The Trinitarian Vision of Jonathan Edwards and David Coffey By S ...

them is that they were determinative in shaping the tradition in both Protestant and Catholic theology.¹⁵ The presentation here focuses on their basic shared conceptual categories and does not attempt a detailed and exhaustive exhibition of their trinitarian thought. The use of Augustine and Aquinas to illustrate the tradition does not ignore the diversity within the tradition. Bonaventure is a case in point. He raised the self-diffusive nature of God to a central place in his theology that is unique within Augustinian trinitarianism. Nevertheless, he used the parameters of the mutual love model to express the emanation of the divine nature. Although Edwards shares important points of continuity with him, these are best detailed in the next chapter. The concentration on Augustine and Aquinas does not marginalize the variety within the tradition but focuses attention on its common features. Moreover, the purpose of this chapter is to chart the contours of the Augustinian mutual love model of the Trinity through two of its most important representatives for the purpose of setting the context for the discussion of Edwards and Coffey’s trinitarian theology.¹⁶

Augustine of Hippo

The importance of Augustine in the Western theological tradition is unsurpassed by anyone who preceded or followed him in post-Apostolic Christianity. His work on the Trinity is one of his most enduring influences on the Western tradition. Although he is often cited and criticized for making the psychological model dominant in Western trinitarianism, he is also the historical source of the mutual love model of the Trinity. Predictably, the five elements that constitute the gestalt of the mutual love model of the Trinity can be found in his trinitarian theology. This section exhibits the five characteristics of the mutual love model in Augustine’s trinitarian theology. These are (1) the mental triads, (2) the Father as the unbegotten, (3) the generation of the Son as the Word, (4) the procession of the Holy Spirit as the mutual love of the Father and the Son, and (5) the reciprocity between the economic missions and the immanent processions of the divine persons.