The Cross,and Necessity: A Trinitarian Perspective

Abstract

I argue that the understanding of the necessity of the cross for divine reconciliation needs to be re-evaluated in light of two components of a classical trinitarian metaphysic: the doctrine of inseparable operations and the doctrine of trinitarian missions. Drawing from Thomas Aquinas and Bernard Lonergan, I suggest that the economic actions of the incarnate Son are not antecedent conditions, but consequent conditions of God’s ultimate salvific ends. After sharpening this proposal in conversation with Nicholas Lombardo’s recent work, I further clarify the particular kind of necessity that attaches to the work of Christ, before responding to several objections.