Product Description

Examines the importance of the Nicene Faith for Christian theology, cutting across the divide between East and West and between Catholic and Evangelical, illuminating our understanding of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #541182 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Customer Reviews

Examining the Threads of the Nicene Creed
Protestant theologian Tom Torrance has demonstrated a masterful theological acumen in this treatment of the Nicene Creed. The book is essentially a systematic exposition of the Nicene Creed, drawing out its various statements and implications in conversation with numerous Church Fathers. I had a few question marks over his coupling of revelation and illumination (it closely resembles Barth's treatment), but Torrance gives plenty of food for thought.

This is a 'must read' for academics and students of theology, as it gets to the heart of what is one of the (if not the most) definitive statements of the Christian faith. Torrance has a Protestant heritage, but that will present no hindrance to those of other persuasions, since he is dealing with one of the ecumenical creeds. His treatment of the 'monarchy' in God will be of particular interest to both Eastern and Western theologians interested in the filioque controversy.

This book also demonstrates that Tom Torrance is one of the theological giants of the 20th century -- a modern-day Church Father.

Outstanding interpretation of the Nicene Fathers
Torrance is one of the premier Protestant theologians of the 20th century. He combines a passion for the Gospel and a theology shaped by both Karl Barth and the Church Fathers. In *Trinitarian Faith* Torrance presents his unique synthesis of the Nicene Fathers. His guiding principle is that through the Incarnation, God has truly made himself known. His theology, in other words, does not begin with an apophatic, negative theological approach, but rather with the event of God's self-communication in Jesus, who is one being with the Father. Only in Christ do we truly know that God is incomprehensible.

This book is a feast. Next to Robert W. Jenson, I have learned more from T. F. Torrance than from any other theologian. I commend it highly.

I am disappointed, though, that this book has been ignored by Eastern Orthodox theologians. I think that they would find it challenging, particularly with regards to the distinction between the essence and energies of God. It's enlightening to read someone who does not read back Palamas into the Cappadocians.