
In the Western tradition, however, the Christian conversion of the idea of holiness, its Trinitarianization, never really developed. Instead, the holiness of God was detached from the Trinity and reconceived within the world of Roman jurisprudence. It was revisioned through Roman concepts of law and order, crime and punishment, blind and cold justice. Reconceived within this stainless steel world of pure law, "holiness" came to mean "legal perfection" or "moral rectitude." This notion of holiness then crept in the back door of the doctrine of God and shaped our entire understanding of God's relationship with humanity and our understanding of the work of Christ itself.
2011JUABK