A reply to a five-year-old comment is probably pointless, but just in case…

I have found great help from John Frame’s “A History of Western Philosophy and Theology,” mainly because it approaches the history of philosophy and theology from an overt Van Tilian perspective. Because it covers everything from ancient Greek philosophy to 20th century figures, the book can only be somewhat surface level, but Frame is good at describing the thought of others and evaluating it from a biblical perspective. His book even has a great glossary of terms for quick reference.

I am not sure what my brothers here at Reformed Forum would think about my recommendation, as they do have some critiques of Frame. Or, perhaps they have a better book in mind! Either way, that is a book I have personally found helpful.

An article by William Dennison touches upon our topic here and can be found in Kerux, September 2006,
pages 13-34 under the title “Natural and Special Revelation: A
Reassessment.”

Good question. I should clarify myself. I meant to say that the God who is revealed in nature is the Triune God and not another. Now the question of whether he has revealed himself in nature as Triune is a debated matter. It would seem that God reveals himself in nature as existent, powerful, and holy, etc. And that we only get information about the Triune nature of God in Scripture and even that is revealed progressively over time. However, Augustine and others have argued for what are called the “vestigia trinitatis” or vestiges of the Trinity in nature (human nature being one analogy). Is Augustine correct about this? It is a question worth wrestling with and I have not given enough thought to the question to settle it definitively in my own mind.

This is a good subject for a future CTC.

But let’s be clear that the God who has revealed himself in nature is the same God who has revealed himself in Scripture and that God is Triune. In other words, if I may draw on the simple point made by Irenaeus of Lyons in his argument against the Gnostics, the Creator God is also the Redeemer God. There are aspects of creation which seem to point to a Trinitarian God such as the relation of the one and the many and the relation of universals and particulars (facts and laws or one human being and human nature). So I guess I am sympathetic with Augustine even if I have not settled the matter.

Question. I’m not sure how natural reveals a specifically Triune God. Did I hear you incorrectly? Yes, nature reveals the “God of the Bible,” not merely the idea of a divine being. But I understand this to mean that every “creature” has the imprint of the “Creator” on our heart, the seed of divinity. But how could we possibly argue for the Triune God from nature to an unbeliever? It doesn’t seem that this can be accomplished apart from the revelation of this Triune God found in the Word of God.