The first part of the Ethics, entitled “Concerning God,” is devoted to an analysis of the nature of God and to the delineation of the main outlines of the relationship between God and the world. It contains Spinoza’s analysis of the basic structure of reality and his criticisms of the Judeo-Christian or, more broadly, theistic conception of God as an omnipotent and omniscient personal being, who freely created the world for the sake of certain ends, which prominently includes the welfare of human beings. The argument, which, like that of every part of the Ethics, is preceded by a set of definitions and axioms, can be broken down into three parts, supplemented by an appendix dealing with final causes, which was discussed in the preceding chapter. Accordingly, the present chapter will be divided into three parts, corresponding to the three parts of Spinoza’s argument.