The following dissertation concerning the Trinity, as the reader ought to be informed, has been written in order to guard against the sophistries of those who disdain to begin with faith, and are deceived by a crude and perverse love of reason. Now one class of such men endeavor to transfer to things incorporeal and spiritual the ideas they have formed, whether through experience of the bodily senses, or by natural human wit and diligent quickness, or by the aid of art, from things corporeal; so as to seek to measure and conceive of the former by the latter. Aeterna Press
One must believe in the Incarnation and the Trinity to be saved. These doctrines are easy to state, but difficult to understand. The best attempts of philosophers and theologians have availed little to satisfy the yearnings of the devoted heart. With logical rigor and philosophical precision, Christ Condemned provides a thorough explanation of the Incarnation and the Trinity. The author breaks complex concepts into their simplest parts, making the book's argument accessible to a common audience, while satisfying the demands of scholars. The critical philosophy of Immanuel Kant is thoroughly explained, and employed in the defense of Christian doctrine. The work is challenging, as it should be, but the insights within are available to those who put in the time and effort. This is not a work of high-flown speculation, but an immanently practical account, showing the absolute necessity of these doctrines for the salvation of the soul. The divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Trinity of divine persons are demonstrated by and for the sake of the sinner to repent of his sins, and to glorify the God of his salvation. The work begins with the practical proof of God’s existence, necessary for man to be happy in doing his duty. It then shows the necessity of revelation from God in Jesus Christ, who being God manifest in the flesh, is righteous under the condemnation of the Father for the sins of the world. The persons are then defined, and their roles distinguished in the work of atonement. Finally, the possibility of three persons in one nature is examined and explained, and the absolute necessity of the existence of the Triune God is proven. This is a groundbreaking work of immense scope. In the space of 124 pages, the fundamental doctrines of Christianity are proven and explained, both from the revelation of God in Scripture, and the dire need of reason for a solution to the problem of sin. Reason and revelation are harmonized, and the orthodox doctrine of the historic church is vindicated. This is essential reading for serious students of theology.
This book argues that the doctrine of God taken for granted in the catholic tradition (divine transcendence, creatio ex nihilo, divine simplicity) makes it impossible to give an intelligible and coherent interpretation of the verbal formulas of the catholic dogmas of Trinity and incarnation. By way of response to this apparent incoherence at the heart of the catholic theological tradition, it proposes an alternative post-catholic take on these central doctrines in the light of a qualified monistic conception of God and a "Spirit Christological" interpretation of Jesus's relation to God the Father as presented in the New Testament.
"This book is about relations--intimate relations--that exist between all that is living: between the cosmos and humanity, between the cosmos and God, and between God and humanity. It is also about relations--essential relations--that exist within all that is living: within an evolving cosmos, within a developing humanity, and within the living God. It is moreover about relations that are fundamentally constitutive of cosmic, human, and divine being and thus provide a clue to the nature of reality itself."--Intro., p. 11.
A fresh examination of the history of early Christian doctrine, by one of the world's leading authorities, which sets its development in the political and cultural context of the Roman Empire.
The Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith. What can we say about the divine nature, and what does it mean to say that God is Father, Son, Holy Spirit, three persons who are one in being? In this book, best selling author Thomas Joseph White, OP, examines the development of early Christian reflection on the Trinity, arguing that essential contributions of Patristic theology are preserved and expanded in the thought of Thomas Aquinas. By focusing on Aquinas’ theology of the divine nature as well as his treatment of divine personhood, White explores in depth the mystery of Trinitarian monotheism. The Trinity: On the Nature and Mystery of the One God also engages with influential proposals of modern theologians on major topics such as Trinitarian creation, Incarnation and crucifixion, and presents creative engagements with these topics. Ultimately any theology of the cross is also a theology of the Trinity, and this book seeks to illustrate how the human life, death, and resurrection of Jesus reveal the inner life of God as Trinity.
The Trinitarian Christology of St Thomas Aquinas brings to light the Trinitarian riches in Thomas Aquinas's Christology. Dominic Legge, O.P, disproves Karl Rahner's assertion that Aquinas divorces the study of Christ from the Trinity, by offering a stimulating re-reading of Aquinas on his own terms, as a profound theologian of the Trinitarian mystery of God as manifested in and through Christ. Legge highlights that, for Aquinas, Christology is intrinsically Trinitarian, in its origin and its principles, its structure, and its role in the dispensation of salvation. He investigates the Trinitarian shape of the incarnation itself: the visible mission of the Son, sent by the Father, implicating the invisible mission of the Holy Spirit to his assumed human nature. For Aquinas, Christ's humanity, at its deepest foundations, incarnates the very personal being of the divine Son and Word of the Father, and hence every action of Christ reveals the Father, is from the Father, and leads back to the Father. This study also uncovers a remarkable Spirit Christology in Aquinas: Christ as man stands in need of the Spirit's anointing to carry out his saving work; his supernatural human knowledge is dependent on the Spirit's gift; and it is the Spirit who moves and guides him in every action, from Nazareth to Golgotha.
Leibniz penned his reflections on Christian theology, yet this wealth of material has never been systematically gathered or studied. This book addresses an important and central aspect of these neglected materials - Leibniz's writings on two mysteries central to Christian thought, the Trinity and the Incarnation.
