The power of the Triune God’s intrinsic sovereignty is variously expressed in qualities of the power of God’s sovereignty in different strands of the economy. God’s way of relating in each strand of the economy is intrinsically powerfully self-regulated (“sovereign”) toward different goods for creatures. Hence, there is no one sense in which God is “powerful.” However, all of the strands express two qualities of the power of God’s intrinsic sovereignty: free provenience and self-binding to realize discrete goods for creatures in their kinds. Hence, in each strand God powerfully relates to realize certain goods for creatures in ways that are self-bound not to conflict with creatures in ways that violate their integrities as creatures in their kinds. As an example, this is exhibited in regard to the Triune God’s relating in creative blessing by analysis of implications of the taxis in which the “Persons” are engaged in creation.

Chapter 4 explores Gregory’s re-telling of the fall against the backdrop of the ‘garments of glory’ tradition. After being persuaded by the devil to eat the fruit in paradise, the image of God is banished and clothed in garments of ‘thick, dull flesh’, which equates to being shrouded in sin. This renders the human person at greater risk from the devil. Here, we examine the way in which Gregory discusses the devil, arguing that Gregory attributes to the devil a diminishing existence. The battles with the spiritual powers of darkness form a primary strand in Gregory’s narrative of the image of God’s existence, in which the devil hovers behind conversations of sin, the flesh, the world and the passions.