Elizabeth Hastings: SC.Augustine of Hippo on naming God as the Holy Trinity and naming God as Jesus' Father: Some ecumenical implications for the addressing of God as "Father".

This enquiry is framed by the Latin-Greek ecumenical problem of reconciling the naming of God as the Trinity with the naming of God as Jesus' Father.   The latter is reflected in the Eastern Orthodox emphasis on the monarchy of God the Father.   The former naming is reflected in Augustine's, and the Western Latin, emphasis on the one God as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each and together fully God.   Augustine does, however, invoke both namings of God.   The object of this enquiry is to identify apparent dislocations and reconciliations between these two namings of God in Augustine's own thought, and to examine some of their ecumenical implications for the believer's addressing of God as "Father".

The Gospel of John contains most of the New Testament references to God as Jesus' Father.   It also contains references to "your Father", "our Father", and "the Father", with which to counterpoise Jesus' naming of the Father as "my Father".   For the purposes of this paper, the investigation accordingly focuses upon Augustine's In Iohannis evangelium tractatusfor his insights regarding this naming of God.    The De Trinitate is additionally included as a touchstone of Augustine's mature thought on the one God as the Trinity.