http://www.gregboyd.org/?s=atonement

Greg gives a heads-up on his upcoming 2 vol. Myth project.

"A Transformed Transcendence: Being and Becoming in Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christian Theology (Myth of the Blueprint, Vol. 1: InterVarsity Press, projected publication, 2013). In this volume I trace the themes of being and becoming in ancient Hellenistic philosophy and early Christian theology up to Boethius. I hope to demonstrate that the classical Christian understanding that God (ultimate being) is devoid of becoming and is therefore immutable, impassible and atemporal arises from Hellenistic philosophical assumptions rather than Scripture."

Tom: I can’t wait to see what he does with this. I actually this there’s a legitimate criticism of Orthodoxy here. But recently reading David Bradshaw, it may not be that the Eastern Fathers were AS anally committed to divine atemporalism as Greg thinks. For example, I hope Greg deals with St. Methodius, an Orthodox father, who posited a kind of quasi-time in God. If Greg misses Bradshaw’s work or overlooks Methodius, that’ll weaken him.

Secondly though, Greg doesn’t grasp (last time we met) what’s at the heart of apatheia (impassibilism) for the Fathers. Even John Sanders sees this now. If Greg doesn’t fix this, it’ll be especially bad. Point is, Greg’s OWN work on Hartshorne presumes a version of the doctrine of apatheia (rightly understood), or at least a version of apatheia that’s compatible with the Patristic CONCERN behind their version of the doctrine.

"God: A Transformed Sovereignty: Providence, Free Will and Evil in Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christian Theology (Myth of the Blueprint, Vol. 2: InterVarsity Press, projected publication, 2013). In this volume I trace the themes of providence, fate, free will and evil in ancient Hellenistic philosophy and the early church. I hope to demonstrate the traditional Christian assumption that everything that comes to pass in history directly or indirectly reflects God’s will (what I call the blueprint world view) arises out of pagan philosophy rather than the biblical tradition."

Tom: What’s he calling the “early church” here, or the “traditional Christian assumption” that…etc.? I thought his argument is that things solidify in Augustine. But that just means they were NOT solidified in the “early church” tradition. And that’s an important point I hope he appreciates in the book. The EO and open theism are ONE in their denial that all evil directly or indirectly reflects God’s will. So there is not traditional belief in the early church (prior to Augustine) that evil directly or indirectly reflects God’s will. Gosh I hope he dudn’t get burnt on this.