The mystery of the triune God

196 Pages·1990·10.174 MB·English

by  O’Donnell, John Joseph

JOHN J. O’DONNELL
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To my mother, sister and brother,
my first family of faith
in the triune God
The Mystery
of the
Triune God
JohnJ. O'Donnell
^ I
Paulist Press
New York/Mahwah
,
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031
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First published in Great Britain by Sheed & Ward Ltd.
Copyright © 1989 by
John J. O'Donnell, SJ
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo¬
copying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system
without permission in writing from the Publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
O’Donnell, John J. (John Joseph), 1944-
The mystery of the triune God / by John J. O’Donnell,
p. cm.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-8091-3112-9
1. Trinity 2. Catholic Church—Doctrines. I. Title.
BT111.2.036 1990
231'.044—dc20 89-32894
CIP
Published by Paulist Press
997 Macarthur Boulevard
Mahwah, New Jersey 07430
Printed and bound in the
United States of America
rfv li*
Contents
Page
preface vii
Chapter I The Dilemma of Contemporary Thinking
About God i
The Antinomy of Theism 2
Antinomy of the Classical Idea of God in
Modern Philosophy 7
The Antinomies of Atheism 11
Conclusion 15
Chapter II Revelation and Trinity 17
The New Direction of Barthian Theology 18
God’s Real Relation to the World 24
God as Giver, Gift and Ground of
Acceptance of the Gift 27
The Economic and the Immanent Trinity 36
Conclusion 38
Chapter III Jesus, the Son and Bearer of the Spirit 40
Introduction 40
Jesus as the Son 40
Jesus as Bearer of the Spirit 48
The Experience of the Baptism 53
Conclusion 56
Chapter IV Trinity and the Paschal Mystery 57
The Death of Jesus as a Trinitarian Event 60
From the Theology of Good Friday to the
Theology of Holy Saturday 66
Trinity and Atonement 69
The Bond of Love 72
The Name of God 73
Chapter V God the Holy Spirit 75
Introduction 75
The Identity of the Holy Spirit 77
Jesus Christ and the Spirit 80
The Holy Spirit in the Church 84
The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Believer 88
V
The Mystery of the Triune God
Page
Charism and Institution 91
One Faith - Different Theologies 94
The Femininity of the Spirit 97
Chapter VI The Concept of Person in Trinitarian
Theology 100
The Origin of ‘person' in Christian Theology 100
The Problem Posed by Modern Philosophy 102
The Social Image of the Trinity 106
The Search for a Synthesis 109
Chapter VII Analogy of Being and Analogy of Faith 112
The Problem of Vestigium Trinitatis 112
Analogy of Being: Aquinas 116
Analogy of Faith: the Crucified 119
The Story of Jesus as the Parable of God 122
Analogy as Correspondence 125
Analogy and Eschatology 126
Chapter VIII Trinitarian Faith and Praxis 128
Introduction 128
Jesus as the Justice of God 129
Living Between the Times 132
Trinity, Monotheism and Monarchy 135
Christological Identification 136
Principles of Christian Praxis 138
Conclusion 143
Chapter IX Trinitarian Prayer 145
Introduction 145
The Trinitarian Structure of Christian Prayer 146
The Pilgrimage of Prayer 150
Three Images of Prayer 153
The Eucharist as a Trinitarian Event 155
Chapter X God and World in Trinitarian Perspective 159
The Creation 159
The Trinity in Glory 163
Being and Becoming in God 167
NOTES 173
183
INDEX OF NAMES
VI
Preface
In the introduction to Foundations of Christian Faith, Karl Rahner
asks himself the question: for whom has this book been written?
This is the question which I have asked myself as this study gradual¬
ly took shape. To answer the question, I think it is important to note
that the book has arisen out of annual attempts to lecture on the
doctrine of God at Heythrop College, University of London and at
the Gregorian University, Rome. These lectures have prompted me
to try to synthesize what I believe about God in a form which is
understandable to students. Many theologians have acknowledged
the fact that it is probably impossible today to write an entire
Christian dogmatics. Otto Pesch argues that the best that one can
hope to do is to present a synthesis of the individual tracts of
dogmatic theology based on repeated attempts to lecture on a given
thematic The results of this type of attempt are what I offer in this
.1
study. I have tried to cull the best insights of the tradition and of
modern theology and to integrate them into a synthesis which
respects the exigencies of the scholar and which is intelligible as well
to students, pastors, catechists and educated adults who are in¬
terested in exploring the meaning of their faith in God. With
Rahner, I can only say that I hope I will find readers for whom the
book is neither too primitive nor too advanced.
A second desire has motivated me in preparing this text. One
often hears today the lament that there is a terrible dichotomy
between theology and life, between theology and spirituality.
Theology is often accused of being spiritually barren. For this
reason I have tried to present the Christian faith in the triune God
not as a speculative treatise but as the scaffolding which undergirds
not only Christian thinking about God but also Christian living and
prayer. With this problematic in mind I have included the two
chapters: ‘Trinitarian Faith and Praxis' and Trinitarian Prayer'.
Finally, I should like to admit that the more I have reflected upon
my faith in God and on the way in which theology should be done,
the more value I believe must be attached to tradition. T his book is
written by one who thinks, lives and prays within the Roman Catho¬
lic tradition. This tradition has given me the theological air which I
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The Mystery of the Triune God
breathe. As a Catholic reflecting on this tradition, 1 have been fully
committed to the Mystery of the triune God. That God is the triune
Mystery, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, has never been a question. I
recognize that there are theologians today for whom the doctrinal
decisions of the early councils are questionable and open to revi¬
sion. For some of them the confession of the Trinity as an ontologic¬
al reality was a dubious historical decision which is reversible. As a
Catholic I cannot accept such a view of tradition. As Karl Rahner
has said, every dogmatic definition in one sense represents an end.
But he went on to say that it also represents a beginning. For the
living tradition of the faith of the church is a constant invitation to
reflection. I hope that in this sense the present book represents an
open Catholicism, which is ready to enter into dialogue with and to
learn from other points of view.
I am grateful to Heythrop College and to the Gregorian Universi¬
ty for giving me the forum to develop these ideas. And I would like
to dedicate this book to my mother, brother and sister who were the
first family in which the seed of my faith in God was planted and
nurtured.
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