Category: Trinity and Incarnation
-
Trinity and Set Theory
Let S and T be mathematical sets. Now consider the following two propositions: 1. S is a proper subset of T. 2. S and T have the same number of elements. Are (1) and (2) consistent? That is, can they both be true? If yes, explain how. If you think (1) and (2) are consistent,…
-
From the Mail: Trinity and Incarnation
Dr. Vallicella, Thank you for some exceptionally helpful posts lately! Regarding your point (1) “Is there a clear scriptural basis for the doctrine of the Trinity?” It would seem that a part of that question, or perhaps a prior question to it is: (1*) “Is there a clear scriptural basis for the doctrine of the…
-
Some Questions About the Trinity Distinguished
It may help to distinguish the following questions. 1. Is there a clear scriptural basis for the doctrine of the Trinity? 2. Is the doctrine, as formulated in the Athanasian creed and related canonical documents, true? 3. Is it possible for human reason, unaided by divine revelation, to know the doctrine to be true? 4.…
-
On the Trinity: A Medievalist Takes Me to Task
Long-time reader Michael Sullivan e-mails: In my experience a lot of the problems in modern philosophy of religion come about from not taking enough care to get right the religious position the philosopher is analyzing. Part of this difficulty stems from the way terminology shifts across the centuries, so that the modern philosopher takes for…
-
Does Trinity Entail Quaternity?
Christianity, like the other two Abrahamic religions, is monotheistic. But unlike Judaism and Islam, Christianity holds to a trinitarian conception of God. The idea, spelled out in the Athanasian Creed, is that there is one God in three divine Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Each person is God, and yet there…
-
Some Water Analogies for the Trinity
The following is based partially on H. A. Wolfson, The Philosophy of the Church Fathers, Volume One: Faith, Trinity, Incarnation (Harvard University Press, 1956), pp. 359-363. Hippolytus: The Logos comes from the Father as water from a fountain. Tertullian: The Father is to the Logos as fountain is to river. One substance assumes two forms.…
-
Trinitarian Reading Material
Dale Tuggy's Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry, Trinity, provides a good overview. The specialist blog, Trinities, to which he contributes will also be of interest. Here is Richard Cartwright's excellent "On the Logical Problem of the Trinity." Caveat lector: it contains a few scanning errors. Essential reading nonetheless. Cartwright rejects Peter Geach's relative identity solution. For…
-
De Trinitate: The Statue/Lump Analogy and the ‘Is’ of Composition
Thanks to Bill Clinton, it is now widely appreciated that much rides on what the meaning of ‘is’ is. Time was, when only philosophers were aware of this. In our Trinitarian explorations with the help of our Jewish atheist friend Peter we have discussed the ‘is’ of identity and the ‘is’ of predication. We saw that…
-
Is The Doctrine of the Trinity Logically Coherent? (Peter Lupu)
In this installment, Peter Lupu, atheist, defends the logical coherence of the doctrine of the Trinity. My critical comments follow in blue. It may be somewhat of an astonishment to those who know me well that I should venture to defend the doctrine of the Trinity. I am not a Christian; I am not religious;…
-
Gratry on Trinity and Mystery
Alphonse Gratry (1805-1872), Logic, tr. H and M. Singer (Open Court, 1944), p. 336: What does Catholic theology have to say about unity in the Trinity, and of the Trinity in unity? It teaches that the unity and the Trinity are not expressed in the same respect but in two different respects: absolute unity of…
-
Imago Dei in Relation to Aquinas and Christology
This just over the transom from Will Duquette: A fool rushes in… In your comment on Peter Lupu's guest post, you say > Man was not created in God's material image, since he has none; he > was created in God's spiritual image. But this implies that what is > essential to man is not…
-
Augustine on an Analogy for the Incarnation
On this, the Feast of St. Augustine, it is fitting to meditate on an Augustinian passage. There is an interesting passage in On Christian Doctrine that suggests a way to think about the Incarnation. Commenting on the NT text, "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us," Augustine writes: In order that what we are…