Traces of the Trinity (Paperback)

Andrew Robinson

ISBN 10: 0227174437 / ISBN 13: 9780227174432

Published by James Clarke & Co Ltd, Cambridge, 2014

About this Item

Paperback. The essential argument of this new work by Andrew Robinson is that we live, move and have our being within a sea of signs, but that we are largely unaware of this for most of the time. When the structure of these signs is analysed it turns out to rest on three recurring 'elemental grounds', which the author calls Quality, Otherness and Mediation. The kaleidoscopic, ramifying patterns of Quality, Otherness and Meditation which underpin representations and interpretations at every level and dimension of the processes of signification offer a model of the dynamic mutual indwelling of the Father, Son and Spirit within the eternal life of the Trinity.This 'semiotic model' of the Trinity would be of rather limited interest in itself unless it can also illuminate other areas of Christian theology. Robinson suggests that the model leads to a helpful way of understanding how the entirely human person Jesus of Nazareth may be understood to have been the full and perfect embodiment (representation) of the quality of God's being. This in turn helps us to understand how the processes of representation and interpretation enable us to be drawn into the very life of God. This has practical implications for the church and for the individual lives of Christian believers. It also offers, via a re-articulation of the neglected concept of vestiges of the Trinity in creation, a form of 'spirituality of the everyday'. A valuable contribution to the field of trinitarian theology, this book examines the nature of the Trinity and its significance to the believing Christian through the concepts and methods of semiotics. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780227174432

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Traces of the Trinity (Paperback)
• Publisher: James Clarke & Co Ltd, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0227174437
• ISBN 13: 9780227174432
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Traces of the Trinity is a masterful exploration of Christian theology through the lens of semiotics - the study of signs. Andrew Robinson provides helpful analogies and clear explanations throughout to lead even the non-specialist through the subject with ease. 

    Although the variety of signs is endless, all signs and sign-interpretations have the same basic structure: sign, object and interpretation. Further, Robinson shows how this triad rests upon the existence of three 'elemental grounds': Quality, Otherness and Mediation. He proceeds to develop a highly original 'semiotic model' of the Trinity, illuminating and integrating key areas of Christian thought: creation, incarnation and atonement; the roles of baptism and the Eucharist; the nature of the church and the basis of participation in the divine life.

    Robinson makes belief in the Trinity relevant to ordinary, everyday experience, and challenges the church to recognize the implications for its calling to be transformative, truthful and inclusive. 

About the Author

Dr Andrew Robinson is Honorary University Fellow in Theology at the University of Exeter. He is the author of 'God and the World of Signs: Trinity, Evolution and the Metaphysical Semiotics of C.S. Peirce.' and editor of 'Darwinism and Natural Theology: Evolving Perspectives.' In 2011 he was elected to membership of the International Society for Science and Religion in recognition of his work on the application of semiotics to Christian theology. In parallel with his theological work he continues to practice medicine in Newton Abbot, Devon.