KNOWING

AND THE

TRINITY

How Perspectives in Human Knowledge Imitate the Trinity

VERN S. POYTHRESS

P.O. BOX 817 • PHILLIPSBURG • NEW JERSEY 08865-0817

© 2018 by Vern S. Poythress

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—except for brief quotations for the purpose of review or comment, without the prior permission of the publisher, P&R Publishing Company, P.O. Box 817, Phillipsburg, New Jersey 08865-0817.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All quotations are from the 2016 Permanent Text Edition® of the ESV.

Scripture quotations marked (kjv) are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611.

Italics within Scripture quotations indicate emphasis added.

ISBN: 978-1-62995-319-9 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-62995-320-5 (ePub)

ISBN: 978-1-62995-321-2 (Mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Poythress, Vern S., author.

Title: Knowing and the Trinity : how perspectives in human knowledge imitate the Trinity / Vern S. Poythress.

Description: Phillipsburg : P&R Publishing, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017042806| ISBN 9781629953199 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781629953205 (epub) | ISBN 9781629953212 (mobi)

Subjects: LCSH: Trinity. | Knowledge, Theory of (Religion) | Philosophical theology.

Classification: LCC BT111.3 .P695 2018 | DDC 231/.044--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017042806

To John Frame,

who taught me about perspectives

Contents

List of Illustrations

Foreword by Sinclair B. Ferguson

Introduction: Reflections of the Trinity

Part 1: What Are Perspectives?

1. The Mystery of Perspectives

2. Spatial Perspectives

3. Personal Perspectives

4. Thematic Perspectives

5. Commonalities in Perspectives

Part 2: The Trinity

6. Basic Biblical Teaching about the Trinity

7. Coinherence

8. Analogies for Relations in the Trinity

9. Comparing Analogies for the Trinity

10. Knowledge of the Trinity

Part 3: Perspectives from the Trinity

11. Perspectives on Reflections

12. Perspectives from Trinitarian Analogies

13. Perspectives on Ethics

14. Perspectives on Lordship

15. Perspectives on Office

Part 4: Classifying Perspectives

16. A Triad for Revelation

17. Trinitarian Classification of Perspectives

Part 5: Applying Perspectives to Theological Questions

18. Transcendence and Immanence

19. Attributes of God as Perspectives

20. God’s Acting in Time and Space

21. God’s Creating

22. A Mystery of Indwelling

23. The Third-Man Argument

24. The Generation of the Son

25. The Procession of the Holy Spirit

26. Classes, and the Problem of the One and the Many

27. Human Responsibility

28. Conceptual Growth

Part ...