Trinitarian Ecclesiology of Miroslav Volf
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Keywords

doctrine of the Trinity, ecclesiology, church, Miroslav Volf, independent evangelical churches, perichoresis

How to Cite

Strizhachuk, F. (2019). Trinitarian Ecclesiology of Miroslav Volf. Multiversum. Philosophical Almanac, (5-6), 140-153. https://doi.org/10.35423/2078-8142.2019.5-6.11

Abstract

The revival of the doctrine of the Trinity in the 20th century affected all areas of Christian theology and practice. The doctrine of the church also did not remain without the influence of modern Trinitarian theology. The ecclesiology of Miroslav Volf is a vivid example of the integration of Trinitarian theology into the doctrine of the church for the prospect of independent evangelical churches. Volf builds on the concept of the first Baptist John Smith that the church is a community of people gathered in the name of Christ. Volf develops the Trinitarian component of his ecclesiology in dialogue with two prominent representatives of Roman Catholic and Orthodox ecclesiology: Joseph Ratzinger and John Zizioulas. Drawing an analogy between the Trinity and the church, Volf sees the unity of the Trinity not in the single essence of God and not in the person of the Father, but rather in the re-unity of the unity of divine Persons. The church also has a polycentric character; its unity is created by people endowed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The renaissance of the doctrine of the Trinity in the twentieth century is a prominent phenomenon in the history of Christian theology. His influence has affected all areas of Christian theology and church life. The doctrine of the church also did not remain outside the sphere of influence of the revival and prosperity of the Trinitarian theology of the present. The ecclesiology of evangelical theologian Miroslav Wolf is a prime example of integrating the doctrine of the Trinity into the doctrine of the church from the perspective of ecclesiology of independent evangelical churches. Wolf laid the foundations of ecclesiology based on the concept of first baptist John Smith that the church was a community of believers who came together in the name of Jesus Christ. Wolf develops the trinitarian basis of his ecclesiology in dialogue and polemics with two prominent theologians of Roman Catholic and Orthodox ecclesiology: Joseph Ratzinger and John Ziziulas. Ratzinger lays the foundation for the unity of the Trinity on the unity of the divine essence and extrapolates this conception to the church and sees the unity of the church in the unity of the universal church in Rome. Ziziulas, for his part, believes that the unity of the Trinity is justified by the Person of God the Father, and in the church the unifying factor is the identity of the bishop in the Eucharistic community. Miroslav Wolf chooses and justifies another strategy, drawing an analogy between the Trinity and the church, he sees the unity of the Trinity not in the one essence of God and not in the Person of the Father, but in the perichoretic unity of divine Persons. In the same way, the church is polycentric in nature, its unity being created by believing people endowed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

https://doi.org/10.35423/2078-8142.2019.5-6.11
PDF (Українська)

References

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