is enough to upset him. ▪ constant, continued, continuing, permanent ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • Divine Incantations Scripture — Part of a series on Eschatology …   Wikipedia

  • présence — [ prezɑ̃s ] n. f. • 1172; lat. præsentia A ♦ (Personnes) 1 ♦ Le fait d être dans le lieu dont on parle. La présence de qqn, dans, à, chez... Fuir, éviter la présence de qqn, le fuir. Prouver sa présence en un lieu (⇒ alibi) . « Tant de plaisir… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

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