Oriental Orthodox churches affirm the classical Christian understanding of God as one, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, all-good, and the creator of all things. Each church's theological tradition enriches this common affirmation with its own patristic heritage: the Armenian tradition draws on the Cappadocian Fathers; the Syriac Orthodox tradition draws on the Antiochene Fathers and St. Jacob of Sarug; the Coptic tradition on St. Cyril of Alexandria; the Ethiopian tradition on the Alexandrian and African Fathers.

Apophatic (negative) theology—the recognition that God in his essence utterly transcends all creaturely concepts—is prominent in Oriental Orthodox spirituality. The encounter with God in liturgy, prayer, and the sacramental life is understood as a true but always partial and participatory knowledge of an infinite God. God's transcendence and immanence are held together in the liturgical and monastic traditions of these ancient churches.