Biblical Studies/Christianity/Christian Theology/Transcendence

Transcendence addresses the nature of God to act within history, while being above human history. The Christian faith in Jesus illuminates this idea. On the one hand, the presence of Jesus (for the Christian) reflects God's intervention in the world to provide hope and salvation. On the other hand, Christians also believe that Jesus arose from the dead, and as such is observing human history without directly manipulating it. So for the Christian, Jesus is considered transcendental. Prayer reflects the hope that God will once again intervene in the course of human affairs, and influence a favorable outcome.

In developing a deeper understanding of transcendence, it is important for the theist to reconcile additional views of God's intervention in human history with the established idea of humanity's "free will."