What does divine simplicity imply about the relationship between God's essence and attributes?

• A. The attributes are distinct.
• B. God’s attributes are identical to God’s essence, without internal distinctions.
• C. God has no attributes.
• D. God's attributes are caused by creation.

Answer: (B)

Divine simplicity holds that God is a single, indivisible reality with no parts or internal distinctions. Because there is no composite structure in God, there aren’t separate properties that exist alongside the essence. The attributes we ascribe to God—omniscience, omnipotence, goodness, and so on—are not distinct properties but are identical to God’s essence. In other words, saying God is all-knowing is not naming a separate trait layered onto the essence; it is simply saying that the essence itself is that level of knowledge. Since there is no internal multiplicity, all attributes are identical to the essence and to each other. This is why the best answer is that God’s attributes are identical to God’s essence, without internal distinctions.