Chapter 68 — That God is everywhere

From this it is evident that God must be everywhere and in all things.

For the mover and the thing moved must be simultaneous, as the Philosopher proves. (Physics 7.2.) Now God moves all things in their actions, as we have proved. (Ch. 67.) Therefore, he is in all things.

Again. Whatever is in a place, or in anything whatsoever, is, after a manner, in contact with it: for a body is located somewhere by contact of dimensive quantity, while an incorporeal thing is said to be somewhere by contact of its power, since it lacks dimensive quantity. Accordingly, an incorporeal thing stands in relation to being somewhere by its power, as a body to being somewhere by dimensive quantity. And if there were a body having infinite dimensive quantity, it would of necessity be everywhere. Consequently, if there be an incorporeal thing with infinite power it must be everywhere. Now we proved in the first book (Ch. 43.) that God has infinite power. Therefore, he is everywhere.

Besides. As an individual cause is to an individual effect, so is a universal cause to a universal effect. Now the individual cause must be present to its proper effect: thus fire by its substance gives out heat, and the soul by its essence gives life to the body. Since, then, God is the universal cause of all being, as we proved in the second book, (Ch. 25.) it follows that wherever being is to be found, there also is God present.

Furthermore. If an agent be present to but one of its effects, its action cannot extend to other things except through that one, because agent and patient must be simultaneous: thus the motive power moves the various members of the body not otherwise than through the heart. Consequently, if God be present to but one of his effects, such as the first movable (which is moved by him immediately), it would follow that his action cannot extend to other things except through that first effect. But this is unreasonable. For if the action of an agent cannot extend to other things except through some first effect, the latter must correspond proportionately to the agent as regards the agent’s whole power, or else the agent could not use its whole power: thus we see that all the movements which the motive power is able to cause can be performed by the heart. Now there is no creature through which can be done everything that the divine power is capable of doing: for the divine power infinitely surpasses every created thing, as we proved in the first book. (Ch. 25.) Consequently, it is unreasonable to say that the divine action does not extend to other things except through some first thing. Therefore, he is present, not in one only, but in all his effects. For it would amount to the same if someone were to say that he is in some, and not in all, because no matter how many divine effects we take, they will not suffice to carry into effect the execution of the divine power.

Moreover. The active cause must be joined together with its proximate and immediate effect. Now in each thing there is a proximate and immediate effect of God. For we proved in the second book (Ch. 21.) that God alone can create. Also, in each thing there is something caused by creation: in bodies, there is prime matter; in incorporeal beings, there is their simple essence (as is clear from what we have said in the second book). (Ch. 15. seqq.) Accordingly, God must be present in all things at the same time: especially since those things he called into being from non-being are continually preserved in being by him, as we have proved. (Ch. 65.)

Thus it is said: I fill heaven and earth (Jer 23:24); and: If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I descend to hell, you are there (Ps 139[138]:8).

Hereby we refute the error of some who said that God is in a definite part of the world—for instance, in the first heaven, and in the eastern portion, so that he is the principle of the heavenly movement. Yet this statement of theirs might be upheld if rightly understood, so that the meaning is not that God is confined to some particular part of the world, but that in the natural order, owing to the divine motion, all corporeal movement begins in one particular part. For this reason Sacred Scripture specially describes God as being in heaven, according to Isaiah: Heaven is my throne (Isa 66:1), and in the Psalm: The heavens are the Lord’s heavens (Ps 115:16[113:24)]). However, the fact that God works in the lowest bodies something outside the ordinary course of nature (which cannot be wrought by the power of a heavenly body) shows clearly that God is immediately present not only to the heavenly body, but also to the lowest things.

But we must not think that God is everywhere as though he were distributed throughout local space, one part of him here, another there, but that he is all everywhere. For God, being utterly simple, has no parts.

Nor is he simple in the same way as a point, which is the term of a continuous quantity, and consequently occupies a definite place in it: hence one point cannot be elsewhere than in one indivisible place. But God is indivisible as existing altogether outside the genus of continuous quantity. Consequently, he is not necessitated by his essence to a definite place, great or small, as though he needed to be in some place, for he was from eternity before there was any place. Yet by the immensity of his power he reaches all things that are in a place, because he is the universal cause of being, as we have stated. (See above., Besides. As an individual...)

Accordingly, he is wholly wheresoever he is. And yet again we must not think that he is in things as though he were mingled with them. For we proved in the first book (Ch. 17, 27.) that he is neither the matter nor the form of anything, but he is in all things as active cause.