# The Transcendental Necessity of the Trinity



## Monergism (Aug 5, 2004)

Can someone explain the transcendental necessity for God's triune nature? 

Also, why didn't Bahnsen appeal to this transcendental more often? I have many of his lectures, but I never hear him talk about the transcendental necessity of God's triune nature when he compares other theistic worldviews . . .


----------



## Saiph (Aug 9, 2004)

Well said Paul.


----------



## openairboy (Aug 10, 2004)

[quote:70609b7914="Monergism"]Can someone explain the transcendental necessity for God's triune nature? 

Also, why didn't Bahnsen appeal to this transcendental more often? I have many of his lectures, but I never hear him talk about the transcendental necessity of God's triune nature when he compares other theistic worldviews . . .[/quote:70609b7914]

Paul said it very well, and Rushdoony carries out the practical implications of the issue in his book [i:70609b7914]The One and the Many[/i:70609b7914]. This is a wonderful book and will help you think through the issues more fully. Once I began to see the importance of the Trinity, then I began to view all things in light of the Trinity and the implications for all of life, notably worship, personal relationships, etc.

openairboy


----------



## Puritan Sailor (Aug 10, 2004)

[quote:cf32265d06="Paul manata"]sorry, I've been burned out on Van Til and the one and many lately.

Bahnsen does mention it but briefly. He didn't use the method that much I think becaus he always had the opponents on the run and they never thought to ask the good counter questions.

The necessity is in the one and many problem. Is unity ultimate or is diversity. Put differently, is there such thing as "apple" or are there many apples? Predication is an easier way to discuss it. Predication is when you attribute a predicate to a subject, e.g., the barn is red. The barn is particuar but "red' is knwn as a universal. How do you "bring together" the unity and plurality. Bahnsen (Van Til) would say that the trinity solves this problem. ONE God THREE persons. 

For further study i think john Frame deals with this more than Bahnsen and Van Til. He deals with it in a couple of his books (Doctrine of the knowledge of God, and, CVT: an analysis of his thought).[/quote:cf32265d06]
So is this issue talked about in Bahnson's book on VanTil? If so do you have a page#? I don't have Frames book. If it's a "good" counter argument to the TA then I would like to know more about it. 
So the counter argument would go something like "The TA may prove the existence of a god, but not the Trinity" or something like that? Wouldn't the response be that the TA proves the existence of the "Christian" God as revealed in Scripture, therefore also proving the Trinity as revealed in Scripture?


----------

