Augustine’s Use of "Principium" in "De trinitate" 1-7

In his trinitarian theology, Augustine’s use of the term principium undergoes a change which has implications for his political theology. In De trinitate 1-7, the application of this concept to the Father first reflects an earlier usage, which follows a Neoplatonic idea of the divine ἀρχή of the One...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Vigiliae Christianae
Main Author: Reese, Ephrem 1988- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill [2020]
In: Vigiliae Christianae
IxTheo Classification:CG Christianity and Politics
HC New Testament
KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
NBC Doctrine of God
VA Philosophy
Further subjects:B Augustine
B De Trinitate
B Exegesis
B Political Theology
B Neoplatonism
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
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Summary:In his trinitarian theology, Augustine’s use of the term principium undergoes a change which has implications for his political theology. In De trinitate 1-7, the application of this concept to the Father first reflects an earlier usage, which follows a Neoplatonic idea of the divine ἀρχή of the One. However, reflection on scripture and religious polemic force a development, and he gradually abandons the term. While he does not abandon the theological idea of the Father’s special principium, the relations among the divine persons demand a consideration of the principium of the Son in common with the Father, an idea familiar to the debates on filioque. This Augustinian development is like what Erik Peterson identifies in the Cappadocians: a trinitarian theological development which threatens the monarchical political theology that would otherwise appeal to Christian Neoplatonist thinking.
ISSN:1570-0720
Contains:Enthalten in: Vigiliae Christianae
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15700720-12341436