Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review“This impressive study offers what I think is the very first genealogy of Christian usage of the idea of divine simplicity up through Origen of Alexandria.” —Andrew Radde-Gallwitz, author of Gregory of Nyssa’s Doctrinal Works
"Readers will find the discussion of Origen's relation to the Platonists of his time especially valuable in its erudition and its conceptual sophistication. This book is a contribution, not only to patristics, but to the history of philosophy." —Mark Edwards, author of Christians, Gnostics and Philosophers in Late Antiquity
"Ip’s elegant discussion of divine simplicity in pre-Nicene theology helps us to see with new clarity the diversity of ways this doctrine was articulated, and the functions it performed. By showing us this rich diversity, Ip also offers further arguments for taking the doctrine seriously as an integral and important part of the Patristic heritage. Students of Trinitarian theology, of Irenaeus, and of Origen will all need to come to terms with Ip’s work." —Lewis Ayres, author of Augustine and the Trinity
"Ip's lucid and surefooted book provides an historical and conceptual anchorage for any future discourse on divine simplicity, giving the doctrine a more human and concrete face, and enabling a new flexibility in addressing the formidable conundrums it poses." —Reviews in Religion & Theology
"The attentive reader will find in these pages persuasive, careful arguments based on detailed analyses of the relevant texts. This study... is as useful as an introduction to ancient philosophical theology and methods of its study as it is as a contribution to scholarly understandings of the numerous individual passages, figures and broader narratives it engages." —Scottish Journal of Theology
"A good example of careful historical work and a valuable contribution to understanding the development of the Christian teaching on the Trinity. Moreover, the book charts some ways forward for better understanding how Trinitarian theology developed from the third century into the fourth. Those interested in early Christianity, historical theology, and systematic theology will gain insight from this book."—Journal of Theological Studies
"The author’s way of presenting his research has the great advantage that it makes the positions clear and provides a good insight into the sources. Many authors could learn a lesson from Pui Ip’s way of presenting his research. If there are more details to add to the picture—and there probably are—Ip puts the reader of the book in a very good position to dive deeper into the sources to discover more details of this important theological theme."—Modern Theology
Table of ContentsIntroduction: In Search of Doctrinal History
1. The Locus Classicus of Divine Simplicity
2. From the Simple God to the Simple First Principle
3. Irenaeus’ Critique of Valentinian probolē and the Proto-Trinitarian Problematic
4. Monarchianism and the Fully Trinitarian Problematic
5. Divine Simplicity as a Metaphysical-Ethical Synthesis in Origen
6. Divine Simplicity as an Anti-Monarchian Principle of Differentiation between the Father and Son
7. Divine Simplicity as an anti-Valentinian Principle of Unity between the Father and Son
Epilogue: Towards a Prospective Historiography
Bibliography
Index
