Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

"Where Does the Trinity Appear?" Augustine’s Apologetics and "Philosophical" Readings of the De Trinitate

Ayres, Lewis

"Where Does the Trinity Appear?" Augustine’s Apologetics and "Philosophical" Readings of the De Trinitate Thumbnail


Authors



Abstract

One persistent strand of commentary treats Augustine’s de trinitate (trin.) as most significantly an apologetic intended to demonstrate Christianity’s completion of and superiority to the classical philosophical tradition.1 Scholars in this tradition begin by identifying a particular nexus of argument within ancient tradition as a fundamental aporia and then show how Augustine pushes beyond any earlier “solution.” In most cases, those who argue thus see Augustine’s success as his development of a “philosophical” foundation on which discussion of God and human selfhood can proceed. In many cases, Augustine’s status as a predecessor of some form of idealist thought is overtly identified as his achievement. In my recent monograph Augustine and the Trinity, I made no comment on this scholarly tradition, largely because I had decided to focus on a positive statement of what I see as Augustine’s Trinitarian vision. In this paper I want to offer some comment on the tradition I had ignored, but to do so at something of a tangent. At the same time, this paper fills another lacuna by sketching one of the key themes I would use to frame a more extended account of trin. 11–13, books that received little comment in my monograph.

Citation

Ayres, L. (2012). "Where Does the Trinity Appear?" Augustine’s Apologetics and "Philosophical" Readings of the De Trinitate. Augustinian Studies, 43(1/2), 109-126. https://doi.org/10.5840/augstudies2013431/211

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jan 1, 2012
Deposit Date Apr 30, 2014
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Augustinian Studies
Print ISSN 0094-5323
Electronic ISSN 2153-7917
Publisher Philosophy Documentation Center
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 43
Issue 1/2
Pages 109-126
DOI https://doi.org/10.5840/augstudies2013431/211

Files




You might also like



Downloadable Citations