Alpha and Omega

Every god claims in some fashion to be Alpha and Omega, the source of everything and the end toward which everything is moving, the deep past and the deep future.

Only the Triune God can actually be Alpha and Omega. A monadic God can perhaps be Alpha (though I’m doubtful), the source. But he cannot also be Omega unless Omega is just another way of saying Alpha. A monadic god can do nothing better than return to the beginning.

Because God is Triune, He can be the source of all, and He can also be the end of all, and be the end differently than He is the source. TZhe difference within the Triune life opens “space” for Alpha and Omega to be continuous but not identical; it opens space for Omega to be a non-identical repetition of Alpha.

And thus a Triune God alone could have created the temporal world we know, because in time as we experience it every Omega is different from every Alpha.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Of Roots and Adventures

Peter J. Leithart

I have lived in Ohio, Michigan, Georgia (twice), Pennsylvania, Alabama (also twice), England, and Idaho. I left…

Our Most Popular Articles of 2025

The Editors

It’s been a big year for First Things. Our website was completely redesigned, and stories like the…

Our Year in Film & Television—2025

Various

First Things editors and writers share the most memorable films and TV shows they watched this year.…