Omniscience and omnipotence
We accept that God knows everything and can do everything.
Does this have a philosophical basis?
I suppose we know that he created the world (because of the argument from causality), and even that he did it of his own free will and not deterministically. But that only shows that he could have started the chain of causes that created the world. That doesn’t mean he had control over it or knew where it would go.
What then, if any, is the philosophical root of these basic beliefs?
There is some philosophical basis for this, but of course it is always debatable. A reasonable assumption is that any object that is not perfect and omnipotent requires a cause outside of itself. Therefore, at the end of the chain there must be an object without limitations. Beyond that, why would it stop at a certain power X?
There are of course also verses that hint at this (and again, one can always push back): “Wonder at the Lord’s word. It is not man that he should be comforted,” and so on.
How does this fit with your view that the fact that God created us probably indicates that He is lacking and that He needs us to fill this lack (with the help of the commandments)?
He is omnipotent because he can solve his own problems (including by creating us). It is true that he cannot perfect himself, because a perfect being cannot perfect himself, and for that he needs imperfect beings. As I think I elaborated on in a column dealing with perfection and perfection.
What is the column called? I couldn't find it.
I really couldn't find a column. There is a section in my article about Zeno's cross:
https://mikyab.net/%d7%9b%d7%aa%d7%91%d7%99%d7%9d/%d7%9e%d7%90%d7%9e%d7%a8%d7%99%d7%9d/%d7%97%d7%99%d7%a6%d7%95-%d7%a9%d7%9c-%d7%96 %d7%99%d7%a0%d7%95%d7%9f-%d7%95%d7%94%d7%a4%d7%99%d7%a1%d7%99%d7%a7%d7%94-%d7%94%d7%9e%d7%95%d7%93%d7%a8%d7%a0%d7%99%d7%aa1/
There is also a series of recorded lessons here:
https://soundcloud.com/mikyabchannel/sets/j2jni3ln7k4b
And also here:
https://soundcloud.com/mikyabchannel/sets/hvml0h1zoajw
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