The Trinity (Guides to Theology) [Paperback]

Roger E. Olson (Author), Christopher A. Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2002 | Series: Guides to Theology

The premier volume in an exciting new series of guides to the core beliefs of the Christian faith, The Trinity provides beginning theology readers with a basic knowledge of the doctrine of Gods triune nature. Concise, nontechnical, and up-to-date, the book offers a detailed historical and theological description of the doctrine of the Trinity, tracing its development from the first days of Christianity through the medieval and Reformation eras and into the modern age. Special attention is given to early church controversies and church fathers who helped carve out the doctrine of the triune God as well as to its twentieth-century renaissance. The second half of the book contains a detailed, annotated bibliography of all major books written about the Trinity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 163 pages
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; annotated edition edition (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802848273
• ISBN-13: 978-0802848277
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #808,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Roger E. Olson (Ph.D., Rice University) is professor of theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He is the author of The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition & Reform, The Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity & Diversity (both InterVarsity Press) and The Westminster Handbook to Evangelical Theology (Westminster John Knox). He is also coauthor of 20th-Century Theology: God & the World in a Transitional Age and Who Needs Theology? An Invitation to the Study of God (both with Stanley J. Grenz, InterVarsity Press), and of The Trinity (with Christopher A. Hall, Eerdmans).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction and overview for the beginner (namely, ME), December 29, 2006

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William R. Bullerman "Rusty Bullerman" (Round Rock, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Trinity (Guides to Theology) (Paperback)

Roger Olson and Christopher Hall have done Protestants like me a great service by offering a readable survey and introduction to the history of Trinitarian thought. It is a short book, 115 pages, but it does get into some detail as it reviews the contributors from the Ante-Nicene fathers down to authors of the late 20th Century. Its brevity doesn't mean it covers all of the players in Trinitarian thought, but it gave me a good feel for how we got from there (the New Testament) to here (2006) and how the doctrine developed.

This survey gives an insight on how influential Augstine was in Medieval Catholic theology as well as the Reformation. They also do Anselm justice to show how he influenced the next move in the Trinity. I had not heard of Richard St. Victor, but they give some insights on his impact which can be seen in the writings of today. The very interesting thing for me is that I am reading other books on the Trinity, especially on the intra-Trinitarian relationships, and the Augustine-Anselm connection gave me insight as to how they have influenced Trinitarian thought even recently.

They also cover some of the heresies that were encountered such as Abelard and Michael Severus. Their discussion of the rise of Unitarianism and Deism is also very insightful and helps see the different currents at work while Trinitarian thought ebbed and flowed.

There is a very helpful annotated bibliography at the end. If you are looking for a survey-introduction to the thought and development of the Trinity, then this book is for you.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great historical diagram of the development of doctrine, January 13, 2003

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Robert Rolfingsmeyer "stathanasius" (Indianapolis, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Trinity (Guides to Theology) (Paperback)

A must read for anyone remotely interested in the Trinity. Easy to read but not simple. In this work, Olson starts from the beginning of the Trinitarian debates and leads you through an amazing ride through history as new thoughts on this essential doctrine develop. One of the things that is made evident is that what we have now is trully a develpment of doctrine, the Trinity is not something that was defined overnight. In the last chapter, Olson covers three contemporary theologians and how they define the Trinity today.

Never coming to any conclusions, Olson allows you to taste all that he's given you and chew on it. The best book on the Trinity that I've read in 2002.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Felt TOO brief, August 14, 2009

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BPRJam (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Trinity (Guides to Theology) (Paperback)

Enjoyed the tracing of the tradition from early patristics through modern times, but felt that the book was too short to really delve into the substantial differences between some areas of thought. While I affirm that orthodox descriptions of the Trinity will necessarily be close to one another, I often felt like the nuances between the two could have been brought out more. Overall, I felt as if another 50 pages or so of description of things like the social trinitarian model, the psychological model (including the benefits and limits of both), the context or pressures out of which various nuanced definitions sprung, and more philospophical underpinnings of the modern (re)constructions would have been helpful. Another 50 pages would still have this work be in the "guide" category, and I believe would have helped the reader naviate the hermeneutical landscape of trinitarian thought. For instance, the seven key propositions listed on page 46 are never pulled throughout the book to aid in understanding where controversy may erupt, or the ways in which the rules may actually operate when used in real life. e.g., How does LaCugna's project interact with these rules? I'm left wondering the real utility of Carey's rules when interacting with post-midieval thought.

Nevertheless, the excellent annoted bibliography and index make this a work that is usable for a quick refresher, or if I need to track down a primary source.

The book is readable, but since much is assumed by the author, I would caution that some background in theology/philosophy is necessary to follow much of the development. For instance, patripassianism is mentioned, but never fully explained (neither by definition, nor by historical importance), but patripassianism has huge implications for the early development of trinitarian thought.

This is better than any other summary I have read, which were all too long, but this one just felt too short.