RamistThomist
Puritanboard Clerk
What is the finer nuance between God's having properties and God's having attributes? Is property synonymous with attribute?
Difference between property and attribute in God?
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Ask Mr. Religion
Flatly Unflappable
A. A.Hodge: "They are distinguished as absolute and relative. An absolute attribute is a property of the divine
essence considered in itself: e.g., self–existence, immensity, eternity, intelligence. A relative attribute is a
property of the divine essence considered in relation to the creation: e.g., omnipresence, omniscience, etc."
Chafer: "An attribute is a property intrinsic to its subject.”
In pure logic and philosophy an attribute, i.e., property or relation, is whatever is exemplified or instanced (has instances) by an item or by items in a world. In ordinary language there is no word which comprehends both properties and relations. Since such a word would serve a useful purpose, let us agree in what follows that the word 'attribute' shall have this sense. Thus a one-place attribute is a property, and a two-place (or a many-place) attribute is a relation." (Introduction to Symbolic Logic and Its Applications, New York, Dover, 1958).
Chapter 4 of the following is worth a read:
https://www.academia.edu/7310611/The_Mystery_of_God_Incarnate
e.g.,
"At this point it becomes important to define what a property is. First, a property is a trait,
characteristic, or attribute of something. Everything has at least one property or feature. Even
the notion of "nothing" has the property of "being devoid of properties." While the property of
"nothing" may be purely linguistic, having no ontic status, it is impossible for any entity that
exists to have no properties. When something is predicated of a subject, for example, "this
paper is x," then whatever substitutes for the variable designates a trait or property of this
thesis. Likewise, persons have properties such as "big," "tall," "honest," "married," "single,"
etc. It is impossible that persons not have some properties.
Second, properties are either essential or nonessential..."
essence considered in itself: e.g., self–existence, immensity, eternity, intelligence. A relative attribute is a
property of the divine essence considered in relation to the creation: e.g., omnipresence, omniscience, etc."
Chafer: "An attribute is a property intrinsic to its subject.”
In pure logic and philosophy an attribute, i.e., property or relation, is whatever is exemplified or instanced (has instances) by an item or by items in a world. In ordinary language there is no word which comprehends both properties and relations. Since such a word would serve a useful purpose, let us agree in what follows that the word 'attribute' shall have this sense. Thus a one-place attribute is a property, and a two-place (or a many-place) attribute is a relation." (Introduction to Symbolic Logic and Its Applications, New York, Dover, 1958).
Chapter 4 of the following is worth a read:
https://www.academia.edu/7310611/The_Mystery_of_God_Incarnate
e.g.,
"At this point it becomes important to define what a property is. First, a property is a trait,
characteristic, or attribute of something. Everything has at least one property or feature. Even
the notion of "nothing" has the property of "being devoid of properties." While the property of
"nothing" may be purely linguistic, having no ontic status, it is impossible for any entity that
exists to have no properties. When something is predicated of a subject, for example, "this
paper is x," then whatever substitutes for the variable designates a trait or property of this
thesis. Likewise, persons have properties such as "big," "tall," "honest," "married," "single,"
etc. It is impossible that persons not have some properties.
Second, properties are either essential or nonessential..."
RamistThomist
Puritanboard Clerk
Thanks, so I am reading Hodge and Chafer as saying a property is a wider category than attribute?
Justified
Puritan Board Sophomore
Other way around. Attribute seems to be the wider category. One-place attribute: property. Two-place attribute: relation.
RamistThomist
Puritanboard Clerk
Okay. thanks. That's what I had originally thought.
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