The Trinitarian Controversy

by William G. Rusch

Publisher:

Fortress Press

, 1980

Overview

This volume explores the development of the doctrine of the Trinity in the Patristic Church following the Arian controversy. Rather than presenting the discussion or debates on contemporary scholars, The Trinitarian Controversy presents original letters, documents, creeds, and debates among the Church Fathers and Arius himself to gain a first-hand view of the controversy as it developed chronologically in the early centuries of the Church. A brief introduction to these early church texts is included to help provide the reader with larger biblical and historical context of the documents included.

Key Features

• Presents translations of the original writings that formed the Trinity controversy
• Helps readers gain a better grasp of the historicity of the Christian faith
• Learn how historical events in the church continue to shape the language we use even today to discuss the Trinity

Contents

• Arius' Letter to Eusebius of Nicomedia
• Arius' Letter to Alexander of Alexandria
• Alexander of Alexandria's Letter to Alexander of Thessalonica
• The Synodal Letter of the Council of Antioch, A.D. 325
• The Creed of the Synod of Nicaea (June 19, 325)
• The Canons of Nicaea, A.D. 325
• Eusebius of Caesarea's Letter to His Church concerning the Synod at Nicaea
• Arius' Letter to the Emperor Constantine
• Athanasius' Orations against the Arians, Book 1
• Gregory of Nazianzus' Third Theological Oration concerning the Son
• Gregory of Nyssa's Concerning We Should Think of Saying That There Are Not Three Gods to Ablabius
• Augustine of Hippo's On the Trinity, Book 9

Top Highlights

“All this is because we do not agree with him when he states in public, ‘Always God always Son,’ ‘At the same time Father, at the same time Son,’ ‘The Son ingenerably coexists with God,’ ‘Ever-begotten, ungenerated-created, neither in thought nor in some moment of time does God proceed the Son,’ ‘Always God always Son,’ ‘The Son is from God himself.’” (Page 29)

“But, as we say, he was created by the will of God before times and ages, and he received life, being, and glories from the Father as the Father has shared them with him.” (Page 31)

“The Apologists set the future course for trinitarian theology and enabled Christianity to take seriously the presuppositions of Greek philosophy.” (Page 6)

“And before he was begotten or created or defined or established, he was not. For he was not unbegotten. But we are persecuted because we say, ‘The Son has a beginning, but God is without beginning.’ Because of this we are persecuted because we say, ‘The Son has a beginning, but God is without beginning.’ We are persecuted because we say, ‘He is from nothing.’ But we speak thus inasmuch as he is neither part of God nor from any substratum.” (Page 30)

“There is no doctrine of the Trinity in the strict sense in the Apostolic Fathers, but the trinitarian formulas are apparent. The witness of this collection of writings to a Christian doctrine of God is slight and provides no advance in synthesis or theological construction beyond the biblical materials.” (Page 3)

Product Details

• Title: The Trinitarian Controversy
• Author: William G. Rusch
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Publication Date: 1980
• Pages: 182
• Resource Type: Anthology
• Topic: Church Fathers

About William G. Rusch

Lutheran Church History & Polity, Yale Divinity School, Yale University.