Who Created God? What Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Say
Judaism
When God began to create heaven and earth—— Genesis 1:1 (JPS Tanakh) Genesis 1:1
Judaism's foundational answer is embedded in its very first verse of scripture: God simply is the one who creates — not the one who was created. The opening of Genesis doesn't explain God's origin; it assumes God's prior, uncaused existence and moves immediately to the act of creation Genesis 1:1. This isn't an oversight. It's a theological statement.
Isaiah reinforces this forcefully. The God of Israel is the one who formed the earth, established it, and declared 'I am the LORD; and there is none else' Isaiah 45:18. The Hebrew phrase ein od ('there is none else') became a cornerstone of Jewish monotheism — there is no prior being, no divine parent, no generative force behind God.
Medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides (1138–1204) developed this into a formal doctrine in his Mishneh Torah: God is the Necessary Existent — the one being whose non-existence is impossible. Everything else exists contingently; God exists necessarily. This distinction means the question 'who made God?' simply doesn't apply. Causation is a feature of the created order, and God precedes that order entirely Genesis 1:1.
Rabbi Joseph Albo (15th century) similarly argued in Sefer ha-Ikkarim that divine eternity is one of the three root principles of Judaism. God has no beginning, and therefore no creator. The tradition's consistent answer is that asking who created God is like asking what is north of the North Pole — the question dissolves on inspection.
Christianity
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.— Acts 17:24 (KJV) Acts 17:24
Christianity inherits the Jewish conviction that God is uncreated and applies it through a distinctly Trinitarian lens. The New Testament doesn't walk back the Hebrew Bible's claim that God is the uncaused Creator — it doubles down on it. Paul, speaking in Athens, describes God as the one who 'made the world and all things therein,' explicitly identifying this Creator as 'Lord of heaven and earth' who cannot be contained in human-built temples Acts 17:24. The implication is clear: this God is not a product of any process.
The early church councils — Nicaea (325 CE) and Constantinople (381 CE) — formalized this in the creeds. The Nicene Creed opens with 'I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.' The word 'maker' is doing heavy theological lifting: it places God categorically outside the created order.
Augustine of Hippo (354–430 CE) addressed the 'who made God?' question directly in Confessions, arguing that God exists outside time itself — time being a feature of creation. There was no 'before' God in which a creator of God could have operated. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) later formalized this as the doctrine of aseity (from Latin a se, 'from himself'): God's existence derives from nothing outside God.
It's worth noting that some modern theologians, like process theologian Charles Hartshorne (1897–2000), have challenged classical aseity, arguing God is in some sense affected by creation. But this remains a minority view; mainstream Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Christianity all affirm God as uncreated Acts 17:24.
Islam
Who made all things good which He created, and He began the creation of man from clay.— Qur'an 32:7 (Pickthall) Quran 32:7
Islam is arguably the most emphatic of the three traditions on this point. The Qur'an dedicates an entire short surah — Surah Al-Ikhlas (112) — to God's absolute uniqueness and self-sufficiency: Allahu Ahad, Allahu Samad ('God is One; God is the Eternal Refuge'). The word Samad specifically means the one upon whom all depend but who depends on nothing — the uncaused cause. While this surah isn't in the retrieved passages, the Qur'an's broader framing of God as sole Creator is well attested Quran 32:7.
The Qur'an presents God as the one who creates man and everything else Quran 55:3, and poses the rhetorical question 'From what thing doth He create him?' Quran 80:18 — a question directed at human beings, not at God. The grammar itself reflects the theology: God is the subject who creates, never the object who is created.
Classical Islamic theology (kalam) developed the concept of wujub al-wujud — the necessity of God's existence. Ibn Sina (Avicenna, 980–1037 CE) argued that all contingent things require a cause, but the chain of causes must terminate in a Necessary Being that is self-existent. This being is Allah. Al-Ghazali (1058–1111 CE) pushed back on some of Ibn Sina's philosophical framing but fully agreed on divine eternity and uncreated status.
In Islamic thought, to suggest God was created would be shirk (associating partners with God) in its most fundamental form — attributing to God the dependency that belongs only to creation. It's considered not just wrong but incoherent Quran 32:7.
Where they agree
All three traditions share a striking consensus here — perhaps more than on almost any other theological question:
- God is uncreated. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all affirm that God has no origin, no cause, and no creator Genesis 1:1Acts 17:24Quran 32:7.
- God is the necessary ground of existence. Each tradition, in its own vocabulary, holds that God's existence is not contingent on anything else. Everything else depends on God; God depends on nothing.
- The question itself is a category error. All three traditions argue — through scripture, philosophy, or both — that 'who created God?' misapplies the concept of causation, which belongs to the created order, to the Creator who precedes and transcends that order.
- God as Creator is a defining attribute. Whether in Genesis Genesis 1:1, Acts Acts 17:24, or the Qur'an Quran 55:3, God's identity is inseparable from the act of creation — which presupposes God's prior, uncaused existence.
Where they disagree
| Dimension | Judaism | Christianity | Islam |
|---|---|---|---|
| How God's eternity is articulated | Rooted in Hebrew scripture and Maimonidean philosophy; God as Necessary Existent (ein od) | Developed through Greek philosophical categories (aseity, simplicity) formalized at church councils | Expressed through kalam theology and the Qur'anic concept of Samad (self-sufficiency) |
| Nature of the uncreated God | Strictly unitary; no internal distinctions | Trinitarian — Father, Son, Holy Spirit are co-eternal and uncreated; this is a uniquely Christian claim | Strictly unitary (tawhid); the Trinity is explicitly rejected as incompatible with divine unity |
| Key philosophical framework | Maimonides' Aristotelian synthesis; Albo's root principles | Augustinian and Thomistic metaphysics; process theology as a dissenting minority | Ibn Sina's Necessary Being; Al-Ghazali's critique of excessive rationalism while affirming divine eternity |
| Scriptural locus | Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 45:18 Isaiah 45:18 | Acts 17:24; Genesis 1:1 Acts 17:24Genesis 1:1 | Qur'an 32:7; Surah Al-Ikhlas (112) Quran 32:7 |
Key takeaways
- All three Abrahamic faiths — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — unanimously teach that God was not created by anyone or anything.
- The question 'who created God?' is considered a category error: causation belongs to the created order, and God precedes and transcends that order.
- Judaism grounds this in Genesis and Isaiah; Christianity adds Trinitarian theology and Augustinian/Thomistic philosophy; Islam expresses it through the Qur'anic concept of Samad and the doctrine of tawhid.
- The key disagreement isn't about whether God is uncreated — all agree on that — but about the nature of the uncreated God (unitary vs. Trinitarian).
- Medieval thinkers like Maimonides (Jewish), Aquinas (Christian), and Ibn Sina (Islamic) independently developed 'necessary existence' arguments to explain philosophically why God requires no creator.
FAQs
Does the Bible say who created God?
What does Islam say about God's origin?
Is 'who created God?' considered a valid question in these religions?
Did God create himself?
How does Isaiah 45:18 address God's uniqueness?
Judaism
For thus said GOD, The Creator of heaven who alone is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who alone established it—Who did not create it a waste, But formed it for habitation: I am GOD, and there is none else.
The Hebrew Bible introduces God as the one who creates the heavens and the earth; the text begins with creation initiated by God, not with God being created. Genesis 1:1 Genesis 1:1
It also declares God’s uniqueness and sole divinity (“I am the LORD, and there is none else”), which excludes any higher source or rival. Isaiah 45:18
From these passages, Jewish readers typically answer that scripture portrays God as the unoriginated creator; the cited verses state God creates and is alone God, and they never present a creator of God. Genesis 1:1 Isaiah 45:18
Christianity
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
New Testament preaching affirms that God “made the world and all things therein,” and is Lord of heaven and earth, indicating God as the source rather than one who has a source. Acts 17:24
Christians also cite Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” presenting God as initiating creation. Genesis 1:1
These texts present God as creator and sovereign, and they do not depict anyone creating God; thus Christians typically respond that the question misfires because God stands as the origin of all created reality. Acts 17:24 Genesis 1:1
Islam
Who made all things good which He created, and He began the creation of man from clay;
The Qur’an repeatedly speaks of God as the one who creates, forms, and perfects, including the creation of humankind and all things good. Quran 32:7 Quran 55:3
By portraying God as the active creator who begins the creation of man from clay, the text presents God as the origin, not as originated. No verse cited here presents a creator of God. Quran 32:7
Where they agree
All three traditions’ scriptures identify God as the creator of the world and of humankind, and they emphasize God’s unique status; none of the cited passages presents a creator of God. Together, Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 45:18, Acts 17:24, and Qur’an 32:7; 55:3 yield the shared answer that God is depicted as the unoriginated source of creation. Genesis 1:1 Isaiah 45:18 Acts 17:24 Quran 32:7 Quran 55:3
Where they disagree
| Tradition | Point of nuance | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Judaism | Emphasis on God’s unique oneness | Isaiah stresses “there is none else,” foregrounding exclusive divinity alongside creation language. Isaiah 45:18 Isaiah 45:18 |
| Christianity | Proclamation of God as world-maker | Acts 17:24 emphasizes God who “made the world,” used to answer “Who created God?” by pointing to God as source. Acts 17:24 |
| Islam | Focus on God initiating and perfecting creation | Qur’an highlights God beginning human creation from clay and making all things good; the text does not depict a creator of God. Quran 32:7 |
Key takeaways
- Scripture in all three traditions presents God as creator of the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 Genesis 1:1 Acts 17:24
- These texts emphasize God’s uniqueness: “I am the LORD, and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:18 Isaiah 45:18
- The cited passages do not present any creator of God; they depict God as the origin of creation. Genesis 1:1 Isaiah 45:18 Acts 17:24 Quran 32:7
- Human creation is specifically affirmed in both the Bible and the Qur’an. Genesis 1:27 Quran 55:3 Quran 32:7
FAQs
Does any scripture here say who created God?
How do these texts answer, in practice, “Who created God?”
Do these scriptures affirm God’s creatorship of humanity specifically?
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