Divine presence, presence of God, Inner God, or simply presence is a concept in religion,

spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...

, and theology that deals with the ability of God to be "

present The present (or here'' and ''now) is the time that is associated with the events perception, perceived directly and in the first time, not as a recollection (perceived more than once) or a speculation (predicted, hypothesis, uncertain). It is ...

" with human beings. According to some types of monotheism God is omnipresent; hence, the rabbinic teaching: "The Divine presence is everywhere."

Conceptualizations

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: * Immanence – usually applied in

monotheistic Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity, an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God. Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford ...

, pantheistic, pandeistic, or panentheistic faiths to suggest that the spiritual world permeates the mundane. It is often contrasted with

transcendence Transcendence, transcendent, or transcendental may refer to: Mathematics * Transcendental number, a number that is not the root of any polynomial with rational coefficients * Algebraic element or transcendental element, an element of a field exten ...

, in which the divine is seen to be outside the material world. * Inner light – in various religions, the presence of God as a "light". The Religious Society of Friends regards this concept as a fundamental belief. * Divine light – an aspect of divine presence with qualities of illumination:

thought In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to conscious cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, a ...

intellect In the study of the human mind, intellect refers to, describes, and identifies the ability of the human mind to reach correct conclusions about what is true and what is false in reality; and how to solve problems. Derived from the Ancient Gree ...

, knowledge, insight, wisdom,

being In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality. Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exis ...

, divine love. * Numen – Latin term for "presence", used historically to refer to a Roman religious concept. * Theophany – the appearance of a

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

to a human. * Higher consciousness–is the consciousness of a higher Self, transcendental reality, or God.

Abrahamic religions

Judaism

* Angel of the Presence – an entity variously considered angelic or else identified with God himself. * Shekhinah – the dwelling or settling of the divine presence of God and his cosmic glory. The Sages of Israel have given expression of the Divine Presence ( Hebrew: ''Shekhinah'') in their writings:

Christianity

* Immanuel – "God with us," is a Biblical concept that deals with the concept of divine presence, often used by Christians as a title for Jesus *

Incarnation (Christianity) In Christian theology, the incarnation is the belief that the pre-existent divine person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ, God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, and the eternally begotten ''Logos (Christianity), Logos'' (Koine Gr ...

– Believed to be the second person of the Trinity, also known as God the Son or the Logos (Word), " became flesh" by being conceived in the womb of Mary. Christians generally recognize a special presence of Christ in the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

, although they differ about exactly how, where, and when Christ is present. While all agree that there is no perceptible change in the elements, some believe that they actually become the

body and blood of Christ Body and Blood of Christ may refer to: *Eucharist, a Christian rite considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others involving the consumption of bread and wine in memory of Christ *Blessed Sacrament, a devotional name used in the ...

, others believe the true body and blood of Christ are really present in, with, and under the bread and wine which remain physically unchanged, others believe in a real but purely spiritual presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and still others take the act to be only a symbolic reenactment of the Last Supper. * Transubstantiation – Catholic and Orthodox (terminology differs) concept of Christ fully, truly and substantially present in the Eucharist with the physical species being substantially absent. *

Consubstantiation Consubstantiation is a Christian theological doctrine that (like transubstantiation) describes the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It holds that during the sacrament, the substance of the body and blood of Christ are present alongside ...

– Lutheran concept of Christ being "infused" within the species of communion with these aspects still substantially present.

Indian religions

In Hinduism, an avatar is the appearance or incarnation of a

on Earth.

References

Bibliography

* Borgen, Peder. ''Early Christianity and Hellenistic Judaism''. Edinburgh: T & T Clark Publishing. 1996. * Brown, Raymond. ''An Introduction to the New Testament''.

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

: Doubleday. 1997. * Dunn, J. D. G. ''Christology in the Making''. London: SCM Press. 1989. * Dupuis, Jacques. ''Christianity and the Religions''. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis. 2002. * Ferguson, Everett. ''Backgrounds in Early Christianity''. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing. 1993. * Greene, Colin J. D. ''Christology in Cultural Perspective: Marking Out the Horizons''. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press. Eerdmans Publishing. 2003. * Letham, Robert. ''The Work of Christ''. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. 1993. * Macleod, Donald. ''The Person of Christ''. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. 1998. *

McGrath, Alister Alister Edgar McGrath (; born 1953) is a Northern Irish theologian, Anglican priest, intellectual historian, scientist, Christian apologist, and public intellectual. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in ...

. ''Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought''. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. 1998. * * Macquarrie, J. ''Jesus Christ in Modern Thought''. London: SCM Press. 1990. * Neusner, Jacob. ''From Politics to Piety: The Emergence of Pharisaic Judaism''. Providence, R. I.: Brown University. 1973. * Norris, Richard A. Jr. ''The Christological Controversy''. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. 1980. * O'Collins, Gerald. '' Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2009. * _______ '' Jesus: A Portrait''. London: Darton, Longman & Todd. 2008. * _______ ''Salvation for All: God's Other Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2008. * Pelikan, Jaroslav. ''Development of Christian Doctrine: Some Historical Prolegomena''. London: Yale University Press. 1969. * _______ ''The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600)''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1971. * Rahner, Karl. ''Foundations of Christian Faith'', trans. W.V. Dych. London: Darton, Longman & Todd. 1978. * Tyson, John R.'' Invitation to Christian Spirituality: An Ecumenical Anthology''. New York: Oxford University Press. 1999. {{DEFAULTSORT:Divine Presence Theology