Creation and God As One, Creator, and Trinity in Early Theology Through Augustine and Its Theological Fruitfulness in the 21St Century

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Creation and God As One, Creator, and Trinity in Early Theology Through Augustine and Its Theological Fruitfulness in the 21St Century Creation and God as One, Creator, and Trinity in Early Theology through Augustine and Its Theological Fruitfulness in the 21st Century Submitted by Jane Ellingwood to the University of Exeter as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology in September 2015 This dissertation is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the dissertation may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this dissertation which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Signature: _________Jane Ellingwood _________________________ 2 Abstract My primary argument in this thesis is that creation theologies significantly influenced early developments in the doctrine of the Trinity, especially in Augustine of Hippo’s theology. Thus this is a work of historical theology, but I conclude with proposals for how Augustine’s theologies of creation and the Trinity can be read fruitfully with modern theology. I critically analyse developments in trinitarian theologies in light of ideas that were held about creation. These include the doctrine of creation ‘out of nothing’ and ideas about other creative acts (e.g., forming or fashioning things). Irenaeus and other early theologians posited roles for God (the Father), the Word / Son, the Spirit, or Wisdom in creative acts without working out formal views on economic trinitarian acts. During the fourth century trinitarian controversies, creation ‘out of nothing’ and ideas about ‘modes of origin’ influenced thinking on consubstantiality and relations within the Trinity. Basil of Caesarea and others also presented ideas about trinitarian acts of creation and the Trinity in hexaemeral works. I will argue that in Augustine’s views of trinitarian acts of creation, he attributes roles to God (the Father), the Word / Son, and the Spirit. In his mature theology, he attributes the giving of formless existence, differentiated existence, and perfected existence to the three Persons respectively, while depicting shared roles. He also attributes to the Spirit the giving of the capability of ‘dynamic abiding’ to creatures, which gives them agency in continuing their existence. Augustine’s theologies of creation and the Trinity were significantly influenced by his exegesis of Gen. 1, John 1. 1-3, Wisdom, and other scriptures, and his ideas resonate with the hexaemeral works of Basil and Philo of Alexandria. I argue that scholars should examine these sources and Augustine’s own hexaemeral commentaries to gain a deeper understanding of his trinitarian theology. 3 Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................... 2 Table of Contents ................................................................................................... 3 Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... 7 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 9 0.1 Review of literature and statement of the problem .............................................. 9 0.2 Hypotheses, objectives, and organisation of this thesis ................................... 25 0.2.1 Primary hypotheses: using a new lens, revising historical theological narratives, and doing fruitful readings of Augustine’s theology ......................................................................... 25 0.2.2 Overview of Parts I and II: historical theological ideas about acts of creation, modes of origin, and God as sole creator and Trinity .............................................................................. 26 0.2.3 Overview of Part III: responsible scholarship on and fruitful theological readings of Augustine ................................................................................................................................. 29 0.3 Additional information on scholarly literature, sources, and methods ............ 30 0.4 Other contributions to theology and future projects ......................................... 32 Part I ...................................................................................................................... 33 Chapter 1: Creation, the One Creator God, and Pre-trinitarian Theology (First through Third Centuries) ..................................................................................... 34 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 34 1.1 Philo, Wisdom, and Jewish Hellenised Alexandrian ideas ................................ 38 1.1.1 Philo, the LXX scriptures, Wisdom, and Middle Platonism ............................................ 38 1.1.2 The one God as ‘Father and Maker’, good, and Creator ............................................... 41 1.1.3 Creation terminology and creation ‘out of nothing’ ......................................................... 45 1.1.4 The Logos, the ‘ideas’, the mind of God, and first principles of creation ........................ 49 1.1.5 Problems Philo leaves ‘on the table’ .............................................................................. 51 1.2 The Word / Son, monogenés (theos), and creation in John 1. 1-18 ................. 54 1.2.1 Authorship and sources of ideas for the prologue to John ............................................. 55 1.2.2 Creation, the Word (Logos), and the Father .................................................................. 57 1.2.3 Questions about ‘monogenés’ in John 1. 14, 18 ............................................................ 61 1.2.4 Problems left ‘on the table’ for trinitarian thinking on God and creation ......................... 65 1.3 Acts of creation, the one Creator God, and pre-trinitarian ideas in second and third century theology .................................................................................................. 66 1.3.1 Sources of philosophical, scriptural, and theological ideas ............................................ 68 1.3.2 First principles of faith: the one God as Father, Maker, and Fashioner ....................... 73 1.3.3 Pre-trinitarian views of creation ‘out of nothing’ ............................................................. 77 1.3.4 Creation and God, the Word / Son / Wisdom, and Wisdom / the Spirit .......................... 83 1.3.5 Problems left ‘on the table’ for thinking about creation and the Trinity ........................... 88 1.4 Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 89 4 Chapter 2: Creation, Modes of Origin, Trinitarian Acts, and the Trinity in the Fourth Century before Augustine ....................................................................... 92 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 92 2.1 Sources of fourth century ideas about creation and the Trinity ....................... 96 2.1.1 Orthodox / catholic, ‘heretical’, and philosophical sources ............................................. 96 2.1.2 Potential influences of Philo of Alexandria and Prov. 8. 22 .......................................... 103 2.2 Creation, modes of origin, consubstantiality, and unity and distinctions within the Trinity .................................................................................................................... 107 2.2.1 Athanasius on the Son and Spirit being ‘from’ the Father, creation ‘out of nothing’, and divine simplicity ...................................................................................................................... 109 2.2.1.1 Athanasius on the Son’s nature, kind, and mode of origin versus creation’s ....... 110 2.2.1.2 Athanasius, the 325 creed, creation ‘out of nothing’, and John 1. 1, 3 ................. 114 2.2.1.3 Athanasius, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, and divine simplicity ................................ 115 2.2.1.4 Closing comments on Athanasius ........................................................................ 118 2.2.2 Case study: the word monogenés and the Son’s mode of origin and substance versus other unique attributes of the Son .......................................................................................... 119 2.2.3 Cappadocian-Eunomian debates: modes of origin, substance, and unity and distinctions within the Trinity .................................................................................................. 128 2.2.3.1 Eunomius on names, simplicity, modes of origin, and generation by ‘will’ ........... 128 2.2.3.2 Basil on ‘distinguishing marks’ in substance and early views on the Spirit ........... 131 2.2.3.3 Gregory of Nazianzus on modes of origin, the Father-Son relationship, and the consubstantiality of the Trinity ........................................................................................... 135 2.2.4 Trinitarian principles of unity and distinction in the early 380s ..................................... 139 2.3 Basil’s hexaemeral homilies: acts of initial creation and the Trinity ............. 142 2.3.1 The roles of the Son, Word, or Monogenés with God in creation ................................ 144 2.3.2 The roles of the Holy Spirit in initial creation ...............................................................
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