Trinitarian Spirit-Christology in Thomas Aquinas: Biblical Hermeneutics and the munus triplex

The term ‘Spirit-Christology’ has begun to play an increasingly conspicuous role in contemporary theological discussions. Arising on the one hand from a growing field of Pentecostal theological reflection, and on the other from a post-Kantian desire to replace metaphysics with ‘history’ and ‘narrative’ (an aspiration evident among both biblical scholars and Barthians), the concept of Spirit- Christology remains somewhat ambiguous in its meaning and usage. Although it often serves as a moniker for contemporary Adoptionism, there is a mounting interest in Chalcedonian approaches to Spirit-Christology, which strive to uphold both a sufficient ontology and an adequate understanding of Christ’s activity. In a recent book, Dominic Legge has argued persuasively that Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) evidences just this sort of balanced Spirit-Christology. In this essay, I engage with and extend Legge’s argument in order to suggest some possibilities that it opens up with respect to biblical hermeneutics and the theological interpretation of Scripture.

“Trinitarian Spirit-Christology in Thomas Aquinas: Biblical Hermeneutics and the munus triplex,” Noesis Review 5 (2018): 71–78.