
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
I. Many‐One Identity I. Many‐One Identity
-
II. Application to the Trinitarian Claims II. Application to the Trinitarian Claims
-
III. Problems III. Problems
-
III.I I One‐One Composition III.I I One‐One Composition
-
III.II Many‐One Composition III.II Many‐One Composition
-
References References
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5 5 Many‐One Identity and the Trinity
Get access-
Published:August 2012
Cite
Abstract
The doctrine of the Trinity is a conjunction of these three claims: There are three distinct Divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; each Divine Person is God; and there is exactly one God. However, if there are three distinct Persons that are each God, we should get the result that there are three Gods. It seems Trinitarian Christians are having trouble counting: they need 3 to equal 1. There has been a flurry of discussion about the claim that ‘composition is identity’, i.e., that pluralities are identical to the things that they compose (if there is something they compose). Many can literally be one. This chapter argues that this claim is not helpful to Trinitarians. Section I begins by discussing the many-one identity claim. Section II applies the claim to the Doctrine of the Trinity, presenting how it might seem to help the Trinitarian. Section III argues that upon closer inspection it proves not to help at all, but instead leaves us with the same options that we began with. The chapter also discusses the difficulties appeals to Composition as Identity generate for the intelligibility of monotheism. It concludes that, while it is an interesting metaphysical thesis, the Composition as Identity claim is not useful in helping reconcile the claims in the Doctrine of the Trinity.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 1 |
January 2023 | 3 |
March 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 1 |
July 2023 | 2 |
April 2024 | 3 |
June 2024 | 1 |
March 2025 | 2 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.