Divine Freedom and the Doctrine of the Immanent Trinity - Softcover

Molnar, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0567041344 ISBN 13: 9780567041340

Publisher: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2005

Synopsis

In this book Paul Molnar seeks to set out a contemporary doctrine of the immanent Trinity and to address the issue of how we can know God according to his true nature rather than create him in our own image. It is Paul Molnar's contention that any theology that starts with self-transcendence and not explicitly with God's self-revelation through his Word will result in a flawed perception of both divine and human freedom. He holds that while God is and remains incomprehensible even in his revelation, he can be known as a very definite object in faith and by grace. A sound doctrine of the immanent Trinity recognizes the freedom of God as the basis of our own human freedom and upholds God's distinction from his creation, thus avoiding the theological pitfalls of agnosticism, monism and dualism.

'Molnar sets out to place the doctrine of the immanent Trinity firmly back on the agenda of the Christian doctrine of God, and does so to considerable effect. In conversation not only with Barth but with many contemporary proposals in trinitarian theology, he makes a persuasive case for the centrality of the doctrine and against the perils that attend its neglect. This is an essay in Christian dogmatics of a high order, learned, intellectually powerful and spiritually engaged; it deserves to be widely read and discussed. ' John Webster, Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, University of Oxford

About this title

About the Author

Paul D. Molnar is Professor of Systematic Theology at St. John's University, New York.

Review

"Molnar sets out to place the doctrine of the immanent Trinity firmly back on the agenda of the Christian doctrine of God, and does so to considerable effect. In conversation not only with Barth but with many contemporary proposals in trinitarian theology, he makes a persuasive argument for the centrality of the doctrine and against the perils that attend its neglect. This is an essay in Christian dogmatics of a high order, learned, intellectually powerful and spiritually engaged; it deserves to be widely read and discussed." (John Webster, Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, University of Oxford)

"Although trinitarian doctrine has enjoyed great attention in recent theology, not all of it has been as careful or considered as one might hope. Now by drawing upon classical theologians like Barth, Aquinas and Torrance, who are deployed in an outstanding way, Paul Molnar separates the wheat from the chaff. Masterful, fully documented and trenchant, the result is perhaps the most important work on the Trinity to appear in the last 20 years." — George Hunsinger, Princeton Theological Seminary

'This is a scholarly work of great depth and thorough research, in a complex and detailed subject ... This book will be of great worth to any reader wishing to develop a richer understanding of the Trinity, not least because of its depth of research and the interaction with Barth and many other theologians.'J. P. Mackenzie, European Journal of Theology, 2007

mention in Bulletin de Theologie Dogamtique, Revue des Sciences Philosophiques et Theologiques, 2008

"Molnar sets out to place the doctrine of the immanent Trinity firmly back on the agenda of the Christian doctrine of God, and does so to considerable effect. In conversation not only with Barth but with many contemporary proposals in trinitarian theology, he makes a persuasive argument for the centrality of the doctrine and against the perils that attend its neglect. This is an essay in Christian dogmatics of a high order, learned, intellectually powerful and spiritually engaged; it deserves to be widely read and discussed." (Sanford Lakoff)

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury T&T Clark
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0567041344
• ISBN 13: 9780567041340
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 384