The Carolingian philosopher and theologian Johannes Scottus Eriugena
is an important point of confluence of many streams of Trinitarian
thought, as well as a significant and creative theologian in his own
right. Because of his remarkable ability to work back through Patristic
sources to the original Neoplatonic doctrine by means of sheer
ratiocination, Eriugena also acts a valuable critic of the many streams
of Trinitarianism that come through to him, both Eastern and Western.
This issue has been well explored from the perspective of the
Neoplatonic elements that went up to make it. However, a good deal of
new work on the Liberal Arts tradition has appeared recently (including
my own). The integration of this work with existing scholarship on the
Neoplatonic elements in his Trinitarian theology is an important
project, which also has implications for contemporary debates in
theology, especially as regards inculturation. In this communication,
the issue of Eriugena's methodology will be addressed, and the extent to
which that reflects Patristic methodology as a whole, when confronted
with an attractive and sophisticated system of thought.
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