1988Koers - Bulletin for Christian ScholarshipOpen access

The perfect three: ontology as trinity

David T. Williams

Open full text 0 citations

Abstract

The Ontological Argument fo r the existence of God is briefly examined with particular reference to its basic premise, the assumption of the perfection of God. Despite some problems with the idea, it is believed that perfection is a valid concept. The thrust of the article is that if a perfect God exists, such perfection requires at least the basic concepts of the doctrine of the Trinity . The author therefore believes th a t the idea of the Trinity is derivable in a rudimentary form without reference to either revelation or to the "vestigia" (the supposed reflection of the Trinity in the creation), but simply from the idea of perfection. Some authors, both medieval and modern are cited in support of the argument.

Open-access reader

About this research paper

What this paper is about

The Ontological Argument fo r the existence of God is briefly examined with particular reference to its basic premise, the assumption of the perfection of God. Despite some problems with the idea, it is believed that perfection is a valid concept. The thrust of the article is that if a perfect God exists, such perfection requires at least the basic concepts of the doctrine of the Trinity . The author therefore believes th a t the idea of the Trinity is derivable in a rudimentary form without reference to either revelation or to the "vestigia" (the supposed reflection of the Trinity in the creation), but simply from the idea of perfection. Some authors, both medieval and modern are cited in support of the argument.

Why it matters

A significance statement is not available in the OpenAlex record.

Key contribution

A contribution statement is not available in the OpenAlex record.

Method / approach

Method details are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Main findings

Findings are not separately available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Limitations

Limitations are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Applications

Application details are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Available abstract

The Ontological Argument fo r the existence of God is briefly examined with particular reference to its basic premise, the assumption of the perfection of God. Despite some problems with the idea, it is believed that perfection is a valid concept. The thrust of the article is that if a perfect God exists, such perfection requires at least the basic concepts of the doctrine of the Trinity . The author therefore believes th a t the idea of the Trinity is derivable in a rudimentary form without reference to either revelation or to the "vestigia" (the supposed reflection of the Trinity in the creation), but simply from the idea of perfection. Some authors, both medieval and modern are cited in support of the argument.

Key concepts: Perfection, Philosophy, Argument (complex analysis), Premise, Ontological argument, Epistemology, Revelation, Ontology

Related papers

Back to paper searchBrowse research topicsOriginal source
The perfect three: ontology as trinity — Research Paper | ScholarLens