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Post-Reformation
Reformed Dogmatics
The Rise and Development ofR eformed
Orthodoxy, ca. 1§20 to ca. 1725
VOLUME FOUR
The Triunity of God
RICHARD A. MULLER
Be BB aker Academic
LIBRARY
1825 N. COiLOLOELG EO F PTHe, pe.
REMONT, CA 91711-3199
© 2003 by Richard A. Muller
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Book House Company
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakeracademic.com
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the
prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Muller, Richard A. (Richard Alfred), 1948—
Post-Reformation reformed dogmatics : the rise and development of reformed orthodoxy,
ca. 1520 toca. 1725 / Richard A. Muller—[2nd ed.].
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Contents: v. 1. Prolegomena to theology — v. 2. Holy Scripture — v. 3. The divine essence and
attributes — v. 4. The triunity of God.
ISBN 0-8010-2617-2 (v. 1 : cloth) — ISBN 0-8010-2616-4 (v. 2 : cloth) — ISBN 0-8010-2294-0
(v. 3 : cloth) — ISBN 0-8010-2295-9 (v. 4 : cloth)
1. Reformed Church—Doctrines—History—61th century. 2. Reformed Church—Doctrines—
History—17th century. 3. Reformed Church—Doctrines—History—81th century. 4. Protestant
Scholasticism. I. Title.
BX9422.3 .M85 2002
230'.42’.09—dc21 2002026165
Contents
PBrecAC CMT ERT terete Cee ote aLa ah csecesiie les ts ohh ererchapora iste sohoM eeh meteg s 13
PART 1. INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1. The Doctrine of the Trinity in the Christian Tradition: The Medieval
PRCREPOUNG Ure eee Se wee celeste es Soules were re owes iW
1:1 The Doctrine of the Trinity in the West F.. G8 ee ee ee ee cea 17
A. Premises and Issues for Charting Its Development from the Twelfth through
the Seventeenth Century (17)
1. The trajectory of trinitarian doctrine in relation to issues of continuity and
discontinuity in the development of Protestant thought (17)
2. Drawing out the Protestant orthodox trinitarian trajectory in relation to its
antecedents (19)
3. Issues of Scripture and tradition: patristic study, philosophical issues, and
the question of norms (21)
B. Scholarly Approaches: A Preliminary Survey of Historiography (22)
1. The historiographical problem and the general histories of doctrine (22)
2. Monographic literature and shorter studies relevant to the later development
of the doctrine of the Trinity (23)
1.2 Early Scholastic Examination of the Doctrine of the Trinity: From Anselm to the
Fourth Lateraty Council (1215)... 255 nc a a ea ce eee se ees 25
A. Early Scholastic Developments: From Anselm to Abelard (25)
1. Roscellin and Anselm on the Trinity: the Synod of Soissons(1092) (25)
2. Anselm and the Greeks: the Council of Bari (1098) (28)
3. Abelard and the “conceptualist” model of the Trinity: the Synods of Soissons
(1121) and Sens (1141) (28)
4, Gilbert de la Porrée and the Synod of Rheims (1148) (30)
B. Speculative Development and Conciliar Conclusions, ca. 1150 to 1215 (33)
1. The trinitarianism of Richard of St. Victor: Augustinianism, mysticism, and
the difficulty of defining “person” (33)
2. The heresies of Joachim and the Fourth Lateran Council (35)
1.3 The High and Late Scholastic Development of Trinitarian Doctrine =. 5% ..+s 37
A. The Scholastic Doctors of the Thirteenth Century (37)
Wn
6 Contents
1. Foundational formulations: William of Auvergne, Alexander of Hales, and
Albert the Great (37)
2. Bonaventure (40)
3. Thomas Aquinas (44)
4, The Council of Lyons (1274) (49)
B. Late Medieval Developments (50)
1. Peter Auriole and Durandus of Sancto Porciano (50)
2. Duns Scotus and William of Ockham (51)
3. The Council of Florence (1438-1442) (55)
Chapter 2. The Doctrine of the Trinity from the Sixteenth to the Early Eighteenth
Otis gee en ee ee EOL ee ee. 59
2.1 Scripture and Traditional Trinitarian Language in the Era of the
Reformation: <4. 5.4 at haste aie we os ica ores net Moree k gamete aman meh eel eae ree 59
A. The Reformers from the Time of Luther to the Mid-Sixteenth Century, ca. 1520-
1565 (59)
1. Prologue: the problem of the history of the doctrine of the Trinity in
Reformation and post-Reformation Reformed thought (59)
2. The doctrine of the Trinity in the thought of the earliest Reformers (62)
3. Reappropriation of traditionary norms in the doctrinal treatises of the
Reformers (65)
B. Antitrinitarianism in the Era of the Reformation (74)
1. The sources and context of sixteenth-century antitrinitarianism (74)
2. The theology of Michael Servetus (75)
3. The “Italian antitrinitarians” (76)
C. In Debate with the Antitrinitarians: Further Developments in Reformation-Era
Trinitarianism (80)
D. The Trinitarian Orthodoxy of the Reformed Confessions (82)
2.2 Formulation and Defense of the Doctrine of the Trinity in the Era of Protestant
OCAO RY Fe icine -5 sigears where: Smear eieig ee at celia Mis aie ec ee 83
A. The Development of the Doctrine of the Trinity in Early Orthodoxy, 1565-1640
(83)
1. Positive doctrinal developments in the early orthodox era (83)
2. Early orthodoxy and the antitrinitarians (89)
B. Socinianism in the Seventeenth Century (91)
1. Continental developments (91)
2. Socinianism and antitrinitarianism in seventeenth-century Britain (94)
C. The New Philosophies and the Problem of God-Language (99)
D. Orthodox Trinitarian Formulation in the High Orthodox Era, 1640-1685 (103)
1. The confessional foundation: the Declaration of Thorn and the Westminster
Standards (103)
2. The continental writers (104)
3. Major British thinkers and doctrinal developments (111)
2.3 The Doctrine of the Trinity in the Late Seventeenth and the Early Eighteenth
Gis Gen Pn rN renee Mo apa hoe 120
Contents 7
A. Perspectives on the Trinitarian Problem in a Time of Transition, 1685-1725
(120)
B. Trinitarian Debate in Britain (121)
1. From Bull's Defense (1685) to The Naked Gospel (1690) (121)
2. William Sherlock and the broadening debate (123)
3. Renewed debate: Whiston and Clarke on the Trinity (129)
C. Patterns of Trinitarian Orthodoxy in the Eighteenth Century (135)
1. Changing exegetical perspectives (135)
2. Major doctrinal models (137)
PART 2. THE REFORMED ORTHODOX DOCTRINE OF THE
TRINITY
Chapter 3. The Doctrine of the Trinity in Reformed Orthodoxy: Basic Issues,
Mernisrd A erinitiOls <6. otic snes ot © © oie ble oo oe tie tial acete set is 8 143
3.1 The Trinity as a “Fundamental Article” of Faith ..............0eeeeees 143
A. The Place, Order, and Importance of the Doctrine (143)
1. Views of the Reformers (143)
2. The Reformed orthodox approach to the doctrine of the Trinity (145)
3. The order and arrangement of the locus (148)
B. The Trinity of God as a Mystery beyond Reason (151)
1. Views of the Reformers (151)
2. Approaches of the Reformed orthodox (152)
3. The practical use of the doctrine of the Trinity (154)
C. Rational Argumentation for the Doctrine of the Trinity (157)
1. The vestigia trinitatis: Reformed approaches (157)
2. Seventeenth-century scholastics and the ancients: partial trinitarian
conceptions granted to reason in classical philosophy (159)
3. Keckermann, Ainsworth, and Burman on the logic of the divine emanations
(162)
4. Trinitarian logic, Cartesianism, and reaction in the late seventeenth and early
eighteenth centuries (165)
$2 The Terms of Trinitarian Orthodoxy <....05 6.02. cee cece eter ee ee scene 167
A. Reformed Definition in the Scholastic Era (167)
1. Reformed orthodox reception of traditional trinitarian terminology (167)
2. Trinitas (169)
3. Substantia, essentia, ousia, and related issues (171)
4, Homoousios (175)
5. Persona (177)
6. Hypostasis, subsistentia, and modus subsistendi (182)
7. Circumincessio, perichoresis, emperichoresis (185)
8. Proprietates, relationes, and notiones (186)
B. Trinitarian Distinctions in the Godhead: Between Essence and Persons — Among
the Persons (189)
1. The distinction between essence and person — rational or modal? (189)
Contents
8
2. The distinctions between the persons — modal or real? (192)
Chapter 4. The Trinity of Persons in Their Unity and Distinction: Theology and
Exegesis in the Older Reformed Tradition ......-+++++++++++eee- 196
4.1 The Trinity of Persons according to the Reformers ......-++++++e+eerees 196
A. The Continuity of Precritical Exegesis and the Biblical Norm: Protestant
Trinitarian Formulation and the Interpretation of Scripture (196)
1. Shared perspectives: Trinity and pre-critical exegesis (196)
2. The Reformers and trinitarian exegesis (197)
3. Trinitarian exegesis in the era of orthodoxy (198)
B. The Order and Distinction of the Persons: Views of the Reformers (199)
1. The Reformers and trinitarian definition: general considerations (199)
2. The views of Calvin and Bullinger (201)
3. Musculus on the distinction and order of the divine persons (205)
C. The Order and Distinction of the Persons: Views of the Reformed Orthodox
(207)
1. Positive definition among the Reformed orthodox (207)
2. Definition over against fundamental objection (209)
4.2 Exegetical Issues and Trajectories: Reformation and Orthodoxy ........... 214
A. The Trinitarian Exegesis of Scripture: Hermeneutical Assumptions (214)
B. Exegetical Issues and Trajectories: Old Testament (215)
1. Trinity in the Old Testament: issues in debate in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries (215)
2. Divine threeness in the exegesis of the Pentateuch and the historical books
(217)
3. Trinity in the Writings (222)
4. Trinity in the prophetic books (223)
C. Exegetical Issues and Trajectories: New Testament (226)
1. Reformed exegesis of individual trinitarian texts in the Gospels (226)
2. Trinitarian readings in the Epistles (230)
3. The Johannine Comma — trajectories of interpretation (234)
4. Trinity in the Revelation (239)
Chapter 5. The Deity and Person of the Father .....4........---06- 245
5.1 God the Father: Exegetical Foundations and Doctrinal Definitions ........ 245
A. God as “Father” in Exegesis and Doctrine (245)
1. The logic of the locus: individual discussion of the persons (245)
2. The exegesis of “Father”: two implications of the biblical Language (246)
3. The personality of the Father (249)
B. The Personal Properties of the Father (252)
1. God the Father as personally distinct: general issues (252)
2. Unbegottenness and aseity (252)
3. Primacy (254)
5.2 The Father as Origin and Source: “Works” of the Godhead Ad intra and
PAD BOA se 5 S55 Bies her olee ecaiicV ela rosetta tose Oe th eee 255
A. Views of the Reformers (255)
