Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

TawḥĪDic Allah Or The Trinity In View Of Inherent Human Relatedness, Brian Scalise

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation is an inquiry into the nature of the Deity in view of human relationships. Human relationships exist and are definitive of what it means to exist as a human. In this sense, human relating is an inherent aspect of the experience of humanity, i.e., they are inescapable. Does the Christian doctrine of Trinity or Islam's doctrine of Tawhidic (monadic) Allah more adequately account for the existence of human relationships and their inescapability? This question is analyzed by comparing the Tawhidic nature of Allah with the Trinitarian nature of God in order to evaluate and clarify which doctrine is …

Appreciating The Mystery Of "Three Persons" And "One Substance": A Study Of Tertullian's Legacy Concerning The Historical Development Of The Doctrine Of The Trinity, Brandon Walker

Masters Theses

Tertullian of Carthage is hailed by many as the most influential Western theologian prior to Augustine, and his most impressive theological contributions involved Trinitarianism and Christology. This study is a thorough investigation of the extent to which Tertullian influenced subsequent Trinitarian theologians and writers in the Western tradition. It explores how Tertullian repeated and expanded existing arguments popularized by earlier apologists and theologians. It also identifies those original features of Tertullian's theological vocabulary and reasoning which subsequent Western pre- and post-Nicene theologians found most valuable as Trinitarian doctrine progressed toward its maturity. This analysis concludes with an evaluation of Tertullian's …

Christ, The Meeting Point Of Sacramental And Trinitarian Theology, Nathan Peter Chase

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

This paper explores the relationship between the liturgical life of the Church and the operation of the Trinity in the economy of grace through the work of Fr. Edward Kilmartin. Kilmartin sought to better explain how humanity’s relationship with God through prayer and the sacraments was established. For him, theologians’ understanding of the Trinity in what has become known as the procession model allowed for the katabatic flow of grace to humanity but failed to explain the anabatic flow of grace from humanity back up to God. This paper looks at the complementary model, the bestowal model, that Kilmartin developed …

Trinitarian Theorizing And Mystery As A Way Forward: A Critical Examination Of The Forms Of Trinitarian Hypothesizing, Why They Fail, And Why Mystery Is A Way Forward, Matthew J. Conniry

Seminary Masters Theses

Scholarship reveals that there are at least two primary ways of handling the issue incumbent within Trinitarian theorizing. Most theologians resolve the issue by addressing the inconsistencies, finding various ways to make important distinctions to eliminate apparent contradictions. This is no doubt the most popular route. Among these are social Trinitarians and Latin Trinitarians. A rough distinction can be made here, wherein social Trinitarians start with the Threeness of God and reason from that stance that God is one by an inexorable and eternal loving relationship. Oppositely, Latin Trinitarians start with God as one and reason how God can possibly …

Contemplating Procession: Thomas Aquinas’ Analogy Of The Procession Of The Word In The Immanent Divine Life, Josh Waltman

Liberty Theological Review

Thomas Aquinas’ Trinitarian theology has been criticized as proposing an abstract notion of God that is divorced from salvation history and that is supported by tedious and ultimately incomprehensible explication. By showing the goals and limitations of Thomas’ approach and by analyzing one element of his theology, it will be shown that these criticisms are unfounded. Specifically, this article will attempt to analyze Aquinas’ view of the procession of the Word, or act of “generation,” in the divine immanent life. It can be seen that Aquinas actually provides a metaphysical analogy for contemplating generation that avoids heresy and that absolutely …

The Symphony Of The Trinity : Tuning In To The Father, Son And Holy Spirit For Congregational Renaissance, Richelle Wagner Sampl

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Vulnerability And Empowerment In Crossing Frontiers: A Christian Theology Of Mission, Lalsangkima Pachuau

The Asbury Journal

This paper was presented in Asbury Theological Seminary, on May 9, 2013, at Dr. Lalsangkima Pachuau’s installation in the J.W. Beeson Chair of Christian Mission. In this essay, he explores the frontier crossing aspects of mission theology in the light of a Trinitarian view of the missio Dei. In particular, he examines the account of Peter and Cornelius crossing the Jewish- Gentile frontier in the book of Acts.

The Trinity In The Old Testament, Jiri Moskala

Faculty Publications

The fundamental mystery of the Christian faith is belief in the Triune God. As Seventh‑day Adventists, we confess that God is One but manifested in three distinct persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When we speak about God, we need to remember that weenter holy ground, and we need to do it with deep humility, knowing our limits. We are using imperfect human language to describe an infinite God. The transcendent God always surpasses even our finest categories of thinking and logic.

[Book Review Of] Adventism And Ellen White: A Phenomenon Of Religious Materialism, By Thomas Mcelwain, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Hans Urs Von Balthasar And Kenosis: The Pathway To Human Agency, Timothy J. Yoder

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the kenotic motif in the theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar, particularly in light of his concern to protect human agency. This dissertation argues that Balthasar views kenotic spiritual practice as the pathway to achieve true human agency. This kenotic pathway to agency is placed in contrast to Balthasar's concept of original sin as an attempt by humanity to achieve agency on their own terms. The narrative of original sin results in two possible outcomes for Balthasar: a spiritual pathway toward the absorption of the self, which results in the annihilation of …

Covenant Of Redemption In The Theology Of Jonathan Edwards: The Nexus Between The Immanent And The Economic Trinity, Reita Yazawa

CTS PhD Doctoral Dissertations

Contemporary trinitarian theologies tend to hold that the doctrine of the Trinity, especially the immanent Trinity, became impractical, speculative, and abstruse over the years in the history of Christian theology. In response, the recent theologies of the Trinity explore various practical implications of the doctrine of the Trinity with emphasis on God’s economic work of redemption in history. However, the Reformed idea of the covenant of redemption helps us to reconsider whether the doctrine of the Trinity, even of the immanent Trinity, has been really so impractical. In this study, I argue that the Reformed idea of the covenant of …

The Reception Of Ellen G. White's Trinitarian Statements By Her Contemporaries, 1897-1915, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Timelessly Present, Compassionately Impassible: A Defense Of Two Classical Divine Attributes, Philip R. Olsson

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This study articulates a God-concept in the tradition of classical Christian theism, contending with calls to modify significantly or revise classical constructions. Attention falls upon two closely related divine attributes that have, especially in recent decades, come under philosophical and theological attack – God’s timelessness and impassibility (inability to suffer). Is the “classical” Lord truly Immanuel, i.e. with us? This general question motivates the study.

The opening three chapters analyze aspects of the God-concepts put forth by Augustine, Aquinas, and Calvin. Apparent tensions between a timeless transcendence and an affirming union of the Trinity with creation are countenanced, with an …

The Assumption Of All Humanity In Saint Hilary Of Poitiers' Tractatus Super Psalmos, Ellen Scully

Dissertations (1934 -)

In this dissertation, I focus on the soteriological understanding of the fourth-century theologian Hilary of Poitiers as manifested in his underappreciated Tractatus super Psalmos. Hilary offers an understanding of salvation in which Christ saves humanity by assuming every single person into his body in the incarnation. My dissertation contributes to scholarship on Hilary in two ways.

First, I demonstrate that Hilary's teaching concerning Christ's assumption of all humanity is a unique development of Latin sources. Because of his understanding of Christ's assumption of all humanity, Hilary, along with several Greek fathers, has been accused of heterodoxy resulting from Greek Platonic …

Triadic To Trinitarian: Kevin J. Vanhoozer’S Application Of J.L. Austin’S Speech Act Theory, Joshua C. Stone

Liberty Theological Review

The basis for Christian theology, the Bible, has come under considerable attack by decontructionalists in their attempt to disregard authorial intent and to prove that understanding the meaning of an author's words is an impossible task. Kevin J. Vanhoozer is an evangelical scholar who has done much in defense of authorial intent and has found fertile philosophical ground in Speech Act theory. This essay looks at Vanhoozer’s use of J.L. Austin’s variety of Speech Act theory to determine if Vanhoozer uses Austin correctly, then turns to Vanhoozer’s bibliological use of Austin whereby he analogically applies Austin’s Triadic formula of a …

“Made In Each Other:” John Scottus Eriugena’S Conception Of The Human Person As A Unifying Vocabulary For Trinitarian Metanarrative And Anticartesian Phenomenology, Carey B. Vinzant

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Vinzant, Carey B. “Made in each Other: John Scottus Eriugena’s Conception of the Human Person as a Unifying Vocabulary for Trinitarian Metanarrative and Anti-Cartesian Phenomenology.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2010. 260 pp.

This study sets forth an account of the human person, drawn primarily from the thought of John Scottus Eriugena, which integrates the metaphysical account of personhood set forth by Trinitarian theology (especially John Zizioulas) with the phenomenological one set forth by certain Anti-Cartesian philosophers (especially John Macmurray, Martin Buber, and Gabriel Marcel). These two schools of thought have in common the conviction that uniqueness and relation to other …

The Trinity Is A Paradox, John Reeve

Memory, Meaning & Faith

No abstract provided.

Toward Trinitarian Thinking In The Hebrew Scriptures, Jiri Moskala

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Things Hold Together John Howard Yoder's Trinitarian Theology Of Culture, Branson L. Parler

CTS PhD Doctoral Dissertations

Theologies of culture often focus on either Christ or creation as their primary source, to the exclusion of the other. At best, this approach is incomplete because it does not account for the continuity between creation and redemption. At worst, it posits a divide not simply between Christ and creation, but between persons of the Trinity, presuming contradictory moral and cultural norms issuing from different persons of the Trinity. John Howard Yoder is often depicted as a representative of a Christocentric and creation-deficient approach to culture. Against that faulty representation, this dissertation argues that Yoder advocates a Trinitarian theology of …

The Covenant And Christ’S Presence In Eucharist, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle B liturgical readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 10, 2009: Acts 9:26-31; Ps 22; 1 Jn 3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

The Trinity In Theology And Philosophy: Why Jerusalem Should Work With Athens, Alan G. Padgett

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Art Of Trinitarian Articulation: A Case Study On Richard Of St. Victor's _De Trinitate_, Todd D. Vasquez

Dissertations

Richard of Saint Victor deliberately constructs his treatise De Trinitate with trinitarian structures to sustain the hearts and shape the minds of his readers with the contemplation of the Trinity. His work fits within a genre of writing in the Middle Ages where the formation of the theological apprentice was at the heart of crafting one’s theological work. The dissertation consists of three sections: Section I, “Introduction & Background,” establishes the context for the thesis. Chapter one fits Richard’s De Trinitate within the theological heritage of Augustine and Anselm of Canterbury. Chapter two describes aspects of the liturgical and educational …

God, The Trinity, And Adventism: An Introduction To The Issues, Denis Fortin

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Receiver, Bearer, And Giver Of God's Spirit-Jesus' Life And Mission In The Spirit As A Ground For Understanding Christology, Trinity, And Proclamation, Leopoldo Sanchez

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

In this project, I assess the usefulness of a Spirit-christology for reflection on Jesus’ perennial question, "But who do you say that I am?" (Mt. 16:15), and its implications for christology itself, trinitarian theology, and the proclamation of Jesus' story.1 I argue that reading the life and mission of Jesus as receiver, bearer, and giver of God's Spirit—i.e., a"Spirit-christology"2 —invigorates and complements classic Logos-oriented approaches to christology, Trinity, and proclamation.

Like many proposals in systematic theology, mine has both critical and constructive tasks. Critically, I investigate some reasons for the partial eclipse of the place of the Holy Spirit in …

The Adventist Trinity Debate - Part 1: Historical Overview, Jerry Moon

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Trinitarian Pneumatology In The New Testament?: Towards An Explanation Of The Worship Of Jesus, Max Turner

ATS Chapel Services

No abstract provided.

Tritheism And Divine Person As Center Of Consciousness With A Comparative Appraisal Of Jürgen Moltmann And William Hill As Test Cases., Byunghoon Kim

CTS PhD Doctoral Dissertations

Together with the retrieval of the doctrine of the Trinity in the latter half of the twentieth century, a controversy over tritheism took place centering around the notion of divine persons as centers of consciousness. Since Barth, the theological landscape has been divided into opponents and supporters of the notion of divine persons as centers of consciousness. Opponents charge supporters with tritheism; supporters accuse opponents of modalism. The reciprocal criticism demands that we re-examine tritheism and modalism. The task that this dissertation chooses is that of understanding tritheism. The dissertation intends to accomplish three things: (1) to suggest a definition …

A Trinitarian Revisioning Of The Wesleyan Doctrine Of Christian Perfection, Glen Ashley O'Brien

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Work Of The Holy Spirit In Light Of John 14-16, Glenn Nielsen

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The paper is thus quite helpful, for now my personal question is answered. No, I am not missing out on anything of the Spirit. My relationship with Christ assures me of that. It also answers the more academic inquiry, which produces the thesis of this study: the work of the Holy Spirit is exclusively and continually Christological. Or, as Frederick Bruner says, commenting on the title of his book, The Holy Spirit: Shy Member of the Trinity,

What I mean here by shyness is not the shyness of timidity(cf. 2 Tim. 1:7), but the shyness of deference, the shyness of …

The Soteriological Approach To Christian Doctrine., F. E. Mayer

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Lutheran Confessions present all Christian doctrine from the soteriological standpoint, that is, from the meaning each has for our salvation. Each and every doctrine of Christian revelation must be viewed in actu, not only in statu; it must be within the focus of a real spiritual problem and be presented only in its soteriological significance.