The Vulnerability of the Spirit in Modern Trinitarian Theology

The paper considers the Holy Spirit’s “groaning in labor pains” in Paul’s letter to the Romans in light of Irenaeus of Lyon’s trinitarian image of the Son and Holy Spirit as “the Father’s Two Hands,” and of his maxim, “The glory of God is the human being fully alive, and the fullness of life is the vision of God.” How do these mutually related principles of God’s revelatory action and humanity’s response function when the path of faith is blinded by suffering and life is experienced as tragically less-than-full? The thesis is that the Spirit freely enters into a “vulnerability” in solidarity with the world that is analogous to the suffering Christ’s, which constructively enlarges the scope of Irenaeus’ two principles. Sergei Bulgakov’s reception of Irenaeus’ “two-hand” trinitarianism is compared with that of Hans Urs von Balthasar and then expanded in dialogue with Sarah Coakley and Shelly Rambo.