Philosophers discuss intensively which of the two conceptions is the more fundamental for the philosophical description of time. The situation can be characterized as a debate between two Kuhnian paradigms: the ideas embodied by the well-established B-theory, which were for centuries predominant in philosophical and scientific theories of time, and the rising A-theory, which in the 1950s received a fresh impetus due to the advent of the tense logic formulated by Arthur N. Prior (1914– 1969). Still, many researchers do not want to embrace the A-conception. According to A-theorists, the tenses are real, whereas B-theorists consider tenses to be secondary and unreal. According to the A-theory the “Now” is real and objective, whereas the B-theories consider the “Now” to be purely subjective.
Following the ideas of Aquinas, some argue that time from God’s perspective should be understood in terms of B-concepts because time is given to God in a timeless way. But it should be mentioned that Aquinas also maintained that divine knowledge can be transformed into the temporal dimension by means of prophecies. It seems that Aquinas was suggesting a distinction between time as it is for temporal beings such as humans and time as it is for God, who is eternal.
However, this does not answer the important question: Are the tenses real? Is the “Now” real? Most writers in Christian philosophy defend the view that “my Now,” “my present choice,” or “my present awareness” actually represents something real. This will lead most writers in Christian philosophy to the A-theory. They normally find it obvious that the concept of time has to be related to the human mind. Therefore it becomes more natural to describe time by means of tenses (past, present, and future) than by means of instants (dates, clock-time, etc.). With tenses, one can express that the past is forever lost and the future is not yet here. Without these ideas one cannot hope to grasp the idea of the passing of time.
