The Trinity Rediscovering the Central Christian Mystery

by Farrelly, John M., O.S.B.

• ISBN13: 9780742532250
• ISBN10: 0742532259
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-01-04
• Publisher: Sheed & Ward

Summary

The mystery of the Trinity is the central Christian belief that defines God's essence, God's ongoing love for humanity, and saving grace. Yet, over the past few centuries, especially in the West, Christians have either ceased believing in the Trinity or simply no longer recognize its relevance in their ecclesial or individual lives. Written in an ecumenical spirit that engages contemporary questions and theological viewpoints, The Trinity: Rediscovering the Central Christian Mystery articulates the mystery of the Trinity for people formed by modern historical consciousness, science, awareness of the equal dignity of men and women, and respect for world religions. By first identifying contemporary problems with the Christian proclamation of the Trinity in our culture and major differences among modern theologians, John Farrelly, OSB, explores Scripture, the life and message of Jesus Christ, the various stages of the development of Trinitarian doctrine in Christian History, the relation of the Trinity to creation and salvation, the generation of the Son from the Father within the Trinity and the procession of the Holy Spirit from Father and Son, and the meaning of three persons in one God. He concludes by reflecting on the implications this renewed theology of the Trinity has for ecclesiology and Christian spirituality in our twenty-first century world, especially in relation to other world religions.

Author Biography

M. John Farrelly is retired professor of theology at De Sales School of Theology, Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Abbreviations	xvii
Chapter 1 The Trinity: The Theological Problematic	1	(30)
I. A Sketch of the Development of the Doctrine of the Trinity	3	(5)
II. Some Earlier Twentieth-Century Theological Reflections on the Trinity	8	(5)
III. Some Later Theological Reflections on the Trinity	13	(18)
Chapter 2 Scripture and the Roots of Christian Belief in the Trinity	31	(38)
I. The Old Testament and Preparation for the Trinitarian Mystery	32	(8)
II. The Ministry of Jesus and the Mystery of the Trinity	40	(4)
III. The Developing Trinitarian Belief of the Apostolic Age	44	(25)
Chapter 3 Soundings in the History of Christian Reflection on the Trinity: To Constantinople I (381)	69	(26)
I. Theological Development before the Fourth Century	72	(7)
II. The Arian Crisis and Its Aftermath (315-381)	79	(16)
Chapter 4 Later Soundings: The Fifth to the Nineteenth Century	95	(30)
I. Major Reflections on the Trinity from Augustine through the Council of Florence (1439)	95	(15)
II. Some Reflections on the Trinity from the Protestant Reformation to the Nineteenth Century	110	(15)
Chapter 5 The Trinity's Relation to the Orders of Salvation and Creation	125	(36)
I. The Relation of the Trinity to the Order of Salvation	129	(10)
II. The Relation of the Trinity to Creation	139	(22)
Chapter 6 The Father's Generation of the Son	161	(30)
I. Our Intellectual Knowledge as Analogue for the Father's Generation of the Son	165	(5)
II. A Modification of Thomas's Theology of the Father's Saying of the Word	170	(7)
III. The Critique of the Father-Son Relationship as Patriarchal	177	(14)
Chapter 7 The Procession of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity	191	(28)
I. A Theology of the Holy Spirit in the Economy of Salvation and Creation	193	(8)
II. The Holy Spirit within the Trinity	201	(18)
Chapter 8 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as Three Relational Persons in One Being	219	(32)
I. The Patristic Development of Understanding of the Trinity as Three Persons	221	(5)
II. Thomas Aquinas's Theology of the Three Divine Persons	226	(11)
III. A Modern Sense of Person and the Mystery of the Trinity	237	(14)
Chapter 9 A Trinitarian Spirituality	251	(40)
I. The Trinity's Saving Presence to Us through the Church	252	(11)
II. The Trinity Indwelling the Graced Human Person	263	(7)
III. A Trinitarian Spirituality for the Twenty-First Century	270	(21)
Bibliographical Essays	291	(6)
Index	297	(10)
About the Author	307