The Trinity: The Central Mystery of Christianity

233 Pages·2017·3.67 MB·English

by  Hans Schwarz

The Trinity and the Mystery of Faith The TriniTy
In the last thirty years, books on the Trinity have abounded. There seems to be a fascina-
tion with this mysterious topic, especially among systematic theologians. The Trinity has
the central mystery of christianity
no intention of adding to the plethora of treatises on the Trinity. The main question in this
book regarding the Trinity is what is scripturally tenable and what is unwarranted theologi-
S
cal construction or even speculation. What takes shape here is a story: how the doctrine
c
of the Trinity developed over the subsequent centuries from the traces in Scripture to a h
centralized dogma at the heart of Christian teaching. We witness, in this, an evolution from w
proclamation to controversy to speculation. What are we to make of this doctrine? How do a
we articulate the biblical faith today? r
z
• • • Praise for The Trinity • • •
“The question Hans Schwarz raises is whether the concept of the Trinity, which equates
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, can be supported by the biblical sources, or whether it is a
theological construct that developed and became embedded in the official theology of the
church. That is the question with which the reader is confronted in this must-read study of
the Holy Spirit and its relation to the doctrine of the Trinity. I can enthusiastically recom- T
mend this book by Hans Schwarz because his research is so thorough and his conclusions h
are so honest.”
e
Terry C. Dohm, Newberry College

T
“Hans Schwarz has once again provided a treasure to the church! The Trinity takes the r
reader on a clear and comprehensive journey through the doctrine of the Trinity beginning
i
with the witness of scripture and ending with an examination of the exciting recent insights n
into the teaching about the Triune God. As always, it is readable and informative. Readers
i
from seasoned theologians to those picking up their first theology text will be enriched!” T
DaviD C. raTke, dean of the College of Theology at Lenoir-Rhyne University y
“Hans Schwarz provides a concise yet comprehensive survey of the Trinity in biblical, his-
torical, and contemporary thought.”
russell C. kleCkley, Augsburg University
hans schwarz is professor emeritus of systematic theology at the University of
Regensburg, Germany. From 1967 to 1981, he was professor at Trinity Lutheran Seminary
in Columbus, Ohio. He has presented more than six hundred lectures on five continents
and is the author of more than thirty books, including The Christian Faith: A Creedal Ac-
count (2014) and The Human Being: A Theological Anthropology (2013).
Theology
Hans Schwarz
The Trinity

The Trinity
The Central Mystery of Christianity
Hans Schwarz
Fortress Press
Minneapolis
THE TRINITY
The Central Mystery of Christianity
Copyright © 2017 Fortress Press. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations
in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner
without prior written permission from the publisher. Email [email protected]
or write to Permissions, Fortress Press, PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN
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Cover image:Roundel with the Holy Trinity. South Netherlandish. 1510–20.
Colorless glass, silver stain, vitreous paint. The Cloisters Collection, 1932;
Triangles. © iStock/Thinkstock
Cover design: Ivy Palmer Skrade
Print ISBN: 978-1-5064-3298-4
eBook ISBN: 978-1-5064-3299-1
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Contents
Preface vii
Abbreviations ix
Introduction xi
1. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the 1
Old Testament
2. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the 15
New Testament
3. The Early Church and the Emerging Trinitarian 35
Reflections
4. The Struggle over the 57
Decision of Nicea
5. Developments in the Middle Ages and 79
in the Reformation Period
6. Post-Reformation Developments 105
7. Perspectives of the Present Scene 135
8. A Systematic Discernment 175
In Conclusion 199
Recommended Reading List 207
Index of Subjects 209
Index of Names 213
Preface
In the last thirty years books on the Trinity have abounded. There
seemstobeafascinationwiththismysterioustopic,especiallyamong
systematic theologians. The topic has been mined for many different
interests, from liberation theology to feminist interpretations of the
Christian heritage and from neo-Reformation theology to interreli-
gious dialogue. With this present book I have no intention of adding
to the plethora of treatises on the Trinity. The main question that
will concern me is what is really scripturally tenable with regard to
theTrinity andwhatisunwarranted theological construction oreven
speculation.Whileweareawarethatexegesiswithoutpresuppositions
isanoverlyidealisticendeavour,wemustneverthelesstrytoascertain
whether the theological assertions made about the Trinity are in line
with the biblical base from which they are derived, or whether they
have veered off in a more or less questionable direction.1
Thiscriticalassessmenthasnothingtodowithlittlerespectfortra-
dition or with renouncing the biblical faith. Quite the opposite! If we
want to present our Christian faith in a credible manner, we must try
toavoidallspeculation,lestwebechargedwithcredulity.Andwemust
show the basis on which we have built our faith. If it is based on our
ownpreferencesandideas,thenitbordersonideology.Ifitisbasedon
God’s self-disclosure in Jesus of Nazareth, then we will be able to see
God’shumanface.Onlyinthislattercasecanwerestassuredthatwe
arefollowingGod’swaysandnotourown.Weshouldtakeheedhereof
1.Wearethereforeveryskepticalaboutthe“programmeofascientificanalysis”that“distances
itselffromthenormativeclaimofreligioustexts”and“goesbeyondthelimitsofthecanon.”Seethe
projectofGerdTheissen,TheReligionoftheEarliestChurches:CreatingaSymbolicWorld,trans.John
Bowden(Minneapolis:FortressPress,1999),323–26,andthejustifiedresponsebyUdoSchnelle,
TheologyoftheNewTestament, trans. M. Eugene Boring (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007),
45–49.
vii
THE TRINITY
thestoryofthemagiwhofirstthoughtakingmustbeborninacastle
andthereforepoundedonthedoorofHerod’spalace.But,ledbyGod’s
messenger, they found their way to the Christ child in Bethlehem.
It is my hope that those who trace with me Trinitarian thinking
from its biblical base to the present are able to discern some of the
unwarranted theological constructions that have been proposed and
the human fantasies that have been concocted in contrast to what
is biblically warranted. From a biblical perspective, Christianity is a
Christ-centeredfaiththatbelievesthattheoneGodissteeringhistory
from creation to its fulfilment in the eschaton, despite the human
effort being made to derail the completion of this God-promised des-
tiny.
At this point I want to thank Dr. Terry Dohm, who once more
improved my style; Frau Jutta Brandl-Hammer, who secured books
from various libraries and was always available when needed; and
above all my wife, Hildegard, who supports her husband’s sheer end-
less hours at his desk to finish yet another manuscript.
Hans Schwarz
viii
Abbreviations
ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary. Edited by David Noel Freedman. 6 vols. New York:
Doubleday, 1992
ACW Ancient Christian Writers. 66 vols. New York; Paulist Press, 1946–2015
ANF The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson.
1885–87. 10 vols. Repr., Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994
CO Ioannis Calvini Opera quae supersunt omnia. Edited by Edouard Cunitz, Johann-
Wilhelm Baum, and Eduard Wilhelm Eugen Reuss. 59 vols. Corpus
Reformatorum 29–88. Brunswick: Schwetschke, 1863–1900
FC Fathers of the Church. 127 vols. 1947–2013
LW Luther’s Works[American ed.]. 55 vols. St. Louis: Concordia; Philadelphia:
Fortress, 1955–86
NIB The New Interpreter’s Bible. Edited by Leander E. Keck. 12 vols. Nashville:
Abingdon, 1994–2004
NPNF1 Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1
NPNF2 Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 2
T. Levi Testament of Levi
T..Mos. Testament of Moses
TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Edited by Gerhard Kittel and
Gerhard Friedrich. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. 10 vols. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964–76
TRE Theologische Realenzyklopädie.Edited by Gerhard Krause and Gerhard Müller.
36 vols. Berlin: de Gruyter, 1977–2007
WA D. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe [Schriften].73 vols. Weimar:
Hermann Böhlaus Nachfolger, 1883–2009
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