After having begun his doctrine of God, Pannenberg turns to his understanding of the essence and attributes of the Triune God. Important here is how the discussion of God’s essence and attributes is informed by the previous philosophical discussion, but distinctively by the self-revelation of God in the Christian tradition. Pannenberg turns to his central metaphysical principle, the infinite, and argues that it is the best concept for understanding the essence of God. The incomprehensibility of God rests in God’s infinity and the infinite unity of God’s essence (347). Regardless of the location of origin, the multiplicity of statements about the essence of God can only apply in the divine unity. Once the whatness of what is affirmed, the concept of essence, one can recognize the existence of it. The essence of God is then distinct and prior to God’s existence. Any historical moment of existence, is then specific existence of a specific essence in which only the sum total of the moments of existence coincide with the unity of the essence. The essence of God, in a finite world of history, remains beyond the full grasp of humanity without sum total of manifestations of God’s existence or a single manifestation that is constitutive of the total (358). When Pannenberg applies the concept to the self-revelation of God, the three persons of the Trinity are understood as three forms of existence of the single essence of God. The essence of God then has its existence in the three persons both in and over the world and this single constellation of God is “identical with the unlimited field of God’s nonthematic presence in his creation” (359). Pannenberg employs the concept of force field as the common essence of the deity that enables each person of the Trinity to be equal manifestations and eternal forms of the divine essence that are bound to the Spirit of love. In contrast with human persons, the Trinitarian persons cannot be separated from the Spirit of love that binds them. The persons of the Trinity are then to be understood as centers of action of the one movement which permeates and embraces them all, which is the movement of the divine essence whose existence is in their tri-unity. This demonstrates the capacity for action to relate the immanent and economic Trinity because in an action one relates to that which is outside oneself, but this is done only relation to self. That the action of a person is an action of God is only understandable should the identity of each be based on their relationality. It is then necessary for Pannenberg to develop this relationality in the context of God’s action to demonstrate the tri-unity of divine action so that the development of divine attributes is attached to the essence of God and not susceptible to the anthropomorphic critique. Pannenberg again returns to the concept of the monarchy of the Father in relationship to its consummation to unify divine action. It is again developed without subordination of the persons by noting that the Father cannot have the Kingdom without, but only through the Son and Holy Spirit (I, 324 & 389). The spirituality of God is God’s presence as Spirit, which makes God present to all creation. Through the unity of the three persons in the Spirit made present to creation Pannenberg finds the acting subject of divine action. Pannenberg insists that the action of God is not like that of finite beings that set a goal and then find means to meet the goal, because God is present at all times and the manifestation of God’s lordship does not meet a need of God’s eternal being. Instead, the action of God in the world is understood as the repetition of God’s eternal being, the immanent Trinity, in relation to the world. Since the goal of God is nearest to God, as it gives priority to the immanent Trinity, the action of God in the world is God’s coming to it from its fulfillment (I, 390). The immanent Trinity is thus the one who acts and creates the conditions of self-revelation through the economy of God’s saving action. The attributes of God, although developed in the midst of history, are the based on the repetition of the essence of God. Likewise, here the logic of Pannenberg’s connection of creation, incarnation, and consummation is given by their inclusion in the decision of the eternal God to create.
by Tripp Fuller