The doctrine of divine providence puts the question about changing the past in a new perspective (see 607A–610D). This doctrine warrants Damian’s claim that the same considerations apply to things past, present and future, at least when we are discussing God’s power. The doctrine of divine providence also makes it immediately clear what the answer to the second question has to be: the past cannot be changed because the past events are immutably present in the divine providential plan which is im