What is Classical Theism?

Does the God of classical theism exist? The principal reason for thinking that God fits the profile defined by classical theism is this: we have good metaphysical grounds for believing both that some entity that fits this profile exist, and we have good theological grounds for believing that, if such an entity exists, it must be identical to God, that is, to the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 
 
So, what is the profile of the God of classical theism? There are four crucial characteristics:
 
1.God is absolutely the first cause of all causable things.
2.God is atemporal.
3.God lacks any intrinsic, passive potentiality.
4.God has no distinct nature and no distinct act of existence: He is identical to His own act of existence, which is also His nature or essence.
 
It is noteworthy that this list does not contain any of the traditional omnis: omniscience, omnipotence, or omnibenevolence. I haven’t included personality on the list, nor such properties as having knowledge or will. I haven’t included God’s infinity or perfection or uniqueness. This is not because classical theism is silent on any of these points, but because, in the classical-theist tradition, all these divine characteristics follow from the four that I have listed. They are, from an epistemological point of view (that is, in the order of human understanding), secondary characteristics of the God of classical theism. These secondary characteristics are not points of controversy between classical and non-classical theists; in contrast, all of the primary characteristics on the list are quite controversial.
 
There are, therefore, two tasks which the classical theologian must complete: first, to argue successfully that some entity satisfies the four primary characteristics, and, second, to demonstrate that any being with the primary characteristics must also have the familiar secondary characteristics.