Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Mark Jones' Bibliography on the Trinity

Over at his blog, Mark Jones has published a useful annotated bibliography. In terms of the Trinity it will be helpful to see what the church has taught over the years and why it is of great importance. Links and comments below were generated by Dr. Jones:

Annotated Trinity Bibliography
Introductory
Donald Fairbarn, Life in the Trinity (IVP). This is a wonderful introduction to Christian theology in general, drawing largely on four patristic theologians.
Fred Sanders, Deep Things of God (Crossway). Shows how the trinity permeates all of our faith and practice.
Intermediate
I'd also add Warren Smith's essay on the Fourth Century in the Oxford Handbook of the Trinity as an intermediate level intro. Any pastors or profs who are not up to speed could read that and get up to speed J. Warren Smith, The Trinity in the fourth century fathers in The Oxford Handbook of the Trinity (OUP).
Fred Sanders, The Triune God (New Studies in Dogmatics for Zondervan, forthcoming this fall). Offers an account of trinitarian exegesis, especially of OT.
Gilles Emery, The Trinity (CUA). Best intro to catholic doctrine and its terms.
Advanced
Joseph Pohle/Arthur Preuss, The Divine Trinity (Scholars Choice). If Peter Escalante says this is really good it must be because Peter Escalante only recommends the best.
Gregory Nazianzus, On God and Christ (St Vladimir's Seminary Press). Includes his five theological orations and a couple key letters. Single most significant patristic starting point.
Basil, Against Eunomius (CUA). Key texts from later fourth century father.
Augustine, The Trinity (New City Press). Most full account of the trinity in the late patristic era.
Gilles Emery, The Trinitarian Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas (OUP). Best introduction to medieval and patristic terminology and distinctions.
Khaled Anatolios, Retrieving Nicaea (Baker). Helpful history of key figures and moves.
John Webster, God Without Measure, Volume One: God and the Works of God (T & T Clark). Puts trinitarian thinking to use in both talking of God in himself and God in his works. Essays on "eternal generation," "it was the will of the Lord to bruise him," and "place of Christology in ST" are especially significant.
Matthew Levering, Scripture and Metaphysics: Aquinas and the Renewal of Trinitarian Theology (Blackwell). Engages narrative theology and post-metaphysical thought of the last 75 years by retrieving the exegetical and metaphysical account of Aquinas.
Lewis Ayres, Nicaea and Its Legacy (OUP). See also HTR review symposium edited by Sarah Coakley. The best map of fourth century debates. The final chapter maps issues of scripture and tradition methodologically as well.
Scott Swain, The God of the Gospel (IVP). Interacts with evangelical historicist approaches to theology and economy in Jenson and McCormack (pt 1) and then offers a catholic and Reformed alternative (pt 2).
Wesley Hill, Paul and the Trinity (Eerdmans). Shows how NT appropriation of language of "lord" not only applies it to Jesus but also shows his "relations" to Father and Spirit, so that NT not only teaches a "high Christology" but a trinitarian Christology.
Allen/Swain, Christian Dogmatics (Baker Academic) - first four chapters address these issues reg. "knowledge of God," "divine triunity," "divine attributes," and "covenant of redemption."
Also crucial here are essays by Steven Boyer, “Articulating Order: Trinitarian Discourse in an Egalitarian Age” (Pro Ecclesia), Keith Johnson “Augustine, Eternal Generation, and Evangelical Trinitarianism” (Trinity Journal, Fall 2011), and Scott Swain/Michael Allen “The Obedience of the Eternal Son” (IJST, March 2013).
Boethius, "The Trinity Is One God and Not Three Gods," (Kindle) is a useful exposition of the logical foundations of the doctrine esp. in relation to Aristotle's ten categories of predication. But it is definitely not intro level--he says explicitly that it's for a very small audience (indeed, an audience of one! And that audience of one is not God but his father-in-law, so...).
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