THE MESSAGE OF THE TRINITY (BST)

Written by Brian Edgar Reviewed By Geoffrey Grogan

Despite their common subject and shared evangelicalism these books are very different. As a Bible Speaks Today volume, Brian Edgar’s focuses on the Biblical evidence, while Robert Letham’s is more comprehensive, although its briefer treatment of the Biblical material touches some issues not handled by Edgar. It would be best to read Edgar first.

Most passages in The Message of the Trinity virtually choose themselves. After an excellent Introduction, in which Edgar shows in turn that the doctrine is comprehensible, logical, practical foundational, essential, structural and biblical, the book has four main serious. These deal with the OT, Jesus and his teaching, and the Early Church, but the first is reminiscent of Augustine as it is on the Trinity of love. Methodological inspiration or methodological fault? I suggest you make up your own mind.

The choice of passages is good. In some cases the points made seem rather obvious, but there are fine chapters on the Shema (Deut. 4:6–9) and on the Wisdom theme. There is a homiletical feel to some of them and a sequence of three points is a frequent occurrence, not perhaps surprising in a book on the Trinity!

Letham’s book deserves its enthusiastic commendation by Sinclair Ferguson, Jim Packer and Gerald Bray. It is balanced, clear and makes the reader very much aware of the theological and vital practical importance of the doctrine.

The section on Biblical Foundations is relatively short, but includes stimulating treatments of Genesis 1 and the Epistle to the Ephesians.

The Historical sections form the major substance of the book and are not merely descriptive, but critical. They embrace early trinitarianism, the Arian Controversy, Athanasius, the Cappadocians, the Council of Constantinople, Augustine, the Filioque Controversy and the divergence of east and west, Calvin, Rahner, Moltmann, Pannenberg, some modern Orthodox theologians and T.F. Torrance. Among many notable features we might select his treatment of Origen (whom he does not regard as the theological ancestor of Arianism), Athanasius and Gregory Nazianzen (both very appreciatively), Augustine (somewhat critically), his very full treatment of the Filoque issue, Moltmann (highly critically) and T.F. Torrance, whose work on the subject he thinks probably the best to date. Two appendixes deal with the views of Gilbert Bilezekian and Kevin Giles.

He is convinced that the economic order of the Persons seen in their work of creation and redemption must be a revelation of their eternal order. There is no subordination of essence, for the Three Persons are equally and eternally divine, yet they are also eternally First, Second and Third. He shows that the theology of the Western Church was often in danger of modalism and the Eastern of tritheistic subordinationism, and steers deftly between these.

He shows how important linguistic issues have been in trinitarian discussions and he describes the Arian debate as ‘a lexical minefield’. His occasional criticism of ‘biblicists’ should not be misunderstood. He is of course concerned that the doctrine should be biblically grounded, but he defends the Fathers and other theologians for their use of non-biblical terms (including ‘Trinity’) over against the excessive literalism of the Arians and other heretics.

He recognises how important it is that the Doctrine of God should be treated in a fully Trinitarian way, rightly criticising Hodge for the excessive length of his general treatment of the Doctrine of God over against his much briefer exposition of the Trinity. Your reviewer once noted how little Scripture there is in Hodge’s Doctrine of God compared to the multitude of Biblical reference cited elsewhere in his Systematic Theology.

The closing section, ‘Critical Issues’, embraces the relationship of the doctrine to the Incarnation (exploring particularly the relationship of the Son’s human obedience to his eternal place in the trinitarian order), to Worship and Prayer, to Creation and Missions (including a good discussion of Islam), and to Persons. In each area he shows in most stimulating ways how far-reaching are the theological and practical implications of this doctrine.

As one author has said about the Christological writings of Nestorius, ‘no good purpose is served by replacing inscrutable mysteries with incomprehensible explanations’. Trinitarian theology is intrinsically demanding and its exponents need to be clear stylists. In this respect this book is a joy to read. Almost all sentences with over forty words are quotations from other authors, and there is a crystal-clear glossary of terms.


Geoffrey Grogan

Glasgow