Book Launch: Joshua Mobley's A Brief Systematic Theology of the Symbol

Joshua (CCS alumnus and now Lecturer at Baylor University, Texas) will be joined by Hans Boersma (Nashotah House Theological Seminary, Wisconsin), Karen Kilby (Durham University), and Simon Oliver (Durham University) to discuss the work. 

All are welcome: come along, hear about a new book, meet new people, and help us celebrate the launch! Registration for this online event opens on 12 January at https://centreforcatholicstudies.eventbrite.com. 

The book

How do Christians understand the Trinity? How does this understanding relate to other Christian teachings? In conversation with key thinkers in contemporary and classical theology, particularly Henri de Lubac, Karl Rahner, Thomas Aquinas and Augustine, this book argues that a theology of symbols can help us glimpse the mystery of the Trinity and see how this central Christian teaching corresponds to Christian understandings of creation, humanity and the church.

A symbol is not here understood as an arbitrary sign, but as a sign that mediates the presence of the symbolized. In this book published by T&T Clark, Joshua Mobley examines the understanding of the Father as “symbolized” in the Son who is the “symbol” of the Father by the “symbolism” of the Spirit, the personal agent of unity between Father and Son. These trinitarian relations then structure creaturely relations to God: God is symbolized in creation, which is a symbol of God by participation in the Son, and the church is symbolism, the union of creation with God by the power of the Spirit. Mobley thus argues that a theology of symbol helps coordinate trinitarian theology with key themes in Christian dogmatics.

 Please note that this event was originally scheduled for 30 November 2021.