David Coffey – författare

David Coffey considers the full range of issues surrounding the Trinity, one of the central doctrines of Christian faith. He looks at these issues in historical and ecumenical context, with the goal of arriving at a balanced vision that incorporates the insights of both the Western and Eastern churches. In particular, he keeps in sight both the immanent aspect of the Trinity (the Godhead considered in itself) and the Trinity's economic aspect (its role within the economy of salvation). He also suggests a way to resolve the ecumenical problem of Filioquism vs. Monopatrism -- the issue that has divided East from West for nearly a millennium.

This is a new, that is, corrected and updated, edition of a book first published in 1979. It has been recast in inclusive language. As a systematic treatment of the theology of grace, it concentrates on what may be termed the key question in this branch of theology, the person of Jesus as the arena where the full drama of the interaction of God and humanity is played out. The book breaks new ground in that it attacks the long-standing dichotomy between the Incarnation and grace, and offers a new principle of synthesisation. This principle is that the Holy Spirit is Spirit of Sonship primarily for Jesus himself, so that it is the creative outpouring of the Spirit on him by the Father that brings about the Incarnation. The Spirit is seen as the Spirit of filiation for others only in function of his role in relation to Jesus. A more profound interpretation of the patristic expression ""sons and daughters in the Son"" emerges from this study. While the book is situated in the Catholic tradition, its ecumenical implications are manifold.

The beautiful and mysterious Princess Agnes Salm-Salm captivated East Coast society for a decade after 1861. She played a sometimes controversial, often conspicuous, and always colorful role in three of the century's major events: the American Civil War, the fall of Maximilian's empire in Mexico, and the Franco-Prussian War. An alluring American woman with an unknown past, she married a German soldier of fortune who served in the Union army and happened also to be a minor prince. Stories showed her alongside her husband in battle areas, treating the wounded and using her beauty and assertiveness to seek his professional advancement. Her exploits in Mexico included extravagant and verifiable efforts to save Maximilian from execution. As in the modern cases of Princess Grace of Monaco or Princess Diana of Great Britain, the contemporary fascination with this princess reveals something of the American desire for a paradoxical mix of aristocratic royalty with republican boldness.