Knowing the divine persons: an engagement with Wolfhart Pannenberg’s doctrine of Revelation and Trinitarian theology

This thesis engages the Trinitarian theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg with the epistemology of Michael Polanyi to establish a relational ontology that leads to a conception of persons that is active and dynamic. The first chapter explores Polanyi’s philosophy of science in his specific milieu. The second chapter assesses the wide range of personhood within modernity and posits a definition of persons. The third chapter critically assesses Pannenberg’s doctrine of Revelation, resulting in the diagnoses of a revelatory problem where the Trinity does not play an adequate role within his theological method. The fourth chapter diagnoses a Christological problem where Pannenberg places an inadequate epistemic role onto the divine nature of Christ, making Christ’s resurrection the sole epistemic method for coming to knowledge of the Triune persons. Polanyi’s concept of dual control bridges Pannenberg’s bifurcation of Jesus Christ’s dual natures. The fifth chapter diagnoses a fiduciary problem where Pannenberg’s theology of faith inadequately engages the process of coming to knowledge and, thus, relationship of the divine persons. Polanyi’s concept of indwelling begins the rectification of this problem. The sixth chapter gives an in-depth analysis of the inner and intra relations of the Trinity. Finally, Polanyian indwelling constructs a philosophical tool that is used to correct Pannenberg’s revelatory problem highlight in chapter three by communicating a fully relational ontology for personhood where the Triune persons are active within the methodology of the revelation of God.