On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God

by Matthew Barrett

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2024

Overview

Modern theology claimed that it ignited a renaissance in trinitarian theology. Really, it has been a renaissance in social trinitarianism. Classical commitments like divine simplicity have been jettisoned, the three persons have been redefined as three centers of consciousness and will, and modern agendas in politics, gender, and ecclesiology determine the terms of the discussion. Contemporary trinitarian theology has followed the spirit of this trajectory, rejecting doctrines like eternal generation which were once a hallmark of Nicene orthodoxy and reintroducing subordinationism into the Trinity.

Motivated by the longstanding need to retrieve the classical doctrine of the Trinity, theologian Matthew Barrett brings together Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox scholars to intervene in the conversation. With over forty contributions, this ecumenical volume resurrects the enduring legacy of Nicene orthodoxy, providing a theological introduction that listens with humility to the Great Tradition.

In On Classical Trinitarianism, you find contributions from a wide range of scholars, including: Katherin Rogers, Andrew Louth, Gilles Emery, Steven Duby, Gavin Ortlund, Adonis Vidu, Carl Trueman, Matthew Levering, Fred Sanders, Scott Swain, Karen Kilby, Amy Peeler, Thomas Joseph White, and more!

The distinct yet united voices of On Classical Trinitarianism summon the next generation to move past modern revisionism for the sake of renewing classical trinitarian theology today. Together, they demonstrate that Nicene orthodoxy can endure in the modern world and unite the church catholic.

Key Features

• Brings together Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox scholars to intervene.
• Resurrects the enduring legacy of Nicene orthodoxy.
• Provides a theological introduction that listens with humility to the Great Tradition.

Contents

• Foreword by J. Todd Billings
• Acknowledgments
• The Nicene Creed: Or the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, AD 381
• Introduction: The Prospect and Promise of Classical Trinitarian Theology, Matthew Barrett
• Part 1: Retrieving Nicene Trinitarianism
• 1. Ante-Nicene Trinitarianism: From Confession to Theology, Donald Fairbairn
• 2. The Nicene Creed: Foundation of Orthodoxy, Christopher A. Hall
• 3. The Beginnings of a Pro-Nicene Trinitarian Vision: Athanasius of Alexandria on the Activity of the Son and the Spirit, Amy Brown Hughes and Shawn J. Wilhite
• 4. Hilary of Poitiers, on the Unity and Distinction of Father and Son: A Pro-Nicene Reading and Use of John 5:19, Carl L. Beckwith
• 5. The Cappadocians and the Maturity of Nicene Vocabulary, Stephen Hildebrand
• 6. Maximos and John Damascene: Mid-Byzantine Reception of Nicaea, Andrew Louth
• 7. Augustine of Hippo: Will the Real Augustine Please Stand Up?, Keith E. Johnson
• 8. Anselm of Canterbury: Faith Seeking Trinitarian Understanding, David S. Hogg
• 9. Thomas Aquinas’s Appropriation of Pro-Nicene Theology of the Trinity, Gilles Emery, OP
• 10. Creedal Critics or Creedal Confessors? The Reformers and the Reformed Scholastics, J. V. Fesko
• 11. A Fading of the Trinitarian Imagination: The Fight for Nicene Confessionalism in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, Michael A. G. Haykin
• Part 2: Trinitarian Hermeneutics and Nicene Dogmatics
• 12. The Incomprehensibility of the Holy Trinity, Ronni Kurtz
• 13. Trinity, Creatures, and Hermeneutics: Accounting Properly for both Theologia and Oikonomia, Richard C. Barcellos
• 14. The Unity of God and the Unity of the Economy, Steven J. Duby
• 15. Perfect Being Theology and Classical Trinitarianism, Katherin A. Rogers
• 16. Trinity and Divine Simplicity, James E. Dolezal
• 17. Three Persons, One Will, Stephen J. Wellum
• 18. Trinity and Aseity, Gavin Ortlund
• 19. The Immutable and Impassible Trinity—Part 1: The Biblical Teaching and Early Patristic Thought, Thomas G. Weinandy
• 20. The Immutable and Impassible Trinity—Part 2: The Early Councils, Further Theological and Christological Developments, and Soteriological and Pastoral Implications, Thomas G. Weinandy
• 21. Trinity and Love, Matthew Levering
• 22. The Unbegotten Father, John Baptist Ku
• 23. Only Begotten God: Eternal Generation, a Scriptural Doctrine, Charles Lee Irons
• 24. Only Begotten Son: The Doctrinal Functions of Eternal Generation, Fred Sanders
• 25. No Impassibility, No Eternal Generation: Retrieving a Pro-Nicene Distinctive, Matthew Barrett
• 26. The Procession of the Spirit: Eternal Spiration, Chris R. J. Holmes
• 27. The Spirit’s Procession Revealed in the Spirit’s Mission: An Augustinian Account, Adonis Vidu
• 28. Three Agents, One Agency: The Undivided External Works of the Trinity, Scott R. Swain
• 29. Trinity and Appropriations: Meaning, Practice, and Significance, Josh Malone
• Part 3: The Renewal of Nicene Fidelity Today
• 30. Social or Classical? A Theological Dialogue, Michael Allen and Matthew Barrett
• 31. Three Versus One? Some Problems of Social Trinitarianism, Stephen R. Holmes
• 32. Perichoresis and Projection: Problems with Social Doctrines of the Trinity, Karen Kilby
• 33. Is There Obedience in God? Nicene Orthodoxy and the Eternal Procession of the Son in Aquinas and Barth, Thomas Joseph White
• 34. Renaissance or Revision? Metaphysical Departures from Classical Trinitarian Theism, Craig A. Carter
• 35. Are Evangelicals Nicene Trinitarians? Evangelicalism’s Debt to Social Trinitarianism, D. Blair Smith
• 36. Reforming the Trinity? The Collapse of Classical Metaphysics and the Protestant Identity Crisis, Carl Trueman
• 37. The Need for Nicene Exegesis: Eternal Functional Subordination’s Hermeneutical Innovation, Amy Peeler
• 38. The Need for Nicene Dogmatics: Eternal Functional Subordination’s Dogmatic Inadequacy, Glenn Butner
• 39. The Trinity Is Still Not Our Social Program: The Trinity and Gender Roles, Samuel G. Parkison
• 40. Biblicism and Heterodoxy: Nicene Orthodoxy, Ecclesiastical Accountability, and Institutional Fidelity, Michael Horton
• List of Contributors
• General Index
• Scripture Index

Praise for On Classical Trinitarianism

One will be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive explanation of trinitarian doctrine than this collection of essays. Matthew Barrett has assembled a prestigious team of scholars to explain what the Trinity is and why it still matters. On Classical Trinitarianism is an outstanding achievement in modern scholarship on the Christian doctrine of God.

—Michael F. Bird, deputy principal at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia and author of A Bird’s-Eye View of Luke and Acts

On Classical Trinitarianism is a breathtaking accomplishment. An astonishing array of contributions maps the field of trinitarian theology—historical, dogmatic, and polemical. The forty chapters, written by prominent theologians from each of three major branches of the church, are a major refutation of the so-called revival of the Trinity in twentieth-century theology. This publication is a serious, in-depth reassertion of classical Nicene theology over against the recent onslaught of social trinitarianism with its rationally comprehensible and compositional (and, often, subordinationist) view of the Trinity. Anyone attempting a return to the social trinitarianism of the previous century will have to reckon with Matthew Barrett’s major accomplishment in this volume.

—Hans Boersma, the Order of St. Benedict Servants of Christ Chair in Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary, Wisconsin

Evangelical retrieval of classical trinitarianism is a vital project. This massive resource represents various approaches and levels of polemical intensity along with a core set of convictions. I can’t believe I read the whole thing! But its many fine essays convey valuable insights, sound some necessary alarms, and pose enduring questions.

—Daniel J. Treier, Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Theology and PhD program director at Wheaton College

Product Details

• Title: On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God
• Author: Matthew Barrett
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2024
• Logos Release Date: 2025
• Pages: 798
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Nicene Creed; Trinity; Theology, Doctrinal
• Resource ID: LLS:CLSSCLTRNTRNSGD
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-01-23T21:47:01Z

About Matthew Barrett

Matthew Barrett is Associate Professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also the founder and executive editor of Credo Magazine, an evangelical publication making theology accessible to those in the church. He is the host of the Credo podcast, where he has conversations with the best theologians today to discuss the most important issues in theology. Dr. Barrett has been the executive editor of Credo Magazine for over ten years, publishing over 40 issues.