The Trinity (Guides to Theology) (2024)

Note, June 10, 2022: I've just edited this review to remove an inoperative link, and to correct a typo.

Virtually all modern-day Christian believers, and virtually all non-Christians who have any real exposure to Christian beliefs, are aware of the doctrine of the Trinity, accepted as a central tenet of faith (and in the estimation of some, THE central tenet of faith) by Catholics, the Orthodox churches, and the vast majority of Protestants alike. Acceptance of the doctrine is widely held to be essential for eternal salvation, despite the fact that it's generally poorly understood by many lay Christians (and in fact even many Trinitarian theologians profess not to completely understand it). The pervasive nature of the concept, and the importance attached to it, are remarkable, especially when one considers the fact (which is agreed on by both its supporters and critics) that it is not taught or presented in any coherent or recognizable form in either the Old or New Testaments. It developed in the second and third centuries A.D., and was finally laid down in creedal form in the fourth century. Both the Nicene and Athanasian creeds are recognized as authoritative and succinct summaries of the doctrine. (Neither one of these are reproduced in the book being reviewed here, and I think should have been; neither are very long, and they would give readers a basic, nut-shell explanation of the whole concept.)

Being raised in a conservative Lutheran church, I was always taught that Trinitarianism was an essential article of Christian faith. From the time that I was old enough to seriously study the Bible and church history, however, I always had some discomfort with that conclusion, even though I assented to it on the authority of the church. Over the decades, I explored some alternative ideas (and wound up decisively rejecting some of them!), and continued to study the Bible, which by now I've read in its entirety several times. My discomfort has deepened with time; but until now, I've actually never made a formal study focused on this doctrine. (Given the fact that I have an M.A. In Religion, that may seem anomalous, but it actually isn't; my degree concentrates in biblical studies, compared to which I have relatively little reading or training in systematic theology. Trinitarian theology is part of the latter discipline, and really doesn't arise much in inductive Bible study.) Now, at the age of nearly 70, I finally decided it was past time to remedy that lack and clarify my thinking, either to lay my doubts to rest or to confirm them.

The background of the doctrine, and of the controversy around it, is the distinctive monotheism (the belief that there is only one God) which is central to the faith of the Biblical writers, in both the Old and New Testaments. Both Testaments also present God as a speaking God who effects things by His Word –which the New Testament says “became flesh” (John 1:14) as Jesus-- and by His Spirit. The Biblical writers recognize that a great deal of mystery surrounds the nature and actions of God, which finite humans are not necessarily even capable of understanding; they do not attempt to precisely define the relationship of these three entities to each other, or to explain how they work in the world or how the incarnation was effected (except to note that Jesus was born to a virgin). But a natural human tendency is to want to speculate about these matters. Curiosity is more piqued if some New Testament verses are interpreted to teach that Jesus is God in the same sense that his Father is, and that the Spirit is not only personal but a distinct Person who is also God in the same sense as the Father is. Since the Bible itself does not gratify this curiosity, Trinitarian theology developed as a way of satisfying it through human intellectual reflection and speculation, often using terminology taken from Greek philosophy and Roman law (Tertullian, a major third-century architect of Trinitarian doctrine, was, not coincidentally, a Roman lawyer before his conversion).

To fairly study any idea, one needs to read the case for it as set forth by its proponents, not its critics. This book (which is part of Eerdmans' Guides to Theology series) is written by two evangelical Trinitarian scholars, Roger E. Olson and Christopher A. Hall, both faculty in prestigious schools, George W. Truett Theological Seminary and Eastern Univ., respectively. The series of which it is a part is intended to provide short overviews of theological concepts, for interested and intelligent laity and for undergraduate students. In keeping with this aim, the book has just 115 pages of actual text, followed by a bit over 30 pages of annotated bibliography (the annotations are pretty substantial!) of selected theological works on the Trinity available in English, divided by historical period, and a 5 1/2 page index. After a “Brief Introduction,” of a bit over nine pages, to the subject, mostly devoted to “The Trinity in the Bible” (that section is followed by its own page of bibliography, not annotated, of other works available in English that approach the subject from a biblical studies standpoint) the main body of the text traces the historical development of thinking about the doctrine of God's nature, from the second-century Apostolic Fathers down to the present. IMO, this is a very good approach to a doctrine that's evolved over time. It also allowed me to make this a more serious study by interspersing re-readings of relevant material from A History of Christianity by Kenneth Scott Latourette, which I read about 50 years ago. Latourette (who was a Baptist, former missionary, and a distinguished professor of church history at Yale) was also a Trinitarian; he devotes considerable attention to the historical development of Christian theology, and his detailed, fair and irenic treatment helpfully supplements Olson's and Hall's, and sometimes provides a different perspective. (Of course, I also made frequent reference to the Bible.) That's why it took me this long to read a 156-page book!

Our authors' scanty treatment of the biblical material might be viewed as a weakness; they try to summarize themes, but directly cite less than 20 verses/passages, and ignore several of the most relevant texts. (They do mention other Scripture references elsewhere, where these were cited by particular theologians in support of their arguments.) But this derives directly from the focus of the series; it's not intended as a Bible-study aid, but rather to introduce readers to concepts in theological thought. It's also intended primarily to explain a particular doctrine so readers can understand it, not to deal with arguments for and against it as such, so the authors touch only minimally on these. Despite (or perhaps because of!) the short length, it does succeed as well as possible in explaining a concept which, in Augustine's estimation, those who try to understand are in danger of losing their minds (p. 1). Even at no more length than this, I found some parts eye-glazing because of the convoluted logic, esoteric language, and hair-splitting distinctions, and I think most readers would as well. But I did learn things from the book that I didn't previously know, and gain a better grasp of the subject than I had before. I feel that this study did clarify (though ultimately not significantly change) my thinking.

Like all three of the book authors named above, this reviewer holds the traditional Protestant view of the written Bible: that it is the sole source of objective binding divine revelation for Christian belief and life. Neither decrees of church councils nor human reason are independent sources of binding new revelations over and above the Bible. (From that standpoint, accepting any idea willy-nilly simply on the authority of the church can't be justified.) For me personally, though, that point is the rock on which the Trinitarian theology and some of its alternatives, such as Modalism, Arianism, and Adoptionism, all ultimately fouinder, because they either add considerably to and/or contradict what I understand the Bible itself to state. Christians must affirm of God, of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit all that the Bible affirms of them, including the facts that the Word of God who became flesh as Jesus is “divine” (as John 1:1 declares), and that the Spirit acts in personal ways, not as an impersonal force or energy. If it is conceded that the Biblical writers did not understand their own statements in the light of theological frameworks that developed centuries later, then the task of theological reflection is nothing more or less than to determine how they DID understand their words, and to line our thinking up with theirs (not the other way around). And all of that reflection needs to be done in an attitude of personal and intellectual humility, love for one's fellow Christians, a realization that for finite humans dealing with ineffable mysteries the words “I don't know” belong in our vocabulary, and a recognition that we're saved not by acceptance of or knowledge about theological formulations, but by acceptance of a Person (Jesus) as our Savior from sin and our resurrected Lord.

Roger Olsen (professor of theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University) and Christopher Hall (associate professor of biblical and theological studies at Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania) have coauthored a very useful, informative and relatively short book (of only 150 pages, considering the subject matter) simply entitled The Trinity. It is one of the introductory volumes to theology from the Guides to Theology series published by Eerdman’s. Being an introduction, the book is a brief historical outline of the doctrine of the Trinity while being very thorough in reviewing the various ways the Church has historically attempted to articulate this doctrine properly. The authors demonstrate to the reader the various ways this doctrine has been formulated or challenged throughout the centuries and how these Christians understood the role this doctrine plays in Christian life and practice. The authors explore the doctrine through the historical development of the Church’s understanding of it culled from the Scriptures and gleaned from received tradition, apologetics (in response to the early heresies), and philosophical inquiries. The authors note that although there have been missteps, whether that of underdeveloped reflections and confusion or overdeveloped and overreaching speculations, Christian teaching on the Trinity has generally sought to remain faithful to the revelation of Scripture.

In their discussion on Augustine, the authors quote from Phillip Cary’s article, “The Logic of the Trinitarian Doctrine” (Religious and Theological Studies Fellowship Bulletin, September/October 1995), in which he identifies the seven key propositions that form the structural framework of Trinitarian theology found in Scripture. The first three confess the name of God:

1. The Father is God
2. The Son is God
3. The Holy Spirit is God

4. The Father is not the Son
5. The Son is not the Holy Spirit.
6. The Holy Spirit is not the Father.

7. There is only one God.

Historically, the way Christians have synthesized these propositions is by observing that the Scriptures reveal God as one in essence subsisting in three modes of being. Borrowing language from Karl Barth, this is a more modern rendering in English of the classical orthodox Christian formulation of one in essence, three in person. “Modes of being” should not be confused with the Sabellian or modalistic view of God “switching” modes in his self-expression to humanity. Throughout the Scriptures we have examples of God speaking, acting, and/or referring and being referred to in two or more of the subsistences simultaneously.

Olsen and Hall divide their historical survey of the doctrine into two basic sections: patristic and post-patristic contributions. The patristics are further subdivided between ante-Nicene, Nicene, and post-Nicene comprised of apologists, early Alexandrian and Western theologians, and later Eastern Orthodox and Latin fathers. The authors provide a good outline of what each Christian mentioned contributed to the Church’s understand and any weakness or tendencies to one of the errors (e.g. modalism, subordinationism, adoptionism, tritheism, etc.) with which these authors struggled. As one progresses through the book one realizes that the tendency to drift into one of these errors (if only implicitly) has been ever present in Church history, which tendency can affect her worship and practice.

The post-patristic section of their book considers the medieval, Reformation, and modern attempts to explain or rearticulate the doctrine, sometimes delving too far into speculation or shying away from any type of metaphysical claims. There were important developments and significant contributions in our understanding from all these areas. Of particular interest to me were the ways Western and Eastern theologians interacted and learned from each other’s reflections (such as Richard of St. Victor’s reintroduction of Eastern Orthodox thought into the Latin church) and further defined the three subsistences of the Godhead (through the debates surrounding the filioque clause introduced into the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed by Latin theologians). One of the more important contributions of the post-patristic theologians was their periodic reaffirmation and emphasis on the economic Trinity (God as He works in salvation history through the subsistence of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and its distinction (but not separation) from the immanent Trinity (God as He is in Himself, of which our finite apprehension is based on His condescending revelation of the Trinity that can only be known analogously). With the modern reflections of the Trinity, the reader is introduced to the important and influential thought of Karl Barth and Karl Rahner, Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians respectively. Both men have served to shape and define the trajectory of Trinitarian dialogues throughout most of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. Olsen and Hall also exposes the read to views of the Trinity that have a panentheistic or heterodox flavor such as can be found in the Trinitarian formulations of Open and Process theologians.

The book culminates with a bibliography section listing the most important theologians and their works from the patristic, medieval, Reformation, and modern eras for further study on the Trinity. For each work, the authors provide a brief explanation of its importance to Trinitarian thought.

The Trinity is not meant to provide an exhaustive treatment of the Trinity nor to give a definitive formulation of the doctrine, although the authors seem to be most sympathetic to the Augustinian formulation. Instead, the book exposes the reader to some of the more important attempts throughout history to articulate Trinitarian doctrine that have contributed to the Church’s understanding of the God she worships and who has saved her. This book does a good job of setting a foundation for reflection and whetting the appetite for future study of serious and helpful works on the Trinity.

This is a well organized introduction to the doctrine of the Trinity. The authors first start with identifying particular trinitarian texts within the Bible. This is brief, but important. Olson and Hall argue that "the biblical God is Triune," and then begin from this point (10).

From this point, the authors continue chronologically with a discussion of the pre-Nicene or "Ante-Nicene" contributions. The authors give a brief summary of the important bits from figures like Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp. Next come the Apologists such as Justin and then the early Alexandrian contributions. Both the Apologists and Alexandrians push forward in the direction of Trinitarian thought yet it is not until individuals such as Irenaeus and Tertullian do we encounter the more formal language used in reference to the Trinity. These Western contributions are crucial in the development of the doctrine. Before concluding the first section of the book, Olson and Hall end with a standard introduction to eastern figures such as Athanasius and the Cappadocian fathers.

The second section of the book deals with Medieval, Reformation, and Modern Contributions. After reading other various introductions to the Trinity, I am shocked that the authors were able to condense so much into so few pages. This is a warning to anyone hoping for in-depth analysis on, say, Luther's approach to the Trinity; readers are only given a taste.

This is a solid book. I'm sure I'll reference it in the future and deeply appreciate the annotated bibliography at the end of the book. That being said, I was a bit surprised at the abrupt ending. Really, there is no conclusion to this book. Olson and Hall finish with a discussion of Zizioulas' approach to the Trinity and offer a single paragraph as a conclusion. I would appreciated some overarching thoughts from the author's own perspectives as a opposed to exclusively addressing what others have to say.