Category: Trinity and Incarnation
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Substance and Suppositum: Notes on Klubertanz
This recent excursion into the philosophy of The School is proving to be quite fascinating, and I thank Dr. Novak et al. for their stimulation. I should say that I have read thousands upon thousands of pages of scholastic material, from Aquinas to Zubiri, from Maritain to Marechal, over the past 40 years, so it…
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Professor Anderson and the Hyper-Inscrutability of the Trinitarian Doctrine (Peter Lupu)
(This gem is pulled up from the vasty deeps of the ComBox to where it may shine in a more fitting setting. Minor editing, bolding, and comments in blue by BV.) 1). Let us say that a *real* contradiction is a sentence which comes out false according to every possible model (M): i.e., M =…
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More Christology: Freddoso on Supposita
To better understand the doctrine of supposita and the role it plays in the doctrines of Trinity and Incarnation, we turn to Alfred J. Freddoso, Human Nature, Potency and the Incarnation (bolding added): According to the Christian faith, as defined in this instance by the great Christological Councils and mirrored in centuries of liturgical practice and…
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Materialist Mysterianism
I wonder whether mysterianism in defense of such theological doctrines as the Trinity does not in the end backfire by making possible the philosophical justification of philosophical theses incompatible with it. To ease our way into this line of inquiry, let us consider materialist mysterianism. 1. If mysterianism is an acceptable approach in theology, why can't…
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Whether Jesus Exists Necessarily
Lukas Novak comments by e-mail: You list the following propositions in your post, Christology, Reduplicatives, and Their Truth-Makers: 1. The man Jesus = the 2nd Person of the Trinity.2. The 2nd Person of the Trinity exists necessarily.3. The man Jesus does not exist necessarily. and then say that "each of these propositions is one that…
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A Coherent Representing of the Incoherent
It is broadly logically impossible that there be a hand that both draws itself and is drawn by itself. So what the Escher print represents is B-L impossible, and in this sense 'incoherent' and 'unintelligible.' But the Escher drawing itself is coherent and intelligible as a representation. And so we can say that we understand…
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David Stove on the Logos
Commenting on philosophy's alleged "deep affinity with lunacy," Australian positivist David Stove writes, That the world is, or embodies, or is ruled by, or was created by, a sentence-like entity, a ‘logos’, is an idea almost as old as Western philosophy itself. Where the Bible says ‘The Word was made flesh’, biblical scholars safely conclude…
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Christology, Reduplicatives, and Their Truth-Makers
Consider this triad, and whether it is logically consistent: 1. The man Jesus = the 2nd Person of the Trinity.2. The 2nd Person of the Trinity exists necessarily.3. The man Jesus does not exist necessarily. Each of these propositions is one that a Christian who understands his doctrine ought to accept. But how can they…
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Negative and Positive Trinitarian Mysterianism
Dale Tuggy tentatively characterizes Lukas Novak's position on the Trinity as an example of negative mysterianism. This I believe is a mistake. But it depends on what we mean by 'negative mysterianism.' Drawing upon what Tuggy says in his Trinity entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, let us try to understand what mysterianism is in…
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From the Mailbag: More on the Lewis Trilemma
Dear Mr. Vallicella, I am a theologically-trained youth minister who has studied the Bible 'professionally' for almost 10 years. While I believe that Jesus Christ is in some sense God, I agree with your analysis of Lewis' ridiculous claim. I'd like to add one more dimension. Lewis' claim presupposes that the Gospels are literal accounts…
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A Different View of the Lewis Trilemma: The Trilemma Vindicated?
Dr. Lukáš Novák e-mails: I am writing to you personally concerning your last post on your blog, "The Lewis Trilemma." I would like to offer you two things: first, a criticism of your criticism of the "trilemma" (you are right with your terminological quibble, but is there any other word to use instead?), and second,…
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The Lewis ‘Trilemma’
A commenter on my old blog referred me to this famous passage from C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity: I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is…
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Supposita
We have been discussing the question of the logical consistency of the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity. Dr. Lukas Novak (Charles University, Prague) has offered a solution to the consistency problem that relies crucially on the notion of a suppositum or supposit. If I have understood him, his suggestion is that there is nothing logically problematic in…
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Of Pasta and Perichoresis
Dr. Vallicella, Regarding your recent posts on the trinity and the incarnation, I wanted to float something by you again. I referred you some time ago to a book by James Anderson titled, Paradox in Christian Theology: An Analysis of its Presence, Character, and Epistemic Status . I am writing you again to suggest that…
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Augustine and the Child at the Seashore: Trinitarian Metatheory
I was told this story as a child by a nun. One day St. Augustine was walking along the seashore, thinking about the Trinity. He came upon a child who had dug a hole in the sand and was busy filling it with buckets of seawater. Augustine: "What are you doing?" Child: "I am trying to…