Trinity and Truth

Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine

by Bruce D. Marshall

This book is about the problem of what truth is, and how we can tell whether what we have said is true. Bruce Marshall approaches this problem from the standpoint of Christian theology, and especially that of the doctrine of the Trinity. The book offers a full-scale theological account of what truth is and whether Christians have adequate grounds for regarding their beliefs as true. Unlike most theological discussions of these issues, the book is also extensively engaged with the modern philosophical debate about truth and belief.

Genres: Theology, Philosophy

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 1995

Reviews

[Kevin Estabrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I choose to read this book for a project in my Trinity class. Hardest book i've read since reading Hagel's "Phenomenology of the Spirit" back in college.



Thesis: The Church's identification of God as the Trinity serves as the key to a theological treatment of the nature of truth.



Be ready to brush off your dusty epistemology notes.



Refutes Rahner though, which makes it all worth it ;-)

[Brett Vanderzee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruce Marshall’s Trinity and Truth has to be one of the top five most brain-punishing books I’ve ever read. The man brews very strong drink—equal parts systematic theology, hermeneutics, logic, and linguistic philosophy—as he seeks to answer ultimate questions about truth, meaning, and how Christians are justified in holding the beliefs they do. Just when you think Marshall has led you to the end of a particularly steep climb, he nudges you towards another set of switchbacks you didn’t see coming. Don’t get me wrong: it’s exhilarating terrain, but it left me sucking wind even at a slow pace. In some sections I felt more like a traveler stumbling about a city without speaking the language (which is itself a metaphor drawn almost straight from the book). Fortunately—to borrow an image from Alan Jacobs—as you ascend the spiral staircase of the argument, you find yourself revisiting the same spots in a higher position, perhaps with a slightly more confident perspective. In the end, one of my overriding feelings is hope: hope that I have actually understood some semblance of this complicated account, and hope that it will open up new vistas of study and comprehension down the road. All in all, Trinity and Truth was a high altitude for this lowly pastor, but I am grateful to Marshall for an extremely thoughtful approach to the truth of the triune God.

[Bojan Tunguz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concept of Trinity is one of the most profound and yet most complex ones in Christianity. It is oftentimes the stumbling block for non-Christians when they attempt to understand Christianity, and even most Christians have hard time properly understanding it or even articulating it. It could be argued that most of the early struggles in defining what Christians believe were in fact struggles to properly understand Trinity. It may be hard to understand why anyone would want to incorporate such on the surface strange and counterintuitive concept into their belief system. The reason, however, is rather simple: God has revealed Himself to us as Trinity. Trinity is not something that philosophers and theologians had conceived a priori, but rather who God really is in His own nature. The best we can then hope for is to use our limited human concepts and language to appreciate this utter transcendence of God. The good news, though, is that we are not completely left to grapple in the dark, trying to come up with our own clever and smart ways of understanding this awesome concept. For it is an integral part of the belief about Trinity that Trinity consists of Truth itself. Jesus often speaks of Himself as "Truth," and He refers to the Holy Spirit as "the spirit of Truth." It is then one of the great claims of Christianity, and one of the central themes of this book, that understanding Trinity truly requires a whole different set of epistemic considerations. These can never be completely reduced to ideas and concepts that are derived from other intellectual reflections.

In this book Bruce Marshall tries to bring up the understanding of Trinity in terms of modern philosophy, and analytic philosophy in particular. The analysis employed is very subtle and at times technical, so this is not a book for those who are discouraged by demanding philosophical reasoning. However, if you can appreciate that kind of thinking this book can be an extremely rewarding read. It is probably one of the most profound reflections on Trinity in modern Christian Theology.

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure that i understood every content of Marshall's fairly academic work in this book but it definitely gave me a hunger to study the area of logic and epistemology in light of the Trinitarian nature. I will at least follow up on Davidson and Travis' arguing which is very well informed and referenced in this book. Well written and reasonably meaningful. It deserves academic credits :-)

[Victoria Gaile]

Deep. Very, very deep, philosophical language.