Zacher F (2021)
Publication Language: English
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2021
Book Volume: 128
Pages Range: 87-107
Journal Issue: 25
This article shows that Marius Victorinus develops his Trinitarian theology in Adversus
Arium Ib to explain the connection between the immanent and the economic Trinity.
He conceptualises the three hypostases as three distinct activities that constitute the
single substance of God. This interdependence of three immanent activities is the model
for God’s economic activity. By parallelizing the immanent and economic activities,
Victorinus shows that Trinitarian theology is not pure speculation, but the necessary
foundation to explain God’s activities towards the world. Thus, Victorinus deeply connects
Trinitarian theology, anthropology, and soteriology. Therefore, the soteriological
and anthropological passages of Adv. Ar. Ib are no digressions, but the endpoint of this
writing. An exemplary comparison to Plotinus’ Ennead VI 8 [39] and the contemporary
theologies of Marcellus of Ancyra and Eunomius of Cyzicus tries to give a more nuanced
understanding of Victorinus’ Trinitarian theology. The goal is to demonstrate that he is
not merely copying Platonic philosophy, but carefully employing philosophical methods
and insights to further the theological debate of his time. It is likely that Victorinus knows
Marcellus’ miahypostatic theology and considers its criticism to formulate his own concepts.
This article interprets Victorinus as a Christian philosopher of his own right who
is not simply Christianizing Platonic sources. His main motivation are soteriological
questions that shape his peculiar concept of the Trinity, which is best understood within
the framework of the Western miahypostatic theology of the fourth century.
APA:
Zacher, F. (2021). The Immanent and Economic Trinity in Marius Victorinus, Adversus Arium Ib. Studia Patristica, 128(25), 87-107. https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv27vt55p.10
MLA:
Zacher, Florian. "The Immanent and Economic Trinity in Marius Victorinus, Adversus Arium Ib." Studia Patristica 128.25 (2021): 87-107.
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