Divine Complexity : The Rise Of Creedal Christianity

Introduction

1. The Primacy Of The Gospel
Augustinian Critique Of Epistemology
The Primacy Of The Gospel
Natural Theology? Divine Simplicity?
Kataphatic Theology

2. From Resurrection Kerygma To Gospel Narrative
The Resurrection Of The Crucified As Hermeneutic
The Chief Question: Resurrection As The Spirit’s Narration
Resurrection As Event In The Life Of God
Resurrection As Possibility In The Life Of The World
Resurrection As Reality In The Life Of The World
Resurrection’s Retroactive Causality
Bultmann’s Objection
The Gospel As Promissory Narrative

3. The Scriptures’ Emergence As The Church’s Canon
Jesus-New And Living Temple
The Johannine Bridge
Critique Of Modern Johannine Criticism
Kasemann’s Dissent
Hoskyns’s Theological Interpretation Of John
The Johannine Theology Of The Martyr
Ignatius, Polycarp, And The Martyrs’ Canon
The Knowledge Of God In The New Testament

4. The Trinitarian Rule Of Faith
Paul As Theologian
Paul’s “Canon” Of Faith (Galatians 6:16)
Early Christian Dogma In The Pastoral Epistles
Martyrological Ethos In The Pastoral Epistles
Christian “Atheism” In Justin Martyr
Justin Against Gnosticism
Irenaeus And The Theology Of The Martyrs
The First Dogmatics
The Economy Of God
The Rule Of Faith And The Trinity

5. The Confrontation Of Biblical And Philosophical Monotheism
The Problem Of Christianity And Platonism
Overview Of Trinitarian Doctrine And Trinitarian Errors
Two Kinds Of Monotheism: The Living God Of Radical, Or Exclusive,
Monotheism
Two Kinds Of Monotheism: Divine Simplicity
Eternal Generation
Systematic Theology As Systematic Apologetics
Arius As Consistent Platonist

6. The Holy Trinity As The Eternal Life
The Martyriological Background
The Creed At Nicea 325
Theology Of Redemption
Lord And Giver Of Life
The Homoiousions And The Homoousions
The Failure Of Biblicism
The Trinitarian Theology Of The Cappadocians
Worshipped And Glorified, Together With The Father And The Son

Postscript: The “Impassible Passibility” Of The Trinity

Notes
Index

Additional Info
Paul Hinlicky reads the history of the early church as a genuine, centuries-long theological struggle to make sense of the confession of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Protesting a recent parting of the ways between systematic theology and the history of early Christianity, Hinlicky relies on the insights of historical criticism to argue in this historical survey for the coherence of doctrinal development in the early church. Hinlicky contends that the Christian tradition shows evidence of being governed by a hermeneutic of “cross and resurrection.” In successive chapters he finds in the New Testament writings a collective Christological decision against docetism; in the union of Old and New Testaments, a monotheistic decision against Gnostic dualism; in the resulting sweep of the canon a narrative of the divine economy of salvation that posed a trinitarian alternative to Arian Unitarianism; and in the insistence upon the cross of the incarnate Son, a rebuke of Nestorianism.

This book is written with the student of early Christianity and the development of doctrine in mind.