I recently received a friendly note from Daniel Eaton, head moderator at Theologica: a bible, theology, politics, news, networking, and discussion site. It seems they’ve set up a whole section devoted to Trinity discussions, here. Check it out.
Daniel sort of asks me a few questions:
…it would make an interesting discussion as to whether or not [...]
Philosophy Compass is a unique philosophy journal which only publishes survey articles, pieces which aim to summarize recent work. Its aim, as editor Brian Weatherson explains, is to enable people to keep up with a vast, overspecialized, fast-moving, and only somewhat accessible world of philosophical research.
What’s more exciting – they sell the pdfs of the [...]
Over at the Maverick Philosopher, Bill Vallicella and some others have been on a tear of philosophical theology, specifically on appeal to mysteries in theology, and on incarnation issues.
Here, atheist philosopher Peter Lupu mounts an argument against positive mysteriansism.
Bill asks: Does inconceivability entail impossibility. (No.) And: Whether Jesus exists necessarily? (No.)
In another post, Bill argues [...]
Thanks to Ed Feser for some interesting dialogue on the topic of mysteries in Christian theology. This post is just a bunch of miscellaneous responses to his thoughts posted last week, here and here.
As he mentioned, Ed and I knew each other briefly as students at what is now called Claremont Graduate University. I remember [...]
At his self-titled blog Edward Feser, the Catholic philosopher & popular author mounts a negative mysterian defense of the Trinity.
It’s worth a read. In my view, most of it is perfectly reasonable, but it goes wrong where he claims that the teaching of Christ as recording in the New Testament logically implies the creedal formulas [...]
In a well-argued recent guest post and follow up comment, Greg Spendlove argued that for all we know, there could be a property (feature) which is also a person / self / personal being.
As I explain in my comments there, I’m not convinced - I think we’re on firm ground to deny the alleged possibility, [...]
Some good stuff from philosophical theologian Paul Helm at his blog Helm’s Deep.
Among other things he criticizes this book by Alister McGrath.
My favorite quote:
…there is some confusion between affirming the logical consistency of the mysteries of the faith, and showing that they have not been proved to be inconsistent, and demonstrating their consistency.
Philosophical theologian Randal Rauser has been blogging as the Tentative Apologist. This year, for Christmas, he says he’s hoping for “a coherent account of the incarnation“. In other words, he wants a way of understanding the incarnation doctrine which is apparently consistent. Will he get it? Word has it that the elves are working overtime [...]
Kudos to the team at the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, for
their recent radical re-design, done by Josh D. May. Notable improvements include a nice print-friendly page feature, and the entries sorted by topic. Here are the Philosophy of Religion ones.
their new entry “Incarnation”, by University of Wisconsin Madison PhD David Werther, who teaches in their [...]
Little known fact: overwork causes one’s neck to become invisible!
After an embarrassing amount of time, I’ve finally finished my encyclopedia entry on the Trinity for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (as well as lengthy supplementary documents on the history of Trinity doctrines, Judaic and Islamic objections, and unitarianism).
Since I can’t thank them in the entry, [...]
STAGE 2. In this stage, Richard tries to show that perfect charity must be directed at another person. Here’s the quotation:
‘no one is properly said to have charity on the basis of his own private love of himself. And so it is necessary for love to be directed toward another for it to be charity’.
We seem to be a little short on eyes…
SvigeLand: Evangelical Modalism
I agree with him, but he doesn’t answer this hard question: Why are evangelicals modalists? Is it because of, or despite mainstream trinitarian doctrine, as taught in evangelical seminaries? I suspect the former…
Technorati Tags: modalism, Sabellianism, modalist
Congrats to trinities contributor Scott Williams on his new blog, aptly named Henry of Ghent, aka “The Solemn Doctor”. This is real scholarly stuff here, people – original translations and all. Check it out, and send the link to all your friends working in medieval theology and philosophy!
Yet more linkage: trinities posts on Henry.
And a [...]
Please, Mercury, do us all a favor and put on some pants!
Colin McGinn wonders, “Why are believers so convinced there is only one God?”
I didn’t find his discussion terribly insightful, but hit the comments link and follow the thread with commenter Theophilus.
This, I think, is a serious omission: that many philosophical theists have thought, [...]
My other blog gig is as the Theist on Objectivist v. Constructivist v. Theist. This blog was begun to post the newspaper columns (in our local paper) in which my collegues Bruce Simon (liberal, aka “Constructivist”) and Steve Kershnar (libertarian, aka “Objectivist”) debated points of politics and morality. When Bruce no longer had the time, [...]
“Oops… Sorry. Forgot that my name is too holy to be said, or even written. Boy, is my face red!”
As reported in Christianity Today, and in other places, the Catholic hierarchy is forbidding the liturgical use of “Yahweh” (YHWH, Yahveh, Jehovah). Why? Because Jews consider it improper, and we ought not offend needlessly.
On the face [...]
To readers who are recent PhDs in Philosophy, or who are finishing said PhD this academic year: here’s a great opportunity for you: the Young Philosophers Lecture Series.
To everyone else: check out the podcasts of the last round of winners, such is this popular talk by Joshua Thurow of Mount Marty College.
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Posted 20 August 2008
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I discuss mystery-epistemology and Bible interpretation with James and Andrew at City of God.
And Scott (previous trinities posts) goes to town on Augustine, Henry of Ghent, and John Duns Scotus at Per Caritatem, where they’re having a Augustine Blog Conference.
Technorati Tags: City of God, Augustine, Per Caritatem, mysteries, mysterian, mysterianism
Who’s up for a little trinitarian comedy?
Thanks to reader Mike K. for this hilarious link. They beat me to the punch – I’ve been sitting on a post for some time on this exact theme. (Stay tuned.)
I posted a comment asking about this bit:
It’s interesting to note that the English term “Trinitarian” was first used, [...]
Father, Son, Holy Spirit?
A professor friend emailed me recently:
I’ve lately been reading a book (at a student’s request) …a piece of bad Christian fiction called “The Shack” by William P. Young. … it might interest you in light of your trinitarian research. The persons of the Trinity make an appearance in the story: God [...]
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