An Introduction to the Trinity (review)

This book is a welcome addition to modern studies of the Holy Trinity. It is a detached overview of Trinitarian theology over the centuries, beginning with prefigurations of the Trinity in the Old Testament and proceeding through the New Testament, the emergence and development of the doctrine of the Trinity in the early centuries, and subsequent refinements and variations of Trinitarian doctrines, with emphasis on the medieval period and modern times. One cannot expect exhaustive treatment in such a short book—after all, it is an introduction—and the authors have chosen to focus on representative major figures, from the early Fathers (the pre-Nicene Fathers, the Cappadocians, and Augustine), the medieval period (Richard of St Victor, Bonaventure, Aquinas, and van Ruusbroec), the Reformers (Luther and Calvin), the Enlightenment (Schleiermacher and Hegel), and the modern period (Barth, Rahner, Moltmann, von Balthasar, and Zizioulas). This selection of theologians illustrates the authors’ balanced approach. They consider the Trinitarian doctrines of each theologian on his own terms, questioning and criticizing certain aspects of his theology; no one gets off scot-free. Another strong point of the book is the authors’ constant concern to show how theology is connected—or not connected, as the case may be—with philosophy and spirituality (or faith, piety, or love).

A classic twofold schema underlies the analysis of the doctrines: the first is based on “ontological” aspects of the Trinity, examining the “immanent” Trinity (the Trinity in itself), and the “economic” Trinity (the Trinity in relation to creation or humanity, the plan of salvation). The other is based on two “models” of the Trinity: the “intrapersonal” or “psychological” (typical of Augustine and Aquinas), and the “interpersonal” or “social,” the most popular in modern times (Richard of St Victor, Moltmann, and others). These are conventional distinctions, but the book could benefit from a more explicit presentation of these from the outset, instead of being explained here and there in the book.

One weakness in the author-by-author approach is a certain loss of perspective on the relationships among the different “schools” of Trinitarian theologies—to the extent that one can speak of “schools.” The authors do not do the advanced or “difficult” analysis of comparing and contrasting different theologians and groups. However, they make up partly for this in the concluding chapter, “Contemporary Trinitarian Theology: Problems and Perspectives,” which includes fine discussions on the Trinity and postmodernity and religious pluralism.

It is clear that the authors are most at ease with the medieval theologians, who receive considerable attention (34 pages). Reformed theologians might feel that the treatment of the major Reformers is inadequate (11 pages), but the authors make the point that, by and large, Trinitarian theology was not a major bone of contention between the Reformers and Rome; indeed, the major Reformers were at pains to defend traditional views of the Trinity against radical anti-Trinitarian thinkers. Anti-Trinitarianism is mentioned in passing under the Reformers (132 and 137), and also under the modern period (196); nonetheless, it would be useful to have a somewhat more extensive treatment of anti-Trinitarian views. One might analyze the perspectives of “deconstructionists” of Christian doctrine such as Kant (treated briefly) and Harnack (not mentioned), especially in view of widespread modern anti-Trinitarian teachings.

For an Orthodox reader, the treatment of the filioque question is one of the strong points of the book. In the section on John Zizioulas, there is a good, non-polemic four-page summary of the filioque (189–193), which both presents and critiques the Catholic and Orthodox positions on this thousand-year-old dispute. The chapter on the scholastic theologians makes clear how the “shadow” of the filioque hovers over the Trinitarian theology of the period: whatever else the theologians might wish to say about the Trinity, somehow the filioque has to feature in their theologies. Orthodox theologians have difficulty understanding the predicament that many Western theologians find themselves in by having to maintain the filioque at all costs. Some Western theologues...