The Cambridge Companion to the Trinity

Cambridge Companions to Religion

by Peter C. Phan (Editor)

How do Christians reconcile their belief in one God with the concept of three divine 'persons'? This Companion provides an overview of how the Christian doctrine of the Trinity has been understood and articulated in the last two thousand years. The Trinitarian theologies of key theologians, from the New Testament to the twentieth century, are carefully examined and the doctrine of the Trinity is brought into dialogue with non-Christian religions as well as with other Christian beliefs. Authors from a range of denominational backgrounds explore the importance of Trinitarian thought, locating the Trinity within the wider context of systematic theology. Contemporary theology has seen a widespread revival of the doctrine of the Trinity and this book incorporates the most recent developments in the scholarship.

Genres: Christianity, Theology

432 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2011

Reviews

[Elias Turk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read different articles from this book. It is done very well. Although some of its point of views don't reflect the classic Catholic theology. Like considering the Trinity's dogma has been "developed", almost like invented through time. While Catholic theology considers it was all revealed from the very beginning with Jesus Christ and it was written in the Oecumenical councils not developed nor invented.

[Samuel Inbaraja · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books for studying the Trinity. Highly academic and accurate with a lots of good scholarly inputs clarifying the concept. The review of the understanding of the doctrine over the past 2000 years from the times of the apostles to the present really elevated my knowledge and understanding. Highly recommend it! What else is life for?!

[Rudolph Boshoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has six parts. There is a general introduction highlighting the a progressive understanding of the Doctrine of the Trinity retrieving the original sources of this Doctrine in the second section.In the Third section some great minds of the Church are scrutinized and the very core tenets of their understanding very well sketched out. These Theologians are: Aquinas, Bonaventure and the Reformed Fathers [Luther, Calvin].

Delineating the Doctrine from the Earliest Latin and Greek Fathers of the Church the Book also makes it clear to show the clarity of the Doctrine undeniably evident in the Earliest Christian Community in their Worship and Liturgy.

Commenting on Paul's letter to the Thessalonians Church (1:1-5)Anne Hunt affirms (Pg 365)"What is remarkable is that, even at this early stage, the community is clearly well acquainted with this Triadic pattern. No explanation is offered; evidently none is necessary. The pattern is apparently already well established as the distinctively and typically Christian way of speaking of God. This text, along with many others in the New Testament, clearly attests to the lived experience of the Three in the early Christian Community. Now, there is no question that this is Trinitarian doctrine. It would not be for some centuries that doctrine per se would be formally defined. But what is very evident , here in our earliest sources, is a distinctly triad-shaped faith, a faith that was given expression in prayer and worship. It is this lived experience of these Three that would eventually blossom in the Doctrine of the Trinity and the theological specialization that we now call Trinitarian theology, Christology, and Pneumatology."

In the fourth section the authors are grounding the Doctrine of the Trinity in tradition interpreted through the eyes of contemporary Theologians like Barth, Von Balthasar, Pannenberg, Moltmann,Rahner and the Orthodox Theologians. The authors seek to show a progressive understanding between these great thinkers all coming to the same conclusion: "the Divine attributes of God as arising out of the activity of God in the world [Pannenberg] (Pg 234)as well as "how the Bible narratives this Divine self disclosure" (Pg 129).

In the fifth section the authors try to dialogue with other religions and their basic understanding of the Trinity. They look at the Eastern perspectives of Taoism & Confucianism as well as the Trinitarian understanding supposedly evident in Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam. The conclusion is pretty unanimous in that "they do not think of their Deities in the same way" in any way or form (Pg. 313). The authors also caution us "as with other religion, the Threefold Doctrine is best understood in its historical context, however attractive seeming cultural parallels may be" (Pg 314).

Lastly the authors try to show the systematic connections and the integration of the Trinity in our understanding of the liturgical and Spirit infused life and how that impacts Social-political strata of our daily lives.

This book is a great read and really makes me venture to read other editions and topics in the Cambridge companion series.