In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “theological term which refers to the sovereignty”. Today it says “god 's intervention in the universe”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
Divine Providence , or simply Providence , is a theological term which refers to the sovereignty, superintendence, or agency of God over events in people's lives and throughout history . This term is an integral part of John Calvin 's theological framework known as Calvinism . Calvinism emphasisizes the depravity of man and the complete sovereignty of God. God's plan for the world and every soul that he has created is guided by his will, or providence. According to Calvin, the idea that man has a free will and is able to make choices independently of what God has already determined is based our limited understanding of God's perfection and the illusion (created by Satan ) that we are able to reject God's plan for us. In this mode of thought, providence is related to predestination . The idea of providence was used by many of Calvin's contemporary followers, such as the English Puritans . In modern times, it remains a prominent idea among many Protestant denominations that identify with Calvinism , such as Baptists and Methodists . Many Christian evangelists have attempted to interpret Biblical passages in the the light of current events and to even use the Bible to predict future events. This interpretation may be seen as a attempt to discern divine providence or, in their view, God's plan for the world by understanding the inerrant word of God. Divine Providence is also a book, published by Emanuel Swedenborg in 1764 , which describes Swedenborgian theology regarding providence, free will , predestination , theodicy , and other related topics.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16267715.
The opening as it stood in 2010 11 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
In theology , Divine Providence , or simply Providence , is God's activity in the world.By implication, it is also a title of God.A distinction is usually made between "general providence" which refers to God's continuous upholding the existence and natural order of the universe, and "special providence" which refers to God's extraordinary intervention in the life of people.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 371281639.
The opening as it stood in 2015 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
In theology , divine providence , or just providence , is God's intervention in the world.The term "Divine Providence" (usually capitalized) is also used as a title of God . A distinction is usually made between "general providence", which refers to God's continuous upholding the existence and natural order of the universe , and "special providence", which refers to God's extraordinary intervention in the life of people. Miracles generally fall in the latter category.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 663349410.
The opening as it stood in 2020
God's intervention in the Universe For the album by Deer Tick, see Divine Providence (album) .In theology , divine providence , or simply providence , is God 's intervention in the Universe . The term Divine Providence (usually capitalized) is also used as a title of God . A distinction is usually made between "general providence", which refers to God's continuous upholding of the existence and natural order of the Universe, and "special providence", which refers to God's extraordinary intervention in the life of people. Miracles generally fall in the latter category.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964765841.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
God's intervention in the Universe For the album, see Divine Providence (album) . In theology , divine providence , or simply providence , is God 's intervention in the Universe . The term Divine Providence (usually capitalized) is also used as a title of God . A distinction is usually made between "general providence", which refers to God's continuous upholding of the existence and natural order of the Universe, and "special providence", which refers to God's extraordinary intervention in the life of people. Miracles generally fall in the latter category. In the United States Declaration of Independence , it is cited, "with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178862765.
The opening as it stood in 2025 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
God's intervention in the universe For the album, see Divine Providence (album) . Sculpture of the Eye of Providence in the relief of the Kazan Cathedral, Saint Petersburg Michelangelo's painting In theology , divine providence , or simply providence , is God 's intervention in the universe . The term Divine Providence (usually capitalized) is also used as a title of God . A distinction is usually made between "general providence", which refers to God's continuous upholding of the existence and natural order of the universe, and "special providence", which refers to God's extraordinary intervention in the life of people. Miracles and even retribution generally fall in the latter category.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1297936675. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “theological term which refers to the sovereignty”. Today it says “god 's intervention in the universe”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
theological term which refers to the sovereignty
Now
god 's intervention in the universe
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
