Abstract
This thesis argues that rather than focusing on the Church as an institution, social grouping, or volunteer society, the study of ecclesiology must begin with a robust investigation of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Utilising the work of Thomas F. Torrance, it proposes that the Church is to be understood as an empirical community in space and time that is primarily shaped by the perichoretic communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, revealed by the economic work of the Son and the Spirit. The Church’s historical existence is thus subordinate to the Church’s relation to the Triune God, which is why the doctrine of the Trinity is assigned a regulative influence in Torrance’s work. This does not exclude the essential nature of other doctrines, but gives pre-eminence to the doctrine of the Trinity as the foundational article for ecclesiology.
The methodology of this thesis is one of constructive analysis, involving a critical and constructive appreciation of Torrance’s work, and then exploring how further dialogue with Torrance’s work can be fruitfully undertaken. Part A (Chapters 1-5) focuses on the theological architectonics of Torrance’s ecclesiology, emphasising that the doctrine of the Trinity has precedence over ecclesiology. While the doctrine of the Church is the immediate object of our consideration, we cannot begin by considering the Church as a spatiotemporal institution, but rather must look ‘through the Church’ to find its dimension of depth, which is the Holy Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are a full and replete communion of Triune love, and the free outpouring of this love upon humanity, alongside the corresponding invitation to humanity to participate in the Triune fellowship, are key to understanding the transcendent foundation of the Church. The central motif which we will engage with is the idea of koinōnia, exploring the correlation between the divine koinōnia, and human koinōnia.
Part B (Chapters 6–10) lays out the implications of this key theological relationship for the order, structure, ministry and mission of the Church in the time between Christ’s two advents. This is because seeking to understand the external forms of the Church’s life without first considering it in its full theological relation to the doctrine of God results in a truncated ecclesiology. By taking this approach, the thesis shows how each of these elements points forward to the consummation of God’s intentions for humanity, which is humankind’s full participation in the fellowship of the Trinity. The thesis concludes by comparing Torrance’s ecclesiology with representative samples of work from John Webster, Kathryn Tanner, Jürgen Moltmann and John Zizioulas, in order to situate Torrance as a conversation partner within wider theological dialogue.