The terms 'transcendence' and 'immanence' are often used casually and as self-evident. The spatial imagery contained in their meaning determines the way they are understood and used: as opposites, like 'there' and 'here'. As a consequence, the two concepts are seen as mutually exclusive when applied to God's being and to his activity and presence in our world and in our history. This view on the relationship between God and world is characteristic not only of deism and pantheism, but also (...) of theism. However, in the view of Thomas Aquinas, such an opposition cannot adequately capture the central tenets of the Christian faith. This book explores Aquinas' thought on transcendence and immanence in his discussions of creation, analogy, the Trinity, grace and Christ, and offers interpretations in which God's transcendence and his immanence do not exclude but imply one another. >br/>The papers contained in this volume were originally presented at the third international conference of the Thomas Instituut at Utrecht in 2005. (shrink)

When the author was asked to present his discipline against the background of Ratzingers Einführung in das Christentum , he was surprised to discover some important difference between this book and his own introductory course. The cardinal remarks in his new introduction that he still thinks that the basic ideas of the Einführung are correct, namely the attention to the question about God and Christ. The analysis of the Einführung concentrates on how Ratzinger poses that question about God. Again and (...) again, it appears that Ratzingers does not discusses that question in a fully trinitairian way, but rather deals with this central question in a way that is influenced by the neo-scholastic manuals of the pre-conciliar period, by the treatise De Deo Uno. This locates this book firmly in the period of origin. It is amazing, though, that in the new introduction the cardinal does not pay any attention to the remarkable recent renaissance of the theology of the Trinity and the influence the central insights of that reniaissance have on the question about God, not just for the discussion about God inside Christianity but also for the interreligious dialogue. (shrink)

In this reconstruction of the recent renaissance of the theology of the Trinity, the starting point is Rahner’s influential contribution in Mysterium Salutis. Rahner diagnoses how the isolation of this central topic from the rest of theology and spirituality occurred and proposes a therapy with the axiom ‘the economic Trinity is the immanent Trinity and vice versa’. Generally speaking, one can observe a consensus with regard to both diagnosis and therapy. But there are also discussions about the negative evaluation of (...) the western tradition and about the precise meaning of the axiom, especially about the importance and need of the ‘immanent’ Trinity. With regard to the therapy one can notice an almost exclusive concentration on the life, death and resurrection of Christ as the basis for a reflection on the Trinity. The recent development of the Spirit-christology seems to meet the criticism that the Spirit is forgotten. But more attention to the theology of the Spirit is required to overcome the limitations that in fact are put on the therapy. (shrink)

One of the treasures of Thomas’ theology of the Trinity is his attention to the mission of the Spirit, to the gift of the Spirit. In this slightly modified version of the 2016 Aquinas Lecture Oxford, three texts are read that show the richness of his attention to the Spirit and that show, too, that often repeated criticism that Thomas forgets the Spirit is incorrect. First, Thomas’ remark that the knowledge of the divine persons is necessary for a correct understanding (...) of creation and salvation. Second, his commentary on the opening verse of ps 50,. Third, two articles on the mission of the Spirit. (shrink)

Does John Henri Newman also suffer from the ‘anti-trinitarian fearfulness’ Karl Rahner sees as a characteristic feature of western theology? Rahner refers with that disqualification to a tendency in theology to prefer the gifts of the Spirit to the gift of the Spirit and to the metaphorical interpretation of texts about indwelling. Two texts by Newman are analysed: a Pentecost sermon on indwelling and his Lectures on Justification. In the sermon there is no sign of that anti-trinitarian fearfulness. But since (...) that sermon could be viewed as an occasional piece, the more wide ranging Lectures are also analysed. In these Lectures Newman argues that both the protestant and catholic theologians are too quickly satisfied in their discussions of justification, since they are pointing either to faith or to spiritual renovation, since they take not into consideration the basis of both faith and renovation: the presence of the Spirit. Moreover, he argues explicitly for a literal understanding of the biblical text about indwelling. Newman is often seen as the invisible peritus of the Second Vatican Council. On the basis of the texts analysed one can argue that he can be considered a forerunner for the current renaissance of the theology of the Trinity as well, be it that more research needs to be done to give this conclusion a broader basis. (shrink)

Whether art is to be considered a proper locus theologicus, and if so, how is the question that guides an exploration of the interaction between art and theology on the theme of Christ’s descent into hell. For the exploration the difference in the way the descent is represented in East and West is relevant, since in the East this episode of the passion of Christ has developed into the representation of the resurrection. How is this development to be evaluated theologically? (...) As representative of the Western theology Thomas Aquinas is used. An analysis of two texts shows that he does not only consider the descent into hell a christological, but also a soteriological event and even primarily so and that, although his views have not changed over the years, the argumentation for these views has. The interaction between theology and art reveals that the various types in the East embody different theological insights and problems, while the interaction between art and theology reveal the importance of the nexus mysteriorum. (shrink)

ZusammenfassungMein kurzer Beitrag besteht darin, zwei Texte Luthers auszulegen, die in Bayers Buch eine wichtige Rolle spielen, besonders dort, wo die Trinitätstheologie verhandelt wird: den Hymnus »Nun freut euch lieben Christen g'mein« und einen Abschnitt aus dem Großen Katechismus . Bayer benutzt in seiner Analyse des Hymnus zwei Gegensätze, die Luthers neue Einsicht erhellen sollen: der eine betrifft das motivum incarnationis, der andere die Trinitätstheologie. Aufgrund von neueren Forschungen zu Thomas von Aquin und vor dem Hintergrund neuerer Entwicklungen in der (...) Trinitätstheologie müssen diese Gegensätze eine nuanciertere Betrachtung erfahren. Bayers Auslegung des Abschnittes des Großen Katechismus übersieht die Unterscheidung, die Luther zwischen wahren und falschen Christen macht. Wegen seiner starken, beinahe ausschließlichen Betonung der Rolle Jesu Christi übersieht er zudem, dass Luther eindeutig die Wichtigkeit der Rolle des Geistes anerkennt.SummaryMy short contribution is a reading of two texts by Luther that play an important role in Bayers book, especially where the theology of the Trinity is concerned: the hymn »Nun freut euch lieben Christen g'mein« and a passage from the Great Catechism . Bayer, in his analysis of the hymn uses two contrasts that should highlight the new insights of Luther: one is concerned with the motivum incarnationis, the other with the theology of the Trinity. On the basis of research in Aquinas and recent developments in the theology of the Trinity these contrasts need to be nuanced. Bayers interpretation of the passage from the Great Catechism overlooks the distinction Luther makes between true and false Christians and because of his strong and almost exclusive emphasis on the role of Jesus Christ overlooks that Luther acknowledges clearly the importance of the role of the Spirit. (shrink)