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Conceptions Of A Triune God Summary

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CHAPTER III

Comparison and Analysis of the Other Competitive
Conceptions of a Triune God

In the previous chapter, Swinburne’s a priori reasons for considering God to be triune are exposed. This chapter has two major concerns. The first concern is to present the arguments in favour of Swinburne’s concept of a triune God as well as to make a reasonable response to the challenges posited to Swinburne by two all time great Philosophers of the Christian world, namely Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. The second concern is to make a brief exposition, comparison and analysis of the other competing conceptions of the selected Christian philosophers of the present era with that of Swinburne. This second part examines only the three-self theories …show more content…

Aquinas even recommends rational justification in order to refute the accusations that arise against the truth of the Christian doctrines. Aquinas writes: «For since faith rests on unfailing truth, and the contrary of truth cannot really be demonstrated, it is clear that alleged proofs against faith are not demonstrations, but charges that can be refuted» . Aquinas himself has devoted seventy seven articles (in 26 questions: Summa Theologiae Ia, 27-43) of Summa Theologiae to exploring, analysing and meticulously providing the details of the doctrine …show more content…

Davies also writes the same: «[...] he [Aquinas] does think that God is essentially a life of love between equals, though not one between members of a kind, and not one that we can comprehend» .
It is clear that Aquinas has employed demonstrative arguments in his exposition of the concept of a triune God but it was only to defend the doctrine and to clarify the doctrine and in no way to establish the existence of a triune God. Aquinas does make a difference between two kinds of argumentation: one is to argue that there are enough rational grounds for the proof of theory and another that presupposes a theory and merely demonstrates that the given evidences support the theory . [add more]
Swinburne through his inductive method aims to establish the existence of a simplest being. One could argue that, given our epistemic limits, these arguments cannot but be inductive. These inductive arguments are based on the inductive principles of reason such as simplicity and sufficient reason.
Swinburne offers the most promising (even though far from satisfactory and need to be modified further) of the concept of a triune God: deductive argument from theism to trinitarian

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