
Cover -- The Contradictory Christ -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Preface -- Aim -- Previous Work -- Future Work -- Hope -- Target Audience -- Conventions Governing Style -- An Unsolicited Note On Reading The Book -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- 1: Contradictory Christology -- 1.1 The Longstanding Christological Quest -- 1.2 The Central Thesis: Christ The Contradiction -- 1.3 Terminology: Contradiction And Contradictory Beings -- 1.4 The Rarity Of True Contradictory Theories -- 1.5 Summary And Looking Forward -- 2: Logic And Its Possibilities -- 2.1 Entailment Relations In General 2.1.1 Very Big Picture -- 2.1.2 Languages And Their Salient Parts -- 2.1.2.1 Alphabet And Other Bits -- 2.1.2.2 Singular Terms -- 2.1.2.3 Predicates -- 2.1.2.4 Sentences: Atomic -- 2.1.3 Meanings: Denotation, True-of And False-of Relations -- 2.1.3.1 Singular Terms: Denotation -- 2.1.3.2 Predicates: True-of And False-of -- 2.1.4 Meanings Of (atomic) Sentences: Truth And Falsity Conditions -- 2.1.5 Entailment Relations On A Language -- 2.2 The Role Of Logic In General And In Theology -- 2.2.1 Theology And Consequence -- 2.2.2 Consequence And (formal) Logical Consequence 2.2.3 Logic And Standard Logic -- 2.3 Logic: Subclassical -- 2.3.1 Formal Language -- 2.3.1.1 Syntax -- 2.3.1.2 Semantics: Towards Truth And Falsity Conditions -- 2.3.1.3 Atomic Sentences -- 2.3.1.4 Semantic Values For Molecular Sentences -- 2.4 Logic: The Target Consequence Relation -- 2.5 Salient Logical (in-) Validities -- 2.6 Chief Virtues Of This Account Of Logic -- 3: Seven Virtues -- 3.1 Simplicity -- 3.2 Avoiding Ad Hoc Changes In Meaning -- 3.3 Metaphysical Neutrality -- 3.4 Preserving The Principal Subject Of Christology -- 3.5 Balancing 'from Above' And 'from Below' 3.6 Preserving The Mystery Of The Hypostatic Union -- 3.7 Christology And The Obvious Need For Faith -- 3.8 Closing Big-picture Remarks -- 4: Some Objections -- 4.1 Methodological Issues -- 4.1.1 Your Theology Is False! -- 4.1.2 Truth Requires Coherenc
Does the traditional doctrine of the hypostatic union require a logical framework that permits true contradictions? J. C. Beall, a philosopher known for his work in paraconsistent logic, argues that the central mystery of Christ—being both fully human and fully divine—is best understood as a literal contradiction. By employing subclassical logic, Beall attempts to provide a formal structure that preserves the traditional theological claims without resorting to ad hoc redefinitions of terms.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Readers frequently note the technical density of the prose, as Beall requires a foundational understanding of formal logic to follow his arguments. Experts in analytic theology highlight this work as a significant contribution to the intersection of formal logic and systematic theology.
Page Count:
224
Publication Date:
2021-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10:
019259351X
ISBN-13:
9780192593511
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