“EARLY CHRISTIAN BINITARIANISM”: FROM RELIGIOUS PHENOMENON TO POLEMICAL INSULT TO SCHOLARLY CONCEPT

This article discusses the use of “binitarianism” and related concepts in the study of early Christian writings. A survey of past and present uses of “binitarian monotheism” reveals that there are at least two quite distinct uses of this term, developed in distinct scholarly contexts, each informed by specific theological presuppositions, and assuming specific theological agendas. A certain discrepancy becomes evident between the early Christian phenomenon termed “binitarianism” and its scholarly description. These observations make it necessary to ask whether the flaws of this concept outweigh its usefulness for scholarly reconstructions of early Christian thought.