Dale Tuggy (PhD Brown 2000) was Professor of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Fredonia from 2000-2018. He now works outside of academia in Middle Tennessee but continues to learn and podcast.
In Part 1 I explained how vague it is to say that there are three divine Persons “in” God. In Part 2, I described some different things one might mean by “Persons”. In this third part, I’ll explain some of many things it might mean to say that the three persons are one “substance” (Greek: ousia, Latin: substantia). But before I do that, it is… Read More »“the” Trinity doctrine – Part 3
I have a hard time taking stuff like this seriously. No doubt they think they’re striking a blow for women’s rights or status or both. But I will say this: isn’t God related to us more like an ideal human father, than like an ideal human mother? For one thing, we have a physical, bodily bond with our mothers. And isn’t it odd to address… Read More »Linkage: Trinity updated by PCUSA: Mother, Child, & Womb
Faithful readers: Please share your favorite quotes relating to the Trinity with the rest of us! They can be pro- or con-, insightful or silly. Classic, or recent. Everyone together now: Cut… Paste…
There’s a standard answer to the question posed at the end of the last post: the doctrine of the Trinity is the claim that the Christian God is three “persons” (Greek: hypostases, Latin: personae) in one “essence” or “being” (Greek: ousia, Latin: substantia). Case closed, right? How I wish! Again, ambiguities abound. Take “persons”. Ordinarily, a “person” is a kind of thing (individual entity). You’re… Read More »“the” Trinity doctrine – Part 2
The traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity is commonly expressed as the claim that the one God “exists as” Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, or as the claim that there are three divine persons “in” God, or as the claim that God “exists in three Persons”. I have to say: this drives me nuts. The “exists as” formula strongly suggests modalism, the idea that Father,… Read More »“the” Trinity doctrine – Part 1
Hello, and welcome! This is a blog about doctrines of the Trinity. Yes, there’s more than one such doctrine, as we’ll see. See here for more about this blog, and about me. Please be patient – this is my first blog, and I’ll probably be tweaking things for awhile!