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Work #1481 · Late

A Discourse in Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity

Edward Stillingfleet
1696 · English
Theological treatise · Latitudinarian Anglicanism / Trinitarian apologetics

Stillingfleet's 1696 defence of Trinitarian orthodoxy — the work that drew him into open dispute with Locke

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute A Discourse in Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity (Late)
Time · Extent Finite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Both
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Finite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Finite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Immediate
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Active
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency Limited
Observer · Moral Authority Revelation
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent Finite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Continuous

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

A Discourse in Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity

1696. Stillingfleet was 61 and Bishop of Worcester (since 1689); he would die three years later in 1699.

Space

A Discourse in Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity

London / Worcester — Stillingfleet held both the deanship of St Paul's (1678-89) and then the bishopric of Worcester (1689-99).

Matter

A Discourse in Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity

Theological-apologetic treatise (~270 pages in original). Form is sustained essay in three parts.

Observer

A Discourse in Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity

Late Stillingfleet as defender of Trinitarian orthodoxy. The observer-bishop is at the height of his theological-political authority but engaging in the late-1690s' resurgent Unitarian controversy.

Energy

A Discourse in Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity

Apologetic-controversial energies of the 1690s anti-Unitarian moment. The Toleration Act's loosening of dissent-restrictions had made the controversy more public.

Information

A Discourse in Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity

Single treatise plus the subsequent Locke exchange. The third-part metaphysical analysis is the most philosophically-influential material.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

A Discourse in Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity

The work that drew Locke into the longest extended philosophical exchange of his life. The four-round Locke-Stillingfleet exchange (1697-98) is one of the most important Locke-controversy documents and a major source for understanding the metaphysical implications of Locke's account of substance.