Heller M, Woodin W.H. (eds.) Infinity. New research frontiers (CUP, 2011)(ISBN 1107003873)(O)(327s)_MAml_

enriching our theological understanding: two examples 285The God who is known through special revelation (word and scripture) and generalrevelation (nature) is known as unknowable.This brings us to a deeper analogy between the mathematics of infinity and thetheology of revelation. Just as the incomprehensibility of Absolute Infinity in mathematicsis safeguarded by its reflection in the transfinites, so too the mystery of God isvouchsafed by the revelation of God in our lives and in the universe that God createsand science explores. Mathematically, Absolute Infinity is known through the transfinites,and yet being so, it remains unknown in itself. Theologically, the God whois known is the God who is unknowable. What God has chosen to disclose to us,the kataphatic – God’s existence as Creator, God’s goodness, love, and beauty – is aveil behind which the reality of God is endlessly hidden precisely as it is endlesslyrevealed. To capture this theological understanding of God’s hiddenness in God’s selfdisclosure,I suggest the following metaphor for revelation: “revelation is the veil thatdiscloses.”13.3.2 Infinity in the Context of Wolfhart Pannenberg’s Doctrineof God: From Hegel to Cantor 24Given its culminating role in the development of his lifetime of theological research,my focus here will be on Wolfhart Pannenberg’s massive Systematic Theology (1991,1994, 1998). The concept of infinity arises in a variety of places in the Systematics,where Pannenberg describes it in words such as these: “The thought of the trueInfinite . . . demands that we do not think of the infinite and the finite as a mere antithesisbut also think of the unity that transcends the antithesis” (Pannenberg 1991, p. 446).This concept of infinity plays a crucial role in Pannenberg’s interpretation of the doctrineof God, particularly in his treatment of the divine attributes (Pannenberg 1991,chap. 6). Pannenberg attributes his understanding of infinity to Hegel, and he contrastsit with its meaning in the traditional Greek thought, where infinity as apeiron is seenas merely the antithesis of the finite. What I will explore here is the way insights fromCantor’s work on the transfinites can build on Pannenberg’s use of Hegel in the doctrineof God.13.3.2.1 The Role of Infinity in Pannenberg’s Doctrine of the DivineAttributes and His Reliance on HegelIt is with Pannenberg’s move to the section on “The Infinity of God: His Holiness,Eternity, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence” that we clearly find the central role of theconcept of infinity in the doctrine of God (Pannenberg 1991, pp. 392–448). Pannenbergbegins by telling us that there are two kinds of divine attributes: (1) those attributesthat define the God who acts (i.e., what “God” means) – God as infinite, omnipresent,omniscient, eternal, omnipotent, and holy; and (2) those attributes that describe God’s24 According to Pannenberg, God’s holiness and infinity are directly related, while eternity, omnipotence, andomnipresence are “concrete manifestations of his infinity” under the categories of time, power, and space(Pannenberg 1991, p. 397).