Perichoresis
The mutual indwelling of the three divine persons: each is in the others without mixing or collapsing. Social-Trinitarian models reach for it as their anti-tritheism clause; whether it actually does that work is contested.
Greek perichōrēsis, “rotation” or “going around”, from peri, “around”, and chōreō, “to make room”.
Perichoresis is the claim that each divine person is in the others: mutual indwelling without confusion. John of Damascus is the standard Eastern source. Latin theology used *circumincessio* for the same work.
In this corpus it shows up as Social Trinitarianism's anti-tritheism clause (OTC-008): if the three "centres of consciousness" indwell one another completely, perhaps they are still one God. Critics (Leftow, Rea, and a long list Rea reports) argue that indwelling three minds does not make them one mind, any more than three friends who know each other perfectly become one friend. The word names a relation; it does not by itself do the counting.
The mistaken everyday reading is a dance, a hug, or a blur. The doctrine is trying to say the opposite of blur: real distinction *and* no isolation.
Where this comes up
Sources
- John of Damascus, On the Orthodox Faith I.8; Debby research packet OTC-008 on Social Trinitarianism