One of my wife’s students was a bit troubled by the idea that Jesus was “separated from the Father.” He said that was an impossibility because the trinity could not cease to exist. He is correct of course, but misses an issue many others do as well. I am speaking of categories.
For example, we don’t ask what colors taste like because the property of colors is visual in nature.
With Jesus there is a sense in which He was relationally disconnected to the Father at the cross all the while being connected in His essence or being.
My wife’s student did not need to be troubled. The trinity never stopped existing, but there was a real sense in which Jesus was separated from the Father.
How to conceptualize all this is a deep mystery, but at least we can say there isn’t a contradiction.
Thanks for making the subtle but necessary distinction between things that are mysteries and those that are contradictions.