are deemed "additional" only in relation to the bare essence asserted by those who deny the divine attributes. For when such people claimed that He is nothing but a stripped-down essence, their interlocutors retorted, "No—these attributes stand over and above the essence you have affirmed." In truth, though, there is no bare essence to which the attributes could be appended. Rather, the Lord—exalted be He—is the sacred Essence Himself, characterized by every attribute of perfection, and those attributes are fully encompassed within the very meaning of His blessed Names.