Critique of Sinclair B. Ferguson's "The Holy Spirit"
in light of Augustine's "De Trinitate"
All theological problems are related to that of
the Doctrine of God and the Doctrine of the Trinity. Therefore it follows
that no theological issue can be researched and studied independently apart
from the Doctrine of God. Thus all of theology is subordinate to this doctrine.
In other words, problems raised in the discussions of the Doctrine of Man,
Christology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology, and Eschatology are not confined
to these areas, but rather leave their ultimate cause in the Doctrine of
God. It is evident that the essential problem of the issues related to the
Doctrine of the Holy Spirit which have continually been the tropic these
days have its fundamental basis in how the Trinity is understood in the
Doctrine of God.
Futhermore, without a correct understanding of the
Trinity, a proper understanding of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit cannot
be expected. Augustine's "De Trinitate" is an absolute for
the traditional understanding of the Doctrine of the Trinity Not only are
there enough evidences of church history supporting this, but above all
the content of the material itself stands as a proof, The weight of Augustine's
understating of the Doctrine of the Trinity is well illustrated in Berkhof
and Bavinck's church historical review(p.6), witnessed by Calvin(pp.4-5),
and verified by the 17th century orthodox theology(pp.64бн68). Therefore,
for a proper understanding of the Doctrine of the Trinity and that of all
theological issues, especially concerning the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit,
Augustine's "De Trinitate" must be preceded.
The essential
teaching in Augustine's "De Trinitate" "opera trinitatis
ad extra sunt indivisa" has been well introduced but the richness of
understanding that accompanies such a proposition has been otherwise. This
traditionally well known proposition of the Doctrine of the Trinity was
by Augustine clearly and vividly explaned as a structure('secundum substantiam,'
'ad se invicem in Tlinitate,' and 'ad invicem, But ad creaturam'). The detailed
explanation of Augustine's Trinitarian structure is introduced in this Thesis(pp.7бн18).
Futhermore, this Thesis demonstrates the fact that Augustine interpreted
the whole of the Scripture using the structure, and also how his understanding
of the Holy Spirit was explained clearly using this structure(pp.18бн25).
Ferguson, a well known conservative theologian,
failed to provide an adequate answer to the existing problems concerning
the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit from a position of the reformed theology.
The cause of this failure came from the failure to grasp the traditional
teaching of the Doctrine of the Trinity. In general, Ferguson
errs in the following areas: identifying the Holy Spirit as "another
Christ"(pp.68бн70), understanding coming of the Holy Spirit in
the concept of time(pp.70бн72), the limitation in the understanding
of the progressive revelation(pp,72бн75), interpreting the scriptural verses
concerning the Holy Spirit (pp.76"81), understanding the covenant
and the law(pp.86бн89), concerning the predestination(pp.89бн91), and understanding
the relationship between the old Testament and the New Testament (pp.79-81).
His attempt to account the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit using the historical
redemptive approach of the Biblical Theology without the proper understanding
the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the light of Augustine's structural understanding
of the Trinity is the cause of the failure. The limitations of the historical
redemptive approach have already been demonstrated in Bavinck's critic
ism of the Covenant Theology of Coccejus (pp.91-94).
Such an understanding concerning the Holy Spirit is found not only in Ferguson
but rather in predominant number of theologians in the reformed camp(pp.62-64,
81-84). To this fact one must raise awareness.
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