Friedman’s book, Medieval Trinitarian Thought, is an
exceptionally accessible work discussing the complex issue of the Christian
concept of the Trinity. Many of the early heresies in the Christian Church
dealt with what was interpreted as false views on what the Trinity was. The
complexity of the Trinity is driven by the acceptance of Jesus as God but also
man and the incorporation of the Holy Spirit as a separate manifestation of
God. The former was a result of the acceptance of the four Gospels, especially
that of John and the latter the acceptance of the Acts of Paul. The complexity
was further complicated by the inclusion of Greek philosophical thought and
terms of philosophical understanding that became the tools to make this
interpretation.
It was left to Augustine to lay for the Western Church a
foundation that lasted almost a millennium until Aquinas delved into the
process again in the 13th Century. To some degree the development
ends as so many of these pursuits with Ockham. Ockham rejects the Academics and
states that one can accept the Trinity sola fide, on faith alone. It is
Ockham who introduces the concepts of Nominalism, the importance and
criticality of the individual, the ability to rely on faith, and of course his
accusation of heresy to the Pope in Avignon.
The Aquinas versus Ockham debate is first framed as the
Dominican versus Franciscan debate. In Chapter 1 the author in the clearest of
terms describes the debate. Here we have the Dominicans trying to rely on
Aristotelean constructs and speak of the Trinity as a familiar set of
relationships. The Franciscans take a more ethereal approach and lay out the emanation
approach. It is Ockham, a Franciscan, who takes the ultimate extreme of
rejecting both and stating that faith alone carries the day. This is a
brilliantly written Chapter, one of the best I have seen addressing this
debate. It may have been improved if it has a preface discussing Augustine a
bit more and also the early Church debates, but that in no way detracts from
the presentation.
Chapter 2 discusses the Psychological Model, or as the
author states on pp 50-51 that the Son is literally the Concept of the Father
and the Holy Spirit is the Love produced by the will shared by the Father and
the Son. The author clearly explains the evolution of this approach via John’s
Gospel and the use of the term logos. In Latin the term is verbum and yet there
may be a slight but material difference between the two terms. There is a brief
integration of the Augustine thought on this approach.
Chapter 3 discusses the Trinity and Metaphysical thought.
Chapter 4 is a key chapter; it introduces Ockham and sola fide. This is an
especially clear and well written presentation. The author examines Gilson, the
French Neo-Scholastic, and presents a well-structured Gilsonian analysis and
contrasts it to Ockham. Whereas Gilson is a Thomist, and Thomism has persevered
in classic Catholicism, the Ockham school does lend itself to a bifurcation of
Scholastic approach into one that faith exists and can play a vital role to
that attempt to use reason to explain all the nuances introduced in the New
Testament.
Overall I would highly recommend this exceptional book.
Although it deals with a highly complex and specialized issued, it does so
fairly and in a quite readable manner. It is not a classic heavy tome of Scholastic
formalism but a clearly articulated discussion of a core principle of Christin
belief.
Posts
