The Doctrine of Trinity and its Implications for Contemporary African Society

2021 ◽  
pp. 70-84
Author(s):  
ISAAC BOATENG
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
African Society ◽  
Proper Understanding ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
African Worldview ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Historical Theology

The doctrine of Trinity is key to human understanding of the character and nature of God. A proper understanding of this doctrine has the potential of deepening one’s rela-tionship with God and with other human beings. This doctrine embodies the biblical sto-ry and also informs Christian soteriology. In spite of its relevance, the doctrine of Trini-ty remains one of the most complex and misunderstood doctrines in Christianity. The challenge is how to reconcile the affirmation that “there are three distinctly fully divine Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)” with the fact that “there is only one true God.” The paper briefly examines this doctrine from the perspective of biblical and historical theology and explores how its teaching should inform relationships within the African society. This is a literature-based study that uses data from books, theses, journal arti-cles, Bible commentaries, among others as its sources. The methodology used comprises qualitative analysis of biblical data on the subject of Trinity and the African worldview of human society. The study revealed that the divine Trinity underscores unity in diver-sity and therefore that contradicts any form of egotistic individualism that leads to the destruction of communion and of life. Therefore, Christians must develop and promote a communal worldview of life through an appreciation of their diversity. The main con-clusion is that human society will be improved if people appreciate human diversity and then learn to live in peace and harmony in spite of their differences. The paper contrib-utes to scholarship by contextualizing the doctrine of the Trinity for the needs of the Af-rican society which shows diverse cultural traditions.

scholarly journals The Doctrine of Trinity and its Implications for Contemporary African Society

2021 ◽  
pp. 70-84
Author(s):  
ISAAC BOAHENG
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
African Society ◽  
Proper Understanding ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
African Worldview ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Historical Theology

The doctrine of Trinity is key to human understanding of the character and nature of God. A proper understanding of this doctrine has the potential of deepening one’s rela-tionship with God and with other human beings. This doctrine embodies the biblical sto-ry and also informs Christian soteriology. In spite of its relevance, the doctrine of Trini-ty remains one of the most complex and misunderstood doctrines in Christianity. The challenge is how to reconcile the affirmation that “there are three distinctly fully divine Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)” with the fact that “there is only one true God.” The paper briefly examines this doctrine from the perspective of biblical and historical theology and explores how its teaching should inform relationships within the African society. This is a literature-based study that uses data from books, theses, journal arti-cles, Bible commentaries, among others as its sources. The methodology used comprises qualitative analysis of biblical data on the subject of Trinity and the African worldview of human society. The study revealed that the divine Trinity underscores unity in diver-sity and therefore that contradicts any form of egotistic individualism that leads to the destruction of communion and of life. Therefore, Christians must develop and promote a communal worldview of life through an appreciation of their diversity. The main con-clusion is that human society will be improved if people appreciate human diversity and then learn to live in peace and harmony in spite of their differences. The paper contrib-utes to scholarship by contextualizing the doctrine of the Trinity for the needs of the Af-rican society which shows diverse cultural traditions.

The Holy Spirit in Greek Patristic Thought

1954 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Mcintyre
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Fourth Century ◽  
Holy Trinity ◽  
Generic Term ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
Proper Name ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Church

The subject of this paper abounds in historical problems of an extremely intricate nature—some of which arise through the theologically close association of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit with the doctrine of the Holy Trinity; but others of which are rooted in a number of more particular controversies in which the Greek Fathers were involved concerning the Holy Spirit. Among the latter are to be found such questions as the precise identification of the persons against whom many of the Greek writings were directed, for example, who the ‘Tropici’ were, with whom Athanasius deals in the Letters to Serapion, whether ‘Pneumatomachi’ was a generic term used to describe a variety of different heretics, or a proper name referring to an identifiable group existing in one particular place, whether Macedonius was a Macedonian, and so on. Included in the intricate historical problems raised in our period, there is that of accounting for the revival towards the middle of the fourth century of an interest in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit— whether it was due to the developing influence of asceticism, or simply a reaction to a latter-day Arianism working itself out belatedly in heresy concerning the Holy Spirit, or more subtly, whether it was due to a necessity felt by the Church to give substance to the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, now that the doctrine of the Trinity had replaced the doctrine of the Logos as her central and dominant doctrine.

‘Another Puzzle is . . . the Holy Spirit’:De Trinitateas Augustine's Pneumatology

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Najeeb Awad
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Written Discourse ◽  
De Trinitate ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Trinity

AbstractIn their study of Augustine'sDe Trinitate, scholars read the fifteen books which comprise this text as a monolithically written discourse on the doctrine of the Trinity. This article is an attempt to examine if it is possible to argue on tenable bases that pneumatology, rather than any other doctrine, is the subject of Augustine's text by showing that the interpretation of the identity and consubstantiality of the Spirit occupies inDe Trinitatea more foundational and central place than just being part of Augustine's discussion on the doctrine of the Trinity. It ultimately suggests that freeing Augustine's text from diachronic prejudices means also wondering if he really wanted to write an additional version of the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity which he already followed, or whether he wanted to contribute something new about a relatively neglected doctrine in the faith of the church.

The Spirit

2019 ◽  
pp. 293-308
Author(s):  
Wolf Krötke
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Karl Barth ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
The One ◽  
Bear Witness ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Trinity

This chapter presents Barth’s understanding of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Jesus Christ. It demonstrates the way in which Barth’s pneumatology is anchored in his doctrine of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit is understood as the Spirit of the Father and of the Son, the One whose essence is love. But Barth can also speak of the Holy Spirit in such a way that it seems as if the Holy Spirit is identical to the work of the risen Jesus Christ and his ‘prophetic’ work. The reception of the pneumatology of Karl Barth thus confronts the task of relating these dimensions of Barth’s understanding of the Holy Spirit so that the Spirit’s distinct work is preserved. For Barth, this work consists in enabling human beings to respond in faith, with their human possibilities and their freedom, to God’s reconciliation in Jesus Christ. In this faith, the Holy Spirit incorporates human beings into the community of Jesus Christ—the community participates in the reconciling work of God in order to bear witness to God’s work to human beings, all of whom have been elected to ‘partnership’ with God. Barth also understood the ‘solidarity’ of the community with, and the advocacy of the community for, the non-believing world to be a nota ecclesiae (mark of the church). Further, to live from the Holy Spirit, according to Barth, is only possible in praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

scholarly journals An African Interpretation of Paul’s Understanding of The Holy Spirit

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (32) ◽  
pp. 426
Author(s):  
David T. Ejenobo
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Proper Understanding ◽  
Critical Method ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
God The Father ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Trinity

The doctrine of the trinity has generated a lot of controversies down the centuries among New Testament scholars. The problem generated by scholars to dissect the Personhood of God has resulted in various shades of interpretations on the relationship between God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is against this background that this paper seeks to examine Paul’s understanding of the Holy Spirit viewed against the backdrop of the doctrine of the Trinity. This study adopted the textual critical method to examine the various nuances of Paul’s allusion to the Holy Spirit with a view to situating them within a proper understanding of the concept of the trinity. The author discovered that for Paul there is no personality distinction between God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, since man encounters these “persons” in the spiritual realm. Applying the hermeneutical method of contextual interpretation, the author is of the opinion that for the African, conceptualizing God within the realm of the Spirithood of God would be a more practical way of describing the activities of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit than the Western conceptualization of the Three Persons in on Godhead.

scholarly journals Allah Trinitaris Dalam Refleksi John Zizioulas

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-241
Author(s):  
Yap Fu Lan
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Eternal Life ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Authentic Identity ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
The Trinity

Abstrak: John Zizioulas merefleksikan kembali doktrin Allah Trinitaris dan mencoba mencari cara-cara baru menolong umat beriman zaman ini menemukan makna ajaran iman ini. Merujuk teologi para Bapa Gereja Kapadokia, Zizioulas mengajukan gambar Allah Trinitaris sebagai Pribadi yang berkomunitas. Pribadi memiliki tiga karakteristik: primer dan absolut, ekstasis dan hipostasis, unik dan tak tergantikan. Pribadi selalu bergerak ke luar dirinya, ke arah pribadi yang lain, maka ia menerima keberbedaan. Kehidupan dan identitas otentik pribadi ditemukan hanya di dalam komunitas yang dibangunnya bersama pribadi-pribadi yang lain. Gerak Pribadi Allah adalah eros, cinta yang merangkul pribadi-pribadi yang lain beserta keberbedaan mereka, yakni manusia dan segenap ciptaan. Berkomunitas dengan Allah dan segenap ciptaan, manusia melampaui substansi manusiawi dan kondisi naturalnya. Manusia tidak lagi menjadi milik kematian melainkan kehidupan kekal. Gereja adalah image Allah Trinitaris karena ia adalah komunitas pribadi-pribadi yang mengalami kelahiran baru oleh Roh Kudus di dalam peristiwa Kristus. Sebagai image Allah Trinitaris, cara Gereja hadir di dunia ialah dengan menjadi komunitas katolik dan ekaristis. Untuk menjadi komunitas katolik-ekaristis, pembaruan cara hidup, struktur hirarkis, dan pelayanan Gereja adalah sebuah kebutuhan. Kata-kata Kunci: pribadi, substansi, ekstasis-hipostasis, keberbedaan, identitas otentik, komunitas ekaristis, imago Dei/Trinitatis, eros. Abstract: John Zizioulas did his reflection on the doctrine of the Trinity in term to seek new ways that help the faithful to grasp the meaning of this teaching. Referring to the theology of Cappadocian Fathers, Zizioulas provides a picture of the Trinity as Persons within communion. A person has three primary characteristics: primary and absolute, ecstatic and hypostatic, unique and irreplaceable. A person always moves towards others, thus she/he embraces otherness. The very life and authentic identity of a person can be found only in communion with others. The Person of God moves as eros, God’s love which embraces the others and otherness, i.e. human beings and the rest of creation. Being in communion with God and all creations, human being overcomes the human substance and its nature. Human being no longer belongs to death but to eternal life. The church is an image of the Trinity for it is a communion of the new persons that were delivered by the Holy Spirit within the Christ event. As the image of the Trinity, the Church’s way of being in this world is by becoming a catholic and eucharistic community. To be such a community, the renewal of the Church’s way of life, hierarchical structure, and ministries is a necessity. Kata-kata Kunci: Person, substance, ecstatic-hypostatic, otherness, authentic identity, eucharistic community, image of God/image of the Trinity, eros.

scholarly journals O inferno. Questão ainda pertinente?

2020 ◽  
Vol 80 (315) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Antonio Alves de Melo
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
God's Will ◽  
The Past ◽  
Universal Salvation ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Rich

Por muito tempo a pregação em torno do inferno distorceu a compreensão e a vivência da fé, contribuindo assim para a pastoral do medo. Atualmente pesa quase um silêncio em torno do assunto. Não obstante os equívocos do passado apoiados na pastoral do medo, a questão não pode ser silenciada, embora não seja central no anúncio do Evangelho. As Sagradas Escrituras anunciam a vontade salvífica universal de Deus por meio de Jesus Cristo agindo no Espírito Santo, mas não escondem a misteriosa possibilidade de uma recusa por parte do ser humano. Na reflexão teológica foram influentes a apocatástase e a predestinação. O debate prossegue. A esperança de salvação para todos não pode fazer-nos fechar os olhos para aquelas pessoas e grupos humanos, especialmente ricos e poderosos, em cujo agir transparece uma íntima sintonia com o mistério da iniquidade e sua multiforme ação na história. O anúncio da esperança de uma salvação universal deve acontecer sempre em primeiro lugar, mas acompanhada do alerta em relação a uma entrega definitiva e total ao mistério da iniquidade, entrega que se inicia nas ações e decisões cotidianas.Abstract: For a long time the preaching about hell distorted the comprehension and the experience of the faith, thus contributing for a pastoral of fear. At present, there is almost silence around the subject. In spite of the mistakes of the past based on the pastoral of fear, the issue cannot be silenced, even if it is not central in the announcement of the Gospel. The Sacred Scriptures announce God’s will of universal salvation through Jesus Christ acting upon the Holy Spirit, but they do not hide the mysterious possibility of a refusal on the part of the human being. In the theological reflection the apocatastasis (the ultimate salvation of all human beings) and the predestination were influent. The debate continues. The hope of salvation for all cannot let us close our eyes to those people and human groups, especially the rich and powerful, whose actions show an intimate harmony with the mystery of the iniquity and its manifold action on history. The announcement of the hope in a universal salvation must always happen in the first place, but followed by a warning with regard to a definite and total surrender to the mystery of the iniquity, a surrender that begins in the everyday actions and decisions.Keywords: Salvation: Hell; Apocatastasis; Predestination; Hope.

Jalan Kesempurnaan Menurut Jamaah Insan Al-Kamil di Cijati Desa Cikareo Selatan Sumedang

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-37
Author(s):  
Syarifudin Syarifudin
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The Core ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Religious Sect ◽  
Descriptive Qualitative

Each religious sect has its own characteristics, whether fundamental, radical, or religious. One of them is Insan Al-Kamil Congregation, which is in Cijati, South Cikareo Village, Wado District, Sumedang Regency. This congregation is Sufism with the concept of self-purification as the subject of its teachings. So, the purpose of this study is to reveal how the origin of Insan Al-Kamil Congregation, the concept of its purification, and the procedures of achieving its purification. This research uses a descriptive qualitative method with a normative theological approach as the blade of analysis. In addition, the data generated is the result of observation, interviews, and document studies. From the collected data, Jamaah Insan Al-Kamil adheres to the core teachings of Islam and is the tenth regeneration of Islam Teachings, which refers to the Prophet Muhammad SAW. According to this congregation, self-perfection becomes an obligation that must be achieved by human beings in order to remember Allah when life is done. The process of self-purification is done when human beings still live in the world by knowing His God. Therefore, the peak of self-purification is called Insan Kamil. 

Panpsychism versus Panprotopsychism and the Subject-Summing Problem

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Goff
Keyword(s):  
Macro Level ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Combination Problem ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Russellian Monism ◽  
Nature Of Matter

This is the first of two chapters discussing the most notorious problem facing Russellian monism: the combination problem. This is actually a family of difficulties, each reflecting the challenge of how to make sense of everyday human and animal experience intelligibly arising from more fundamental conscious or protoconscious features of reality. Key challenges facing panpsychist and panpsychist forms of Russellian monism are considered. With respect to panprotopsychism, there is the worry that it collapses into noumenalism: the view that human beings, by their very nature, are unable to understand the concrete, categorical nature of matter. With respect to panpsychism, there is the subject-summing problem: the difficulty making sense of how micro-level conscious subjects combine to produce macro-level conscious subjects. A solution to the subject-summing problem is proposed, and it is ultimately argued that panpsychist forms of the Russellian monism are to be preferred on grounds of simplicity and elegance.

The Goodness of Home

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Marandiuc
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Theory ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
The Self ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Divine Love ◽  
Modern Life ◽  
Middle Term ◽  
Human Love ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Theological Argument

The question of what home means and how it relates to subjectivity has fresh urgency in light of pervasive contemporary migration, which ruptures the human self, and painful relational poverty, which characterizes much of modern life. Yet the Augustinian heritage that situates true home and right attachment outside this world has clouded theological conceptualizations of earthly belonging. This book engages this neglected topic and argues for the goodness of home, which it construes relationally rather than spatially. In dialogue with research in the neuroscience of attachment theory and contemporary constructions of the self, the book advances a theological argument for the function of love attachments as sources of subjectivity and enablers of human freedom. The book shows that paradoxically the depth of human belonging—thus, dependence—is directly proportional to the strength of human agency—hence, independence. Building on Søren Kierkegaard’s imagery alongside other sources, the book depicts human love as interwoven with the infinite streams of divine love, forming a sacramental site for God’s presence, and playing a constitutive role in the making of the self. The book portrays the self both as gifted from God in inchoate form and as engaged in continuous, albeit nonlinear becoming via experiences of human love. The Holy Spirit indwells the attachment space between human beings as a middle term preventing its implosion or dissolution and conferring a stability that befits the concept of home. The interstitial space between loving human persons subsists both anthropologically and pneumatologically and generates the self’s home.

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