Divine Temporality, the Trinity, and the Charge of Arianism by Ryan T. Mullins

 

In what sense is God "eternal"? I'm not dogmatic on any particular theory of God's relation to time. Whether the various A-theories, or B-theory etc. My default position is divine timelessness [i.e. B-theory]. But I'm not wedded to it, and there are alleged problems with it for Christianity. William Lane Craig, for example, proposes that God is timeless sans creation, but temporal since creation. Others, like Ryan Mullins, believe God is everlastingly temporal. However, on the face of it, that seems to lead to opening the door to a denial of the Trinity and the affirmation of some kind of Arianism (e.g. Semi-Arianism). Ryan T. Mullins addresses that concern in his paper, "Divine Temporality, the Trinity, and the Charge of Arianism." Here's the link:

https://journals.tdl.org/jat/index.php/jat/article/download/jat.2016-4.172413122018a/298

Or:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W4AakFLihD562LFoV4aqi0cMsQ_hbUY2/view?usp=share_link

Having read the paper, I'll likely review it in the future. Long story short, Mullins' answer is to reject the traditional doctrine of the eternal generation/filiation of the the Son and the eternal procession/spiration of the Holy Spirit. I'm open to that view, but lean toward an affirmation of both traditional doctrines.  

The Arian Controversy by H.M. Gwatkin

 

R.P.C. Hanson's book The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God: The Arian Controversy, 318-381 is considered by most scholars to be the modern classic and standard resource dealing with the Arian controversy. In the previous generation, two of the classics were Henry Melvill Gwatkin's books, Studies of Arianism and The Arian Controversy. The latter was a condensed and updated version of the earlier and fuller tome. Having read The Arian Controversy, I noticed a clear bias for the Trinitarian position. As a Trinitarian myself, I agree; but I wish he, as a historian, would have been a bit more objective and fair with the opposing views.

The Arian Controversy by H.M. Gwatkin [or Here]

Studies of Arianism by H.M. Gwatkin