The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit in the Trinitarian Theology of Colin E Gunton
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by ResearchOnline@ND University of Notre Dame Australia ResearchOnline@ND Theses 2008 The Lord and Giver of Life: The person and work of the Holy Spirit in the trinitarian theology of Colin E Gunton Michael D. Stringer University of Notre Dame Australia Follow this and additional works at: http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses Part of the Religion Commons COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969 WARNING The am terial in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further copying or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act. Do not remove this notice. Publication Details Stringer, M. D. (2008). The Lord and Giver of Life: The person and work of the Holy Spirit in the trinitarian theology of Colin E Gunton (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)). University of Notre Dame Australia. http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/3 This dissertation/thesis is brought to you by ResearchOnline@ND. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of ResearchOnline@ND. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Lord and Giver of Life: the person and work of the Holy Spirit in the trinitarian theology of Colin E Gunton By Michael D Stringer A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Notre Dame Australia Fremantle, Western Australia 2008 Contents Abstract ..........................................................................................................................iv Declaration of Authorship...............................................................................................v Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................vi Preface ........................................................................................................................ vii Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................x Introduction.....................................................................................................................1 1 Colin Gunton’s personal context..............................................................................17 Education.............................................................................................................20 Christian vocation................................................................................................24 Academic context ................................................................................................28 International lectureships.....................................................................................33 Academic honours ...............................................................................................37 Bibliographical ....................................................................................................38 2 Colin Gunton’s historical, philosophical and theological context ...........................44 Historical context...................................................................................................47 Philosophical and theological influences – Early church ......................................51 Irenaeus of Lyons ................................................................................................53 Cappadocian Fathers............................................................................................55 Augustine of Hippo..............................................................................................59 Medieval period .....................................................................................................65 Reformation – John Calvin ....................................................................................67 Enlightenment period.............................................................................................70 John Owen...........................................................................................................74 Edward Irving......................................................................................................75 Modern era.............................................................................................................77 Samuel Taylor Coleridge.....................................................................................79 Karl Barth ............................................................................................................81 Eberhard Jüngel ...................................................................................................86 John Zizioulas......................................................................................................87 King’s College colleagues...................................................................................89 3 Gunton’s trinitarian theology ..................................................................................93 Trinitarian methodology ........................................................................................97 Metaphysics .........................................................................................................102 Colin Gunton’s trinitarian theology.....................................................................107 Creation................................................................................................................110 Christology...........................................................................................................112 The person of the Son: humanity and particularity ...........................................116 Pneumatology: the person and work of the Spirit................................................119 Colin Gunton’s doctrine of the Spirit...................................................................122 The complementarity of Son and Spirit.............................................................124 A theology of mediation....................................................................................126 The perichoretic relatedness of christology and pneumatology ........................129 - ii - 4 Spirit as person .......................................................................................................135 Person: historical development of a theological term..........................................139 Augustine: the unipersonal God ........................................................................142 Cappadocian Fathers: distinct persons in relation .............................................146 Person as a relational concept............................................................................147 Perichoresis: Spirit must be viewed as person...................................................150 Spirit as person.....................................................................................................154 Spirit as person: a comparison with Reformed thought.......................................159 Spirit as person and social trinitarianism...........................................................163 5 Spirit as transcendent..............................................................................................170 Influences.............................................................................................................171 Irenaeus of Lyons ..............................................................................................172 John Owen.........................................................................................................173 Edward Irving....................................................................................................174 From creation to mediation..................................................................................177 Holy Spirit as transcendent Spirit ........................................................................180 Transcendent Spirit as antidote against individuality........................................182 Transcendent Spirit and the authentic humanity of Christ ................................185 Spirit as transcendent: a comparison and contrast with Reformed thought.........192 Sinlessness of Jesus ...........................................................................................196 Christ’s humanity as salvific .............................................................................198 6 Spirit as perfecting agent........................................................................................206 Influences.............................................................................................................209 Irenaeus of Lyons ..............................................................................................209 Augustine of Hippo............................................................................................210 Basil of Caesarea ...............................................................................................211 Holy Spirit as perfecting agent.............................................................................212 Eschatology and the humanity of Christ............................................................216 Eschatology and reconciled relationship with God ...........................................220 Eschatology, its cosmic application