A Brief History Of The Doctrine Of The Trinity In The Early Church

For a long time, there has been a need for a clear and concise account of the emergence of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. The older textbooks are, for the most part, out-of-date, giving misleading and oversimplified accounts both of the philosophical background and the course of the development, while the contributions of modern scholarship are often complex and lengthy, presenting a picture very difficult for the novice theologian to take on board. Professor Dünzl’s book fills this need with a clear and concise account of what one might call the public history of the doctrine of the Trinity. He traces the various tributaries to the development of the doctrine, both biblical and philosophical, with a sure touch and with lucidity. Major figures, such as Origen, are given the attention they deserve, and lesser figures are not neglected. The tendency of much older scholarship, to read back into the early figures concerns that only became apparent later, is rigorously avoided. Dünzl’s gift for clarity and concision is especially manifest in his treatment of the fourth century, which has been the subject of much scholarly debate for the last few decades. Without neglecting this scholarship, he avoids the tendency to confuse doctrinal history with the history of scholarship, leaving the reader’s head full of the wrong names (that is, the names of the scholars, rather than the participants in the debate), and instead concentrates on unfolding the fourth-century story itself.

Author: Franz Dunzl

Format: PDF

Year: 2007

Pages: 161