Tag Archives: social trinity

Perichoretic Trinity in Transcendence

Posted on 3 September 2017 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Just how personal are the divine persons? We know that when the Eastern Church sought an appropriate vocabulary by which to distinguish the Father, Son, and Spirit from the divine substance, it finally settled on the impersonal word hypostasis, which … Continue reading →

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Christos Yannaras: The God who is Person & Love

Posted on 30 December 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

I had not planned to walk over to my bookshelf and pull out my unread copy of The Freedom of Morality. Christos Yannaras, through no fault of his own, simply was not on my must-read-in-the-next-decade list. So many books, not … Continue reading →

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Are Christians Polytheists?

Posted on 7 May 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

If Father, Son, and Spirit are each divine, then why are they not three gods? We are finally prepared to look more closely at St Gregory of Nyssa’s provocative answer in his Ad Ablabium. As we have seen, Gregory has … Continue reading →

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St Gregory of Nyssa: Perichoretic Trinity

Posted on 8 April 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

How do we know God as Holy Trinity? Through the contemplation of Holy Scripture. During the height of the fourth century trinitarian debates, neither Orthodox nor Arians thought they were expositing a metaphysical Deity apprehended by reason alone. All parties … Continue reading →

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Father, Son, Spirit as Divine Selves

Posted on 12 March 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

“Three selves, one being”—does it work as a trinitarian formula? Well, why not? It all depends on what we mean by the word “self.” Dale Tuggy defines self as a center of individual consciousness, volition, and agency—i.e., someone who is … Continue reading →

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What if God were to post a selfie: one “self” or three “selves”?

Posted on 11 March 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

The question may initially strike one as a tad odd—and not just because God doesn’t post on Facebook. The word “self” is not typically used to speak of the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Orthodox Christians … Continue reading →

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Do Unitarians Understand the Trinity?

Posted on 9 March 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

In 1819 William Ellery Channing delivered a homily that has since become famously known as the “Baltimore Sermon.” It is described by many as the most important address in the history of Unitarianism. What particularly interests me is Channing’s interpretation … Continue reading →

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William Hasker and Karen Kilby on the Social Trinity

Posted on 5 March 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

I promised two weeks ago to link to part 2 of Dale Tuggy’s interview with William Hasker: Note how Hasker stumbles when pressed on the difference between the social Trinity and three gods. There’s a problem here that is created … Continue reading →

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