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.

Tim Chester, Delighting in the Trinity.

Robert Letham, The Holy Trinity (P&R).

Ryan McGraw, Is the Trinity Practical? (RHB).

Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity (IVP).

James White, The Forgotten Trinity (Bethany House).

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.

David S. Yeago, "The New Testament and the Nicene Dogma: A Contribution to the Recovery of Theological Exegesis" in The Theological Interpretation of Scripture: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Shows how Phil. 2 leads to Nicene terms by talking about distinction between judgments and concepts.

Brandon Crowe/Carl Trueman, Essential Trinity (IVP).

Geerhardus Vos, Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 1.

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...).

John Behr, The Way to Nicaea.

B.A. Bosserman, The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox.

Francis Cheynell, The Divine Triunity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Gregory of Nyssa, On Not Three Gods (Kindle).

Stephen Holmes, Quest for the Trinity (IVP).

John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, book 1.

Douglas Kelly, Systematic Theology, Volume 1.

John Owen, A Brief Declaration and Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity.

John Owen, Communion with the Triune God (Crossway).

Richard of St. Victor, On the Trinity.

T.F. Torrance, The Christian Doctrine of God (T&T).

Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, Volume 1 (P&R).

Additional Titles

Edward H. Bickersteth, The Trinity.

James Dolezal, God without Parts.

Brannon Ellis, Calvin, Classical Trinitarianism, and the Aseity of the Son (OUP).

Russell L. Friedman, Intellectual Traditions at the Medieval University: The Use of Philosophical Psychology in Trinitarian Theology among the Franciscans and Dominicans, 1250-1350 (BRILL).

Russell L. Friedman, Medieval Trinitarian Thought from Aquinas to Ockham (CUP).

Stanley Grenz, Rediscovering the Triune God.

Colin Gunton, The Promise of Trinitarian Theology (T&T).

Robert Jenson, Systematic Theology, Volume 1 (OUP).

Gerald O’Collins, The Tripersonal God.

Amy Plantinga Pauw, The Supreme Harmony of All (Eerdmans).

Joseph Pohle/Arthur Preuss, The Divine Trinity (Scholars Choice).

Fred Sanders, Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective (B&H Academic).

Christoph Schwöbel, Trinitarian Theology Today (T&T).

Ralph Smith, Trinity & Reality (Canon Press).

Peter Toon/J.D. Spiceland, One God in Trinity.

Peter Toon, Our Triune God.

Alan Torrance, Persons in Communion (T&T).

The Importance of the Trinity among the Protestant Reformers

An excerpt from Richard A. Muller, Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics: The Rise and Development of Reformed Orthodoxy;  Volume 4: The Triunity of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003), 143–144.

"Whether positively in their creedal and catechetical expositions and their various manuals or bodies of doctrine or in their responses to the early antitrinitarians, the Reformers uniformly gave testimony to the importance of the doctrine of the Trinity in their theology and to the necessity of respecting the mystery of the doctrine. The doctrine of the Trinity, according to the Reformers and their successors, belonged to the category of fundamental and necessary articles. Even Melanchthon’s early exclusion of the doctrine from his set of treated loci (albeit not from his listing of foundational topics) had more to do with issues related to speculation than with the question of necessary beliefs for Christians. When Melanchthon added an exposition of the doctrine to later editions of his Loci communes, the trinitarian model became the central issue of his doctrine of God, given far greater detail than the unity of essence and the attributes, for, as Melanchthon testifies, although the mystery of the Trinity is beyond all human comprehension, some attempt at expressing the doctrine must be made in order to distinguish Christian worship from that of the pagans.

In the confessions and theological systems of the Reformers the doctrine of the Trinity is almost invariably placed in the creedal or catechetical order, early on in the order of doctrines, preceded only by preliminary matters and the discussion of Scripture, and followed immediately by creation and providence. Insofar as many of these works do not have extended discussions of the divine essence and attributes, the doctrine of the Trinity receives the central place in the doctrine of God."

Why I Love the Doctrine of the Trinity

There are very few doctrines which undergird the Christian life like the doctrine of the Trinity. And yet, in the Stone-Campbell movement, few foundational doctrines have been as historically controversial.

Part of the reason for the resistance to the doctrine of the Trinity in our movement is because of the emergence of our tradition at a time when the classical doctrines of the faith were coming under fire. Groups like Deists and Unitarians attacked the doctrine, and primitivist/restorationist thinkers (like Campbell and Stone) yearned for a simpler, biblical language that captured the personal aspects of God, rather than the tight theological formulations of Protestant Scholasticism. In other words, dogmatic systematic thinking on the Trinity was "out", and calling bible stuff by bible names was “in.” It didn’t help that the word “Trinity” is famously absent from scripture. Readers interested in the reception of the doctrine in our early history are urged to consult the entry on “God, Doctrine of” written by Paul M. Blowers in The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement.

And yet, the theology of the doctrine is omnipresent in scripture. The Old Testament constantly insists that there is only one God, the self-revealed Creator, who must be worshiped and loved exclusively (Deut. 6:4–5; Isa. 44:6–45:25). The New Testament agrees (Mark 12:29–30; 1 Cor. 8:4; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:5) but speaks of three personal agents, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, working together in the manner of a team to bring about salvation (Rom. 8; Eph. 1:3–14; 2 Thess. 2:13–14; 1 Pet. 1:2). 

The scripture speaks to the deity of the three members of the Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For example, there are the myriad of passages which demonstrate that God is Father (e.g., John 6:27, Titus 1:4). Then there are texts which prove the deity of Jesus Christ, like John 1 (“the word was God”), John 8:58 (“before Abraham was born, I am”), Col. 2:9 (“in Christ all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form”), Heb. 1:3 (“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of his being”), Tit. 2:13 (“our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”)-not to mention the explicit worship Christ willingly received from his disciples (Luke 24:52; John 20:28) and the charges of blasphemy leveled against him for making himself equal with God (Mark 2:7). Then we have similar texts which assume the deity of the Holy Spirit, calling Him an “eternal Spirit” (Heb. 9:14) and using “God” interchangeably with the “Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 3:16 and 1 Cor. 6:19; Acts 5:3-4) without a second thought.

The shape of Trinitarian orthodoxy is finally rounded off by texts that hint at the plurality of persons in the Godhead (Gen. 1:1-3, 26; Psalm 2:7; Dan. 7), texts like 1 Cor. 8:6 which place Jesus Christ as Lord right in the middle of Jewish Shema, and dozens of texts that speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the same breath, equating the three in rank, while assuming distinction of personhood (Matt. 28:19; Gal. 4:6; 1 Cor.12:4-6; 1 Peter 1:1-2; 2 Cor. 2:21-22; 13:14; Eph. 1:13-14; 2:18, 20-22; 3:14-17; 4:4-6; 5:18-20; 6:10-18).

Some people contend the doctrine is a contradiction. It is not. But indeed the doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery. The historic formulation of the Trinity (derived from the Latin word trinitas, meaning “threeness”) seeks to circumscribe and safeguard this mystery (not explain it; that is beyond us), and it confronts us with perhaps the most difficult thought that the human mind has ever been asked to handle. It is not easy; but it is true. 

The church struggled with this profoundly in the first four centuries in order to be faithful to the clear teaching of Scripture that God is one and also that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all divine. The Christian formula for the Trinity—God is one essence in three persons—may seem to be contradictory because we are accustomed to seeing one being as one person. We cannot conceive of how one being could be contained in three persons and still be only one being. To that extent, the doctrine of the Trinity in this formulation is mysterious; it boggles the mind to think of a being who is absolutely one in His essence yet three in person.

But embrace this doctrine we must for it is the most practical of doctrines for the Christian faith. It is the foundation of the gospel. Without the love of the Father, the coming of the Son, and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, there simply could be no salvation.

During His Farewell Discourse, Jesus explained to Philip that to see Him is to see the Father (John 13:8–11). Yet He is not Himself the Father; otherwise, He could not have been the way to the Father (John 14:6). He is also “in” the Father, and the Father is “in him.” This mutual indwelling is, as the theologians say, “ineffable”— beyond our ability to understand. Yet it is not beyond faith’s ability to believe.

Moreover, the Holy Spirit lies at the heart of this bond between the Father and His Son. But now the Father has sent His Son (who is “in” the Father). Such is the love of the Father and the Son for believers that they will come to make believers their home.

How so? The Father and Son come to indwell the believer through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (14:23). He glorifies Christ (16:14). He takes what belongs to Christ, given to Him by the Father, and shows it to us. Later, when we have the privilege of overhearing our Lord’s prayer, Jesus similarly speaks about the intimacy of fellowship with God that sustained Him so wonderfully: “You, Father, are in me, and I in you” (John 17:21).

I hope you see the point - to speak of the Trinity is to speak of the gospel and our adoption as God’s children. To be saved is to be in union with Christ. And to be united with Christ is to share in a union created by the indwelling of the Spirit of the incarnate Son who Himself is “in” the Father as the Father is “in” Him. Union with Christ means nothing less than fellowship with all three persons of the Trinity. It is not that the divine nature is infused into believers. Our union with Christ is spiritual and personal — effected by the indwelling of the Spirit of the Son of the Father.

Rather than eschew the goodness of the Trinity then, we ought to embrace it. It is the way God has disclosed Godself. To understand the Trinitarian God is to understand the divine dance of salvation. 

Dowling Devotions: The Trinitarian God

The Shield of the Trinity

For many Christians, “doxology” brings to mind the following short verse of worship and praise:

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise him, all creatures here below. Praise him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

In the Roman Catholic Tradition, the “doxology” takes on a form known by many as the Gloria Patri:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

What does it mean then that so much in our worship, and in Christian worship around world in a variety of traditions, is conducted in the triune name of God—in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Why do we do that? Why do we, for example, baptize new converts into the triune name of God—in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Well, the answer is because it reflects the essential nature of who God is.

In fact, we do things so often in our worship and in the life of the church in the Trinitarian name of God because it reflects the fact that God is a Tri-Unity…God is One in Three…the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And these three are one God. The same in substance, equal in power and glory.

The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. To study the Bible’s teachings on the Trinity gives us great insight into the question that is at the center of all of our seeking after God: What is God like in himself?