Divine hiddenness : God the creator and phenomenology / Chad Engelland

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Engelland, Chad, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion--Philosophy.

Religion.

Hidden God.

Phenomenology.

Language and languages--Philosophy.

Language and languages.

phenomenology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026

Summary:

"Why is God hidden? How might God be pointed out? In this timely study, Chad Engelland provides an original and compelling account of why God the creator is naturally hidden and how God can be intended. Drawing on phenomenology, philosophy of language, and medieval thought, he explores these questions, arguing that if the God in question is the ultimate source of all things, then hiddenness is necessary. Only a creature, rather than the creator, can appear directly in experience. Nonetheless, God the creator can be named as the ultimate source of all through a deferred ostension, which is a way of establishing the reference to a hidden cause through some manifest effect. Moreover, the deferred ostension can be clarified not only through the phenomenology of absent authors, which is a special case of the problem of other minds, but also via the fulfillment of desire in giving thanks for all"-- Cambridge Core

Contents:

Prologue : conspicuous absences in life and art

Introduction : the hidden God

Divine hiddenness and phenomenology

God the creator and the natural theological attitude

Augustine : overheard confession

Anselm : linguistic ostension

Aquinas : interpersonal manifestation

Deferred ostension

Hidden minds

Desire, wonder, and gratitude

Conclusion : “God the creator” as deferred ostension

Epilogue : inconspicuous incarnation in the Gospel of Mark

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge Core, viewed June 8, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version: Engelland, Chad Divine hiddenness

ISBN:

9781009759694

1009759698

9781009759663

1009759663

OCLC:

1585501658

Publisher Number:

CIPO000365890

CIPO000381836

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license