Participation as a Trinitarian Virtue: Challenging the Current “Relational” Consensus

Abstract

Whenever a theological doctrine is given renewed attention after having been ignored or marginalized for a long period of time, a number of disagreements are bound to arise. The recent renaissance of Trinitarian theology is no exception to this rule. Theologians have quarrelled over a number of issues, including the revisability of the divine names, the appropriateness of the language of person and the practical consequences of the doctrine of the Trinity. But on one matter, at least, we can point to a fairly wide consensus: most recent writers seem convinced that the language of relationality has something important to contribute to Trinitarian doctrine. This term is central for a number of authors, including Leonardo Boff, Colin Gunton, Robert Jenson, Elizabeth Johnson, Walter Kasper, Catherine Mowry LaCugna, Jiirgen Moltmann and Alan Torrance. While these writers are certainly not unified in their understanding and their assessment of this term, they all endorse its importance in the construction of Trinitarian theology.