Tag Archives: trinitarian theology

St Basil the Great: Homily on the Beginning of the Gospel of John

Posted on 6 January 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This one was in the beginning with God. (Jn 1:1-2) John 1:1-2 was a favorite text of St Basil the Great. He addresses … 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 →

Posted in Holy Trinity | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 58 Comments

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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William Hasker, Orthodoxy, and the Social Trinity

Posted on 16 February 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

When I was in seminary, I read Leonard Hodgson’s book The Doctrine of the Trinity. Hodgson was a pioneer in what has come to be known as the social model of the Trinity. I no longer own my copy of … Continue reading →

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Can Analytic Philosophers Fix the Doctrine of the Trinity?

Posted on 25 January 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Bloggers live to be read; but when another blogger actually writes an article in response to something one has published … well … that is cyberheaven. It’s like one’s very existence has been validated. So when Dale Tuggy responded to … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophical Theology | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

St Basil the Great: Homily Against the Sabellians et Alios (part 3)

Posted on 17 January 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Having spent half of his homily addressing the two defining trinitarian heresies, Sabellianism and Heterousianism, St Basil knows it’s time to change topics.  The tell-tale signs are universal and timeless: people start fidgeting, they walk around and gossip with their … Continue reading →

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St Basil the Great: Homily Against the Sabellians et Alios (part 2)

Posted on 15 January 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Against both the Sabellians and the Anomoians, St Basil of Caesarea invokes the testimony of the Gospel of John. Against the Sabellians, he cites verses that state the distinctive identity of the Son: “The Word was with God and the … Continue reading →

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St Basil the Great: Homily Against the Sabellians et Alios (part 1)

Posted on 13 January 2014 by Fr Aidan Kimel

While the tendency today is to minimize the importance of doctrine, this was not how the fourth century Christians saw the matter. They knew that their debates about God, as bitter and controversial as they were, cut to the heart … Continue reading →

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