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The Essential Trinity: New Testament Foundations and Practical Relevance
The Trinity is foundational to Christian theology, with immense relevance for practical living. This volume offers trinitarian readings of each New Testament corpus and focuses on the importance of the doctrine for Christian life and ministry.
- GenresTheology
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 16, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 20, 2019
A really great interdisciplinary work. The first major portion were essays by NT scholars surveying the Bible and examining what Scripture teaches directly about the Trinity, and the latter portion were theologians reflecting on the practical relevance of the doctrine in Christian Piety. Trueman's chapter on prayer, Letham's chapter on worship, and Reeve's chapter on preaching are alone worth the price of the book.
April 7, 2022
Great read. Several chapters stand out, like Swain’s on “The Mystery of the Trinity.”
October 15, 2017
The Essential Trinity: New Testament Foundations and Practical Relevance edited by Brandon D. Crowe and Carl R. Trueman is a collection of essays by leading New Testament scholars and theologians who have built a career upon the importance of the Trinity to Christian doctrine— including well-known individuals, such as Richard Bauckham, Benjamin L. Gladd, and Michael Reeves. The essays offer a biblical-theological exploration through the New Testament and culminate with a number of essays that survey the practical relevance of the Trinity in the Christian life.
The Essential Trinity is naturally divided into the two parts detailed within its subtitle: (1) New Testament foundations and (2) practical relevance. The initial part comprises the majority of the book and each chapter takes on a specific New Testament subcorpus. For example, Brandon D. Crowe addresses the Trinity in the Gospel of Mark and Brian S. Rosner takes up Paul and the Trinity. The entire New Testament is handled in eight essays and the initial section closes with a brief essay on the Trinity and the Old Testament. The second section brings the exegetical rigor to a much-needed culmination with essays on the relevance of the Trinity to prayer, revelation, worship, and preaching. The second section does much to establish the widespread importance of Trinitarian theology to nearly every aspect of Christian existence.
The book itself is a refreshing treasure-trove of exegetical riches. The overall presentation and organization of the book is superb, and readers will appreciate the level of detail explored as a consistent witness is uncovered across the New Testament. Bauckham’s essay on the Gospel of John was phenomenal, as most will expect. That said, Jonathan I. Griffiths’ essay on Hebrews was among the best in the book. It is worth the price of the alone. Recognizing the scope of the volume as a New Testament engagement, readers should evaluate the major shortcoming of the book as minimally impactful—a lack of Old Testament engagement. There was a clears sense in the book of the value and importance of the Old Testament to the New Testament foundation that was explored, and some authors explicitly brought such into their essay (e.g. Benjamin Gladd on Revelation). It would have been extremely useful to see further exploration of the Old Testament Trinitarian themes that include Old Testament scholars both exploring shadows of the concept and putting to rest many of the misconceptions propagated in contemporary Christian thought. Again, this is a major shortcoming of the volume, but also recognizably beyond its scope.
The Essential Trinity: New Testament Foundations and Practical Relevance edited by Brandon D. Crowe and Carl R. Trueman is undoubtedly one of the most useful books on the Trinity in recent years. Apart from the shortcoming mentioned above, it is hard to think of a more well-rounded and exegetically sound engagement on the Trinity. It comes highly recommended!
The Essential Trinity is naturally divided into the two parts detailed within its subtitle: (1) New Testament foundations and (2) practical relevance. The initial part comprises the majority of the book and each chapter takes on a specific New Testament subcorpus. For example, Brandon D. Crowe addresses the Trinity in the Gospel of Mark and Brian S. Rosner takes up Paul and the Trinity. The entire New Testament is handled in eight essays and the initial section closes with a brief essay on the Trinity and the Old Testament. The second section brings the exegetical rigor to a much-needed culmination with essays on the relevance of the Trinity to prayer, revelation, worship, and preaching. The second section does much to establish the widespread importance of Trinitarian theology to nearly every aspect of Christian existence.
The book itself is a refreshing treasure-trove of exegetical riches. The overall presentation and organization of the book is superb, and readers will appreciate the level of detail explored as a consistent witness is uncovered across the New Testament. Bauckham’s essay on the Gospel of John was phenomenal, as most will expect. That said, Jonathan I. Griffiths’ essay on Hebrews was among the best in the book. It is worth the price of the alone. Recognizing the scope of the volume as a New Testament engagement, readers should evaluate the major shortcoming of the book as minimally impactful—a lack of Old Testament engagement. There was a clears sense in the book of the value and importance of the Old Testament to the New Testament foundation that was explored, and some authors explicitly brought such into their essay (e.g. Benjamin Gladd on Revelation). It would have been extremely useful to see further exploration of the Old Testament Trinitarian themes that include Old Testament scholars both exploring shadows of the concept and putting to rest many of the misconceptions propagated in contemporary Christian thought. Again, this is a major shortcoming of the volume, but also recognizably beyond its scope.
The Essential Trinity: New Testament Foundations and Practical Relevance edited by Brandon D. Crowe and Carl R. Trueman is undoubtedly one of the most useful books on the Trinity in recent years. Apart from the shortcoming mentioned above, it is hard to think of a more well-rounded and exegetically sound engagement on the Trinity. It comes highly recommended!
September 19, 2020
I’ve read a lot on the Trinity the last few years so maybe that’s why this was about a 3.8 for me. I struggled to get through not because it wasn’t accurate but just not very engaging to me. It’s solid though.
May 6, 2024
This book is a collection of essays by thirteen theologians from several continents on the doctrine of the Trinity. The first part of the book takes us through the doctrine as found in the writers of the various books of the New Testament. The second part applies the doctrine to various aspects of the life of the church and the individual Christian; for example, prayer, worship, and preaching.
I went into this book eagerly, but found that the deeper into the book I got the less it engaged me. I found the writing to be difficult, highly technical at points, and aimed primarily at those with a seminary education. Other than the chapters on the Trinity in the gospels and the chapters on prayer and worship I found the book a chore to read. I can't remember when I've had such a slog through a book of theology. And that makes me sad, because the doctrine of the Trinity is an essential part of what the Bible teaches us about God and thus a central Christian belief.
I went into this book eagerly, but found that the deeper into the book I got the less it engaged me. I found the writing to be difficult, highly technical at points, and aimed primarily at those with a seminary education. Other than the chapters on the Trinity in the gospels and the chapters on prayer and worship I found the book a chore to read. I can't remember when I've had such a slog through a book of theology. And that makes me sad, because the doctrine of the Trinity is an essential part of what the Bible teaches us about God and thus a central Christian belief.
September 17, 2019
There are so many books about the Trinity being written as well as the multiple volumes that the church has produced through the ages. I'm not sure why this book considered itself "Essential" although I do admit it was worth the price of admission.
It is basically a collection of essays both examining Trinitarian themes found in various sessions of Scripture as well as examining the impact the Trinity has one worship, preaching and prayer. It seemed to be a bridge between the more academic Trinitarian treatments and layman knowledge.
The essays on Matthew, Paul, Hebrews, prayer, revelation, worship and preaching were especially good. I would recommend moving through it slowly. Its not a sit down and crank through read.
It is basically a collection of essays both examining Trinitarian themes found in various sessions of Scripture as well as examining the impact the Trinity has one worship, preaching and prayer. It seemed to be a bridge between the more academic Trinitarian treatments and layman knowledge.
The essays on Matthew, Paul, Hebrews, prayer, revelation, worship and preaching were especially good. I would recommend moving through it slowly. Its not a sit down and crank through read.
March 22, 2023
The first part of the book is a quality resource for proof texts regarding the Trinity as well as a wellspring of truth regarding the way in which the Trinity is expressed throughout the New Testament in a way that intimates that the Gospel is impossible to articulate in any non-Trinitarian manner.
The second part of the book, however, is where it truly shines; it shows the absolutely foundational nature of our understanding of God as Trinity to the Christian life, and illumines the immanently practical reprecussions of this not only in the way we practice our faith, but even in the way we can know anything.
The second part of the book, however, is where it truly shines; it shows the absolutely foundational nature of our understanding of God as Trinity to the Christian life, and illumines the immanently practical reprecussions of this not only in the way we practice our faith, but even in the way we can know anything.
April 19, 2018
An excellent book on the triunity of God. As with all books in which each chapter is written by a different author, each offering is of varying approachability, insight, and value, but on the whole it is a very helpful, thought-provoking, and encouraging book.
Some of the chapters were a bit tough for me as a pastor without a high degree of formal education, but most of them were fairly straightforward. Not an ideal book for new believers necessarily - there are probably other books better suited for entry-level instructions on this subject.
Some of the chapters were a bit tough for me as a pastor without a high degree of formal education, but most of them were fairly straightforward. Not an ideal book for new believers necessarily - there are probably other books better suited for entry-level instructions on this subject.
August 15, 2020
A really helpful collection of essays showing the triune God at work in the New Testament, and reflecting on what difference that makes for the Christian life. Most of the book works through the NT books in canonical order, drawing out relevant themes. The rest of the book discusses specific practical relevances, in terms of prayer, worship, revelation and preaching. The chapters on Matthew (Crowe), Paul (Rosner), worship (Letham) and preaching (Reeves) were the highlights, but the overall quality is high. And mostly accessible for non-academics.
September 13, 2017
An insightful collection of essays. Part one details New Testament foundations. Especially enjoyed:
Ch. 2, "The Trinity and the Gospel of Mark" by Daniel Johansson,
Ch. 4, "The Trinity in the Gospel of John" by Richard Bauckham,
and Ch. 9, "The Trinity and the Old Testament," by Mark S. Gignilliat
Part two details the practical relevance of the Trinity. Especially enjoyed:
Ch. 11, "The Trinity and Worship" by Robert Letham.
Ch. 2, "The Trinity and the Gospel of Mark" by Daniel Johansson,
Ch. 4, "The Trinity in the Gospel of John" by Richard Bauckham,
and Ch. 9, "The Trinity and the Old Testament," by Mark S. Gignilliat
Part two details the practical relevance of the Trinity. Especially enjoyed:
Ch. 11, "The Trinity and Worship" by Robert Letham.
December 31, 2022
As ever with these collections of essays, less than the sum of its parts. Some excellent contributions on Mark, Luke-Acts, John and Hebrews, a good chapter on prayer and an brilliant chapter on preaching. More pedestrian contributions on Matthew and the Catholic epistles, slightly esoteric ones on Revelation/Daniel and the Pauline epistles. Overall, plenty of good stuff but I was probably hoping for more. 3.5 stars for me.
July 1, 2019
Part one of the book surveys the Trinity throughout the Bible. Part two is practical implications of the Trinity in the life of the believer. I really enjoyed the chapters: Trinity & Prayer, and Trinity & Worship.
November 29, 2024
A most helpful book. I especially appreciated it's practical application. Don't skip the first part of the book, but the chapters on the Trinity and worship and the Trinity and preaching are excellent.
April 18, 2024
An excellent collection of essays regarding the Trinity, covering many different perspectives regarding the Godhead and its operation.
September 6, 2016
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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As far as consistency of quality amongst edited volumes goes, Crowe and Trueman have assembled one of the stronger line-ups I've read in a while -- men from a spectrum of persuasions of Evangelical-ish thought have given the Church fourteen articles (approximately 20 pages each) to deepen our thinking about the Trinity. The aim was for a volume that "eschews overly technical discussion and focuses attention on the importance of the doctrine for every Christian."
In Part 1, the articles look at the "trinitarian contours of every corpus of the New Testament, along with a chapter reflecting on the Old Testament roots of trinitarian doctrine." If there are weak chapters in the volume, they're in this part -- but they aren't that weak, either. Crowe's chapter on Matthew is excellent, but the chapters on the Mark, Luke-Acts and John aren't far off that Mark. Brian S. Rosner's chapter on "Paul and the Trinity" is worth the price of the book. The chapters on the rest of the epistles are very helpful (particularity Hebrews). Mark S. Gignilliat's article, "The Trinity and the Old Testament: real presence or imposition?" is very helpful and insightful -- and as an added bonus, it's the most stylistically entertaining and engaging piece in the book.
Benjamin Gladd's chapter exploring Daniel's influence on Revelation's view of the Trinity is the biggest mental workout you'll get in the book. I appreciated the material covered and the argument Gladd makes, but I'm going to have to read it a few more times before I think I have a good handle on it.
Part 2 addresses the importance of the Trinity for everyday living -- many would say the doctrine is impractical and only belongs in Statements of Faith and academia. The authors here show the fallacy of that. It begins with a brief, but excellent, description of the doctrine by Scott R. Swain. Carl Trueman has the next chapter, "The Trinity and prayer," which is probably as valuable as Rosner's -- it's actually about more than prayer, but the material specifically on prayer is great -- hugely indebted to John Owen (but not uncritically so). Robert Letham's chapter on "The Trinity and worship" also draws deeply from Owen; if he doesn't move you to worship as you understand the work of the Trinity in it, you aren't paying attention (I probably have more problems with some of what he says than anything else in the book). Michael Reeves, typically, made me chuckle in his chapter on preaching -- but he did more than that, too.
Timely, convicting, thoughtful and inspiring, this examination of the Trinity in Scripture and Life should be a great benefit to any believer ho reads it. It may not be the easiest thing read all year (but really, it's not that difficult), but it'll be one of the most rewarding.
---
As far as consistency of quality amongst edited volumes goes, Crowe and Trueman have assembled one of the stronger line-ups I've read in a while -- men from a spectrum of persuasions of Evangelical-ish thought have given the Church fourteen articles (approximately 20 pages each) to deepen our thinking about the Trinity. The aim was for a volume that "eschews overly technical discussion and focuses attention on the importance of the doctrine for every Christian."
In Part 1, the articles look at the "trinitarian contours of every corpus of the New Testament, along with a chapter reflecting on the Old Testament roots of trinitarian doctrine." If there are weak chapters in the volume, they're in this part -- but they aren't that weak, either. Crowe's chapter on Matthew is excellent, but the chapters on the Mark, Luke-Acts and John aren't far off that Mark. Brian S. Rosner's chapter on "Paul and the Trinity" is worth the price of the book. The chapters on the rest of the epistles are very helpful (particularity Hebrews). Mark S. Gignilliat's article, "The Trinity and the Old Testament: real presence or imposition?" is very helpful and insightful -- and as an added bonus, it's the most stylistically entertaining and engaging piece in the book.
Benjamin Gladd's chapter exploring Daniel's influence on Revelation's view of the Trinity is the biggest mental workout you'll get in the book. I appreciated the material covered and the argument Gladd makes, but I'm going to have to read it a few more times before I think I have a good handle on it.
Part 2 addresses the importance of the Trinity for everyday living -- many would say the doctrine is impractical and only belongs in Statements of Faith and academia. The authors here show the fallacy of that. It begins with a brief, but excellent, description of the doctrine by Scott R. Swain. Carl Trueman has the next chapter, "The Trinity and prayer," which is probably as valuable as Rosner's -- it's actually about more than prayer, but the material specifically on prayer is great -- hugely indebted to John Owen (but not uncritically so). Robert Letham's chapter on "The Trinity and worship" also draws deeply from Owen; if he doesn't move you to worship as you understand the work of the Trinity in it, you aren't paying attention (I probably have more problems with some of what he says than anything else in the book). Michael Reeves, typically, made me chuckle in his chapter on preaching -- but he did more than that, too.
Timely, convicting, thoughtful and inspiring, this examination of the Trinity in Scripture and Life should be a great benefit to any believer ho reads it. It may not be the easiest thing read all year (but really, it's not that difficult), but it'll be one of the most rewarding.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews