Giving Glory to the Consubstantial Trinity: An Essay on the Quintessence of the Christian Faith

by Michael A.G. Haykin

There is not a more important and practical doctrine than the Trinity. In our day, however, there are few doctrines that have been more overlooked. This book sees to counteract this trend by offering a clear and concise biblical defense of the Trinity and its practical implications. This book demonstrates how the historical development of this doctrine in the Ante-Nicene and Nicene eras was undertaken not by philosophically-minded academics, but by pastor-theologians who grounded their thought first and foremost in the Scriptures and had a burning concern for the salvation of men and women. “This wonderful little book opens up for modern readers some of the earliest Christians’ most important discussions about the mystery at the heart of Christian faith—the mystery of the one and three. Michael Haykin’s lucid survey of key moments in the formation of our catholic doctrine of the Trinity demonstrates an extraordinary capacity to link doctrine to service and worship. Readers will grow in their appreciation of outstanding believers who reflected upon and in the most difficult circumstances bore witness to God’s revelation of himself as three persons, one God, blessed forever.” –Crawford Gribben, Professor of Early Modern British History, Queen’s University, Belfast “The early church’s debates on the doctrine of the Trinity were crucial for the preservation of the Christian gospel but are largely unknown to the ordinary Christian. Michael Haykin, with his impeccable scholarship, has produced a short, readable account that will help many to appreciate these struggles and to grow in their knowledge of God. Buy it, read it, give it to a friend.” –Robert Letham, Director of Research, Senior Tutor in Systematic and Historical Theology, Union School of Theology (formerly called Wales Evangelical School of Theology) “Those of us who teach Ancient Church regularly face questions from students concerning how the Bible relates to the elaborate Trinitarian formulations of the fourth century. Now we have a book to which we can point them. In a clear and learned way, Michael Haykin connects the Bible to Athanasius and the Cappadocians and does so in a way that demonstrates the importance of the fourth century credal conclusions to contemporary church life.” –Carl R. Trueman, Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies, Grove City College, PA “The story of the early development of the Christian doctrine of the One God who is Three is both fascinating and complicated. Michael Haykin’s Giving Glory to the Consubstantial Trinity provides a reliable overview of the key moments of this story. As one considers central biblical support that weighed heavily upon early Christians, one is prepared then to reflect more deeply upon the contributions of some of the most important figures who fought off heresy and advanced an increasingly clear picture of the doctrine of the Triune God that the church came to embrace and cherish. What a rich story this is, and one the reader will understand and appreciate much better because of Haykin’s masterful work.” –Bruce A. Ware, Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY

Genres: Theology

77 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 18, 2019

About the author

Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin is the Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality and Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He is also the editor of Eusebeia: The Bulletin of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. His present areas of research include 18th-century British Baptist life and thought, as well as Patristic Trinitarianism and Baptist piety.

Haykin is a prolific writer having authored numerous books, over 250 articles and over 150 book reviews. He is also an accomplished editor with numerous editorial credits.

Reviews

[Jake Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Haykin provides an excellent resource that will be beneficial to both pastors and laymen regarding the Trinity. Haykin works through biblical texts as well as chronicling some of the early challenges regarding Trinitarian orthodoxy. This book introduces the reader to some of the early church fathers as well as shows why what we believe about the Trinity matters.

[Cbarrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and concise introduction to the doctrine of the Trinity, looking at it both scripturally and historically. Surveys key passages and then considers Irenaeus, Athanasius, and the Cappadocians.

Entry level resource with recommended bibliography at the end for both primary and secondary sources.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5.
Brief. Full. Helpful resource.

[Scott Ristau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Haykin has done for us a great service in this “essay on the quintessence of the Christian faith.” Many Christians struggle with the doctrine of the Trinity. Grappling with both the need to affirm what God has revealed in Scripture and respect what belongs in the realm of mystery, Christians are not well-assisted by selective historical facts and semi-informed criticisms of those who cast doubt on the validity of the church’s ancient creeds. Haykin provides both an explanation of key Trinitarian texts of the Nicene (and Niceno-Constantinopolitan) Creed, and also the historical events that produced these “landmarks of Christian theology.” Haykin does a great job telling the story in these pages.

Of course, a work of this size does not provide an exhaustive explanation of Nicene Trinitarianism. However, there is more help packed into these 100-pages than anything else I’ve read on the subject. I truly hope this book finds a wide audience in years to come. Don’t let a title like Giving Glory to the Consubstantial Trinity intimidate you. Haykin has not written this for the academy, but for the church. Highly recommend for anyone who wishes to understand the doctrine of the Trinity better and/or the historic creed by which the church has confessed this biblical doctrine for centuries.

[John Paul Arceno · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good resource about the three major ancient issues concerning the heresies on the Trinity. I love how Haykin structured his writing in a historical manner (of course he is a historian), and still gave adequate theological information on each issue. The book started with the biblical basis of the Triune God then explored the Trinitarian heresies: Gnosticism, Arianism, and Pneumatomachi issues.

In each heresy, Haykin included each personality who spearheaded, or main contributor, in battling the controversy. For Gnosticism, it was Irenaeus; for Arianism, Athanasius; and for Pneumatomachi issue, it was Basil the Great then crystallized by both Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nazansius.

Overall, each chapter is done with both careful historical and theological precision. Haykin is such a gifted writer. He even self-translated most of the primary sources that he used in the citations. Indeed, this work, even concise, is a comprehensive one.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very useful primer on Nicene theology, focusing on the Deity of Christ at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD and the Nicene-Constantinopolian Creed of 381 that made additions defending the Deity of the Holy Spirit. This book gives a useful historical overview of the patristic debates regarding Christology focusing on several early church fathers such as Ignatius, Athanatius, Gregory of Nazianzus, and several other defenders of orthodox Trinitarian theology. The primary focus is on 4th century patristics, but there is some introductory material of early church fathers prior to the 4th century to show their continuity with Nicea and corroborate that Nicea did not invent any new doctrine as the heretics argued. There is a very useful brief section on Gnosticism.

The last chapter focuses on the later addition in 381 to the Nicene Creed defending the Deity of the Holy Spirit and the patristic debates in the 4th century. There is a bibliography for further resources and research, but it still serves as a good primer or useful Sunday school material for historical background.

[curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb, concise treatment of the development of the Nicene Creed and of the earliest formulations of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Yet for all its conciseness and brevity, it manages sufficient breadth of detail that the reader will come away thoroughly well-informed about the major issues involved in this watershed era in Christian history. Haykin also never fails to highlight the Scriptural origin of both the exigent pressures provoking the various stages of doctrinal expression, and the conclusions determined by the important actors in this drama. Cannot recommend highly enough as a worthwhile, informative, and worship-provoking treatment of a key moment in historical theology and Church History.

[Jason Alligood · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this small, yet helpful book, Dr. Haykin once again reminds the learned Christian that the Bible is authoritative for all faith and practice, but that the formulation of creeds against the rise of heresy was necessary for the proper worship of the Biblically displayed Triune God. Haykin traces the line of Trinitarian belief first from the foundation of Scripture through the various historical theologians (and creeds) who fought for an orthodox understanding of the Triune God. I recommend this as a wonderful primer for those interested in such studies of the doctrine of the Trinity.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introductory read on a foundational Biblical-theological subject that many in the church today assume and overlook. Christians today would do well to not assume the nature of God is a settled issue in a skeptical, post-Christian West. This short book on the trinitarian debates of the first 4 centuries of the church are a good place for Christians to start to understand the church history, theological terminology and positions and the key names contributing to these early discussions within the church.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed by the quality of Dr. Haykin’s writing. He shows that the Nicene Creed of 381AD is sound in doctrine and is necessary to be affirmed. Heretical doctrines like Subordinationism, Arianism, Modalism, Sabellianism, and Gnosticism must be rejected. Affirmation that Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man, that the Holy Spirit is God, and that our God is one in essence/being and three in person/subsistence are necessary to be considered within Christian orthodoxy. I praise God for this book!

[Keller (Author Charles Hack) Hackbusch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book: Giving Glory to the Consubstantial Trinity: An Essay on the Quintessence of the Christian Faith
Author: Michael Haykin

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Historical Theology of the Doctrine of the Trinity
Series?: No

Comments: I’m at the point that I will read everything Michael Haykin writes. I love his approach to historical theology and church history. He makes complex history understandable and fun. This is a great, helpful resource on the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the early church (patristics era).

[Jake Litwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book is a great introduction to studying historical Trinitarian theology. I appreciate the author using lots of primary sources from ancient church fathers and it’s very readable. It’s short but definitely wets your appetite to read the Ante-Nicene and Nicene church fathers. This will always be a resource I will point to new believers and those who are new to studying the Trinity and the historical development from the Ante-Nicene and Nicene eras.

[Jeremy Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, easy to read introduction to the historical development of the doctrine of the Trinity. I only gave it four stars because I would've preferred more content devoted to the theological issues rather than biography.

[George Mayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise, easy-to-read introduction to some of the early church fathers and their creedal formulations of the Trinity.