of the Trinity as a whole seeks to conceptualize what is perceived of God in Jesus Christ.38 The economic Trinity conceptualizes the experience of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in history, in God’s economy of salvation. The immanent Trinity is a theory “about the eternal ground and intrinsic structure”39 of the economic Trinity. It conceptualizes the eternal being of God; what must be presupposed in light of what is experienced in the economic Trinity. Following Karl Barth and others, one can say that in the economic Trinity the immanent Trinity “reiterates,”40 repeats, or further expresses itself in time and space. In this repetition, the unity of the economic and immanent Trinity is maintained. The goodness of God proclaimed and enacted by Jesus is the same as is shared and celebrated within the immanent Trinity, only now expressed in history. Conversely, this further communication of God’s goodness in time and space is new and different in its form, as it happens now in history, in the context of a fundamentally good creation distorted by sin. It also makes a difference to God as it brings into being an additional reality that did not exist before: the reign of God. As it does this it brings a relative but still real increase to God’s being. To conceptualize this we begin by sketching an understanding of the immanent Trinity.
The Immanent Trinity
The centrality of God’s goodness in the preaching and practice of Jesus suggests that it be taken as the primary divine attribute. This goodness, God’s agape or self-giving love, is also beautiful, so that one can speak of God’s goodness and beauty together. Following Bonaventure one can take the self-diffusive goodness of God as a key to understanding God’s Trinitarian being. Intrinsic to God’s goodness and beauty is a disposition, an energy and tendency, to further communicate itself. This disposition is fulfilled in the life of the immanent Trinity. It is actualized eternally through the free and creative assent of the first “person”41 of the Trinity.42 This assent is also key to understanding the Trinity. The self-diffusive energy of the divine goodness and beauty connects with a corresponding eros in the divine will for its further expression. This eros is not simply desire for something lacking, but also a productive will arising from joyful ecstasy in the divine goodness.43 At this point this eros is partly a desire for something lacking, for the self-diffusive nature of the divine goodness would not be fulfilled if it did not find eternal expression in the immanent Trinity. This rejoicing in divine goodness, assent to its further expression, and the actualization of it are characteristic of the divine life.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
