Product Description

Franz Dünzl gives an account of the formation of the doctrine of the Trinity in a narrative based on contemporary sources: as he remarks in the preface, he wants to describe the human struggle over the truth of the Christian image of God and as far as possible let the early Christians speak for themselves. His main concern is to describe the dynamic of the disputes over the theology of the Trinity in a vivid way which is easy to follow, pointing out the foundations of the doctrine and the decisive shifts in its development. He tries to see the often bitter discussion not as a barren dispute but as an evolutionary process in which the rivalry is a necessary and positive factor in moving the debate forward.

After an introduction to the problem, the book describes the beginning of Christology and the first models of the relationship between `Father' and `Son': it then describes the controversies leading up to the Council of Nicaea, which are discussed at length, going on to show how Nicaea didn't settle the question and continuing the account up to the Council of Constantinople in 381. It brings out the political influences which governed this second stage of the discussion in an illuminating way. A survey and bibliography round the book off.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #917416 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 148 pages

Review
"It is truly a clear account of the complicated emergence of the Trinitarian doctrine in the Christian tradition. While it is written with the novice theologian in mind, it offers important insights for any theologian interested in Trinitarian theology...This book is highly recommended not only as a textbook for beginners in theology but also for those whose task is to interpret the past to the present." -- Lucien J. Richard, Catholic Library World, May 2008

About the Author
Franz Dunzl is Professor of Early Church History and Patristics at the University of Wurzburg, Germany.

Customer Reviews

The Perfect Primer
In this short volume Dünzl certainly accomplished what he set out to do in providing readers with exactly what the title promises, a brief history of the doctrine of the Trinity in the early Church. This work is by no means exhaustive yet the reader will not feel the least bit slighted after having completed it, on the contrary, they will be hungry for more. Designed to serve as an introduction to more in-depth works such as R.P.C. Hanson's The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God or Rowan Williams' Arius: Heresy and Tradition, Dünzl provides us with an exciting recounting of the Nicene era of Church history.

Written in a narrative style Dünzl doesn't bore us with mere fact quoting nor does he bog us down with voluminous quotations from primary (or secondary) sources, but don't let that discourage you, he still manages to handle the issues he speaks on responsibly and with attention to detail. When reading through this little book one senses that he definitely has the (lay)student in mind as nothing is overly technical (only key Greek, Latin, and Hebrew terms are used and they are always transliterated) and everything is easily retain-able (the narrative style helps to inductively instill the information rather than have to rely on rote memorization). This tiny work can (and should certainly) be used pedagogically.

Read my full review at:

http://rdtwot.wordpress.com/2007/11/09/a-brief-history-of-the-doctrine-of-the-trinity-in-the-early-church-toc/

Scholarly-accurate and Concisely-written
This is really a scholarly-accurate, concisely-written book for understanding the development of the doctrine of the Trinity up to the Council of Constantinople in 381. For a translation and a complex historical period, the prose was clear enough for my undergraduate class to understand the major developments of the doctrine of the Trinity in the early church.