When invited to deliver the 1981 Warfield Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary, the renowned Scottish theologian Thomas F. Torrance chose to address the theology of the Nicene Creed. Published as The Trinitarian Faith, Torrance presents a fascinating retrieval of the church fathers and their Nicene theology. Yet, Torrance’s appropriation of the fathers raises historical and methodological questions—they all seem to agree with Torrance! In chapter 2 of The Trinitarian Faith, “Access to the Father,” Torrance presents his theology of the knowledge of God the Father. In so doing, he retrieves Athanasius’ concept of the homoousion to overcome the “radical dualism” introduced into Christian theology as the gospel spread to the Greco-Roman world.
Therefore, in this paper I will investigate Torrance’s retrieval of the homoousion in the formulation of his theology of the knowledge of God the Father. Building upon the recent work of Jason Radcliff, I will first suggest that the “radical dualism” perceived by Torrance is not so radical after all, i.e. Athanasius use of homoousion does not negate natural knowledge of God as Torrance argues. Next, I will then argue that Torrance offers us a model of retrieve in which he appropriates the homoousion concept in a way not originally intended by Athanasius. Finally, I will end with a constructive conclusion that asks if and how the homoousion informs our knowledge of God in a way that better honors Athanasius’ and the Nicene tradition’s original intent.