TRINITARIAN AND IGBO ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESOURCES FOR MORE EFFECTIVE HUMAN RELATIONS

Trinitarian theology has a long history in Christian theological tradition both in the East and West. Despite the initial controversies it generated among the early Fathers of the Church, it became more or less a settled issue by the fourth century. Since then, theologians have reflected on the doctrine to the extent that it became an abstract theological speculation much removed from the daily lives of Christians. Just recently, with the work of such theologians as Jürgen Moltmann, John Zizioulas, and Catherine LaCugna, who are described as social trinitarians, this doctrine is brought down once more as the early Fathers did, especially the eastern Fathers, to have a bearing on the lives of ordinary Christians. This paper argues that the Igbo understanding of the human person and the Christian trinitarian theology have many lessons that would aid the understanding of the best principles for more effective human relations. The trinitarian perichoresis and Igbo anthropological relationality shed light on and model interpersonal and intersubjective approaches to relations among humans both in informal and organisational sectors. This involves a critical analysis of existing literature on the subject matter.

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