Divine Temporality, the Trinity, and the Charge of Arianism

Journal of Analytic Theology 4:267-290 (2016)
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Abstract

Divine temporality is all the rage in certain theological circles today. Some even suggesting that the doctrine of the Trinity entails divine temporality. While I find this claim a bit strong, I do think that divine temporality can be quite useful for developing a robust model of the Trinity. However, not everyone agrees with this. Paul Helm has offered an objection to the so-called Oxford school of divine temporality based on the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. He has argued that this form of divine temporality entails Arianism. In other words, divine temporality suffers from an inadequate doctrine of the Trinity. In this paper I shall first articulate the so-called Oxford school of divine temporality. From there I shall develop some of the Oxford school’s theological benefits that help flesh out the doctrine of the Trinity, and assuage the charge of Arianism. Then I shall offer an examination and refutation of the Arian charge to divine temporality in order to show that the divine temporalist can maintain a robust Trinitarian theology.

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Author's Profile

R. T. Mullins
Palm Beach Atlantic College

Citations of this work

Trinity.Dale Tuggy - 2010 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Hasker on the Divine Processions of the Trinitarian Persons.R. T. Mullins - 2017 - European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 9 (4):181-216.
The Classical Doctrine of the Eternal Processions and Creation ex nihilo.Andrew Hollingsworth - 2024 - Neue Zeitschrift für Systematicsche Theologie Und Religionsphilosophie 66 (1):5-24.

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