# The history of Christian God's omni hat-trick **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 19, 2002, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-christian-gods-omni-hat-trick/143885 "2002-12-19T20:31:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-christian-gods-omni-hat-trick/143885/21 "2002-12-25T10:17:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mrfoi \* > **Although, I could dispute your criteria for my “grow up” remark. Since to believe in mythology is intellectually immature and fairy tale in nature.** Says who? There are many posters here who believe in what you would call “mythology”, and it isn’t your place to judge them as intellectually immature. Once again, take such remarks to the BBQ Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-christian-gods-omni-hat-trick/143885/22 "2002-12-25T10:54:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > You sure you don’t mean Chrysler/Dodge? > > Certainly, we can see the development of the theological/philosophical understanding of the "omni"s in Christianity within church writings, however, there are similar discussions within both Judaism and Islam, so pointing to the “Church” as the source would seem to be to set an arbitrary boundary on when people began to explore those concepts. I am not familar with Jewish theological scolars, though the god in the Old Testament doesn’t have any of the “omni” powers - like he couldn’t overcome iron chariots. Islam is a later development so it is plausible that it borrowed heavily from Christianity. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-christian-gods-omni-hat-trick/143885/23 "2002-12-25T15:43:01Z")
\<\< I am not familar with Jewish theological scolars, though the god in the Old Testament doesn’t have any of the “omni” powers - like he couldn’t overcome iron chariots. \>\> Depends on how literally you read the Old Testament t0exts. The texts are perfectly consistent with an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God; but you can also read the earlier stories more literally, implying that God is limited in space and in power. The thing is that the Hebrew Bible is NOT just one book by one author, bits and pieces were written over a period from (probably) 1200 - 400 BC. (See the Staff Reports on “Who wrote the Bible?” for more information.) If you think the earlier stories imply limited power for God, then you also have to recognize that there is an evolution in the concept of God from those earliest stories to the later prophets. By the time the last Old Testament books were written, it is pretty clear that God is viewed as omni-everything, so I support tomndebb’s comment (as usual) that these concepts cannot be blamed \< grin \> on the Church. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-christian-gods-omni-hat-trick/143885/24 "2002-12-25T19:08:42Z")
As an example of references to the "omni"s that is both pre-Christian and Jewish, check out the works of Philo of Alexandria who was born around 25-20 B.C.E. and lived to about 50 C.E. He was more influenced by Plato than by Aristotle, so he does not dwell on _categorizing_ the Divine Nature (using allegory instead of exposition in some texts) but he does include an assumption of omnipotence (and omniscience) in his discussions of the nature of God. ---
**Author:** ![mrfoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mrfoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrfoi)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-christian-gods-omni-hat-trick/143885/25 "2002-12-25T21:27:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Priceguy \* > \*\*Says who? There are many posters here who believe in what you would call “mythology”, and it isn’t your place to judge them as intellectually immature. Once again, take such remarks to the BBQ Pit. \*\* I have opened a thread in the Great Debates forum to reply to you. The thread is “Religious people are literally immature” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-christian-gods-omni-hat-trick/143885.md?page=1)