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| St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274), the eponym of Thomism. Picture by Fra Angelico (c. 1395-1455). (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Deus otiosus or "idle god" is a theological concept used
to describe a creator god[citation needed] who largely retires from the world and is
no longer involved in its daily operation, a central tenet of Deism. A similar concept is that
of the deus absconditus or "hidden
god" of Thomas
Aquinas (1225-1274).[1]
Although Aquinas was
a Catholic and not a deist, both his concept of the
"hidden god" and the concept of the "idle god" refer to a
deity whose existence is not readily knowable by humans solely through
contemplation or through the examination of divine actions. The concept of deus otiosus often suggests a god who has
grown weary from involvement in this world and who has been replaced by
younger, more active gods, whereas deus
absconditus suggests a god who has consciously left this world to hide
elsewhere.
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