The Trinitarian Theology of Jonathan Edwards: Text, Context, and Application

Written by Steven M. Studebaker and Robert W. Caldwell III Reviewed By Chris Chun

Advancing Trinitarian theology is on the rise in the early part of the twenty-first century. One example of this theological trend in the area of constructive or systematic theology is the first annual Los Angeles Theology Conference (2014), wherein the conference’s inaugural theme focused upon the doctrine of Trinity. Historical theology is no exception to these trends, and Ashgate Publishing, through the immense scholarly efforts of Steven Studebaker and Robert Caldwell, capitalizes on current interest by distilling America’s greatest theologian’s thoughts on Trinity.

The Trinitarian Theology of Jonathan Edwards: Text, Context, and Application features three parts (perhaps fittingly!). Part I judiciously reprints the most important segments of Edwards’s Trinitarian essays, such as Discourse on the Trinity and Treatise on Grace, to argue that because Edwards operated on a basic framework of an Augustinian mutual love concept of Trinity, his concept of Eastern-economic Trinity is none other than the externalization of Western-immanent Trinity (p. 101). This thesis, which is rehashed throughout the subsequent chapters, is grounded in Part I through detailed analysis of the distinction between God’s inner-Trinitarian glory ad extra and ad intra.

Part II deals with the historical context in two measures. First, Edwards is placed in the wider development of the doctrine within Christian tradition. This historical survey compares Edwards with Augustine, Aquinas, St. Victor, and Bonaventure. Second, by locating Edwards in the eighteenth-century context, the authors shed light on the Reformed tradition that he inherited over against the Enlightenment challenges that Edwards was facing in his day. I find Studebaker and Caldwell’s discussions on “rational defense of Trinity” (pp. 137ff.), especially Edwards’s employment of prisca theologia, to be intriguing, albeit not compelling enough to label Edwards as a “Reformed participant in the Enlightenment” (p. 140). It might be more appropriate to view Edwards as an Enlightenment participant whose DNA is encoded in Reformed genetic instructions. Be that as it may, I ultimately concur with the authors’ assessment that “more continuity exists between the Trinitarian theology of Edwards and the Reformed tradition” (p. 146), yet that it did not “stifle innovative attempts to update the [Reformed] doctrine for an enlightened audience” (p. 152). Edwards, in many places within his vast corpus, has certainly articulated traditional dogma with the Enlightenment apparatuses that were available to him.

In Part III, Studebaker and Caldwell draw out how Edwards incorporated the doctrine of Trinity in his preaching and applied it to Christian life. As a seminary professor, I find chapters 7 and 8 particularly helpful in training ministers, because these examples provide a model of how students of theology can incorporate classical doctrines in their respective ministries. However, chapter 9 will raise some eyebrows amongst evangelical admirers of Edwards, since interpreting him as Panentheist (p. 193), even if valid, may open a door to associating Edwards with Process theologians, Unitarians, and Universalists. I think that Chapter 10, which describes the relationship between Edwards’s views on Trinity and eschatology, is a clever way to end this book. The authors have essentially argued that Edwards’s Trinitarianism is based on the mutual love model, yet his view correlates the Latin tradition of Immanent Trinity via ad intra as well as Economic Trinity ad extra that typifies the Greek tradition.

Overall, Studebaker and Caldwell have exhibited comprehensive knowledge in the field of current and ever growing Edwardsean scholarship with the high quality research in their footnotes. As fascinating as they are, I do not yield to all of the authors’ interpretations of Edwards (e.g., degrees of Edwards’s involvement in the Enlightenment projects and supposed Panentheism); nonetheless, their arguments demonstrate keen awareness of the theological issues involved, and are made with attention to meticulous details, which, in my opinion, ought be commended. While there are sections of this work that may be too technical for a non-specialist, any interested person who has read one or more introductory books on Jonathan Edwards should be able to work through this one. The hardback edition, unfortunately, is priced at upwards of $120, which is probably more than what most people (excluding the die-hard fans) would like to spend on a book for their personal library. That said, every research library should keep a copy of this volume in circulation. If anyone wishes to learn what Edwards said about classical doctrine of Trinity in the Enlightenment context, and how he incorporated that doctrine into his personal life and pastorship, without a doubt I can recommend this publication.


Chris Chun

Chris Chun
Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary
Mill Valley, California, USA

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