Below is a side-by-side comparative analysis of Eastern (Greek/Byzantine), Western (Latin/Reformation/Modern), and Recovery (Watchman Nee / Witness Lee) models of the economic Trinity.
The format and tone are suitable for a journal article section or comparative theology chapter.
Comparative Models of the Economic Trinity
(Eastern – Western – Recovery)
1. Basic Orientation
| Dimension | Eastern Tradition | Western Tradition | Recovery Tradition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary question | How does God communicate Himself for deification? | How does God reveal Himself for salvation and faith? | How does God dispense Himself for life and building? |
| Entry point | Divine economy → participation | Divine economy → revelation → doctrine | Divine economy → dispensing → experience |
| Dominant concern | Participation without confusion | Unity without division | Enjoyment without modalism |
2. Concept of “Economy” (οἰκονομία)
| Aspect | Eastern | Western | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meaning of economy | God’s saving actions and self-communication | God’s historical self-revelation | God’s plan and process to dispense Himself |
| Relation to immanent Trinity | Distinct but inseparable | Economy reflects immanent relations | Economy is the goal-oriented outworking of the Trinity |
| Risk avoided | Absorption into essence | Tritheism or subordination | Mere doctrinal abstraction |
Key distinction
- East: economy safeguards participation
- West: economy safeguards orthodoxy
- Recovery: economy safeguards experience and church life
3. Trinitarian Structure in the Economy
| Category | Eastern | Western | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Father | Arche (source) | Principle without principle | Source / origin |
| Son | Mediator, incarnate Logos | Revealer, Redeemer | Embodiment / expression |
| Spirit | Perfecter, deifier | Applier of salvation | Application / transmission |
| Formula | “From the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit” | Missions reveal processions | “The Father is embodied in the Son and realized as the Spirit” |
4. Unity and Distinction
| Issue | Eastern | Western | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unity | Essence (οὐσία) | Substance (substantia) | Coinherence (互相内住) |
| Distinction | Hypostases | Persons | Distinction without separation |
| Key safeguard | Inseparable operations | Psychological / relational analogies | Economic flow without modalism |
5. Participation vs. Experience
| Theme | Eastern | Western | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal of economy | Theosis (deification) | Justification & sanctification | Enjoyment of divine life |
| Mode | Participation in divine energies | Faith, grace, adoption | Receiving, eating, drinking Christ |
| Emphasis | Ontological participation | Forensic & relational | Organic & metabolic |
Observation:
Recovery theology translates Eastern participation into biblical-experiential language.
6. Christology and Economy
| Aspect | Eastern | Western | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center | Incarnation as cosmic pivot | Cross and justification | Incarnation → inclusion → dispensing |
| Christ’s role | Recapitulator of creation | Mediator of salvation | God-man as prototype of believers |
| Key figure | Maximus the Confessor | Luther / Calvin | Witness Lee |
7. Pneumatology
| Dimension | Eastern | Western | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit’s role | Deification, illumination | Application of redemption | Realization of the Triune God |
| Emphasis | Energies | Grace | Indwelling, mingling (非混杂) |
| Experience | Mystical participation | Assurance, sanctification | Daily living, church practice |
8. Epistemology: How Is the Trinity Known?
| Question | Eastern | Western | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| How do we know God? | Through divine operations | Through revelation and Scripture | Through experience of the Spirit |
| Priority | Worship & ascetic life | Teaching & confession | Practice & enjoyment |
| Risk | Mystical elitism | Doctrinal abstraction | Anti-intellectualism (guarded against) |
9. Ecclesiological Outcome
| Aspect | Eastern | Western | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Church | Sacramental community | Preaching & covenant community | Corporate expression of the Triune God |
| Economy’s goal | Deified humanity | Redeemed people | Built-up Body of Christ |
| Final horizon | Participation in divine life | Glory of God | New Jerusalem as consummated economy |
10. Comparative Synthesis (Key Differences)
- Eastern model emphasizes
→ participation
→ economy as energetic self-communication
- Western model emphasizes
→ revelation and doctrine
→ economy as ground of orthodoxy
- Recovery model emphasizes
→ dispensing and experience
→ economy as God’s administrative plan to impart Himself
11. One-Paragraph Academic Synthesis
While Eastern theology frames the economic Trinity primarily in terms of participatory deification and Western theology in terms of revelatory missions grounded in immanent relations, the Recovery tradition rearticulates the economic Trinity as a divine dispensing aimed at producing a corporate expression of God. Rather than negating classical models, the Recovery approach may be read as an experiential and ecclesiological appropriation of patristic economic theology, translating participation and mission into the language of life, enjoyment, and building.
12. Suggested Use in a Journal Article
You can place this section as:
- Section II: Comparative Models of the Economic Trinity
- Preceding:
- a critical evaluation section, or
- a case study on Witness Lee in dialogue with the Cappadocians / Rahner
If you wish, next I can:
- Critically evaluate strengths and weaknesses of each model
- Position the Recovery model within contemporary Trinitarian debates
- Rewrite this in formal Chinese academic theology style
- Adapt it to a peer-review journal’s word and citation standards
Just tell me your next step.
