This seminar will be led by Dr. James DeMasi.
Calling the first person of the Trinity “Father” is not one of many names that we call the first person of the Trinity–it is the name for the first of the Trinity, the proper designation of that person. But does it mean to call God “Father”? What is a father? Are human fathers analogous to God the Father, or do we call God “father” because human fathers are a convenient referent? As we will find out, these questions are not new to our inquiry but date back to the early Church. In many ways, Christ was killed for insisting on the paternity of God the Father, and in many ways, understanding what it means to call God “Father” conditions the way we understand calling Christ the “Son of God.”