The Quest for the Trinity - by Stephen R Holmes (Paperback)

About the Book

Stephen Holmes tells the saga of the Christian doctrine of God, hoping to provide some reflective distance on today's revival in Trinitarian studies. We witness the church's discovery of the doctrine from Scripture, its crucial patristic developments, its medieval and Reformation continuity and its fortunes since the advent of modernity.

Book Synopsis

Stephen Holmes tells the saga of the Christian doctrine of God, hoping to provide some reflective distance on today's revival in Trinitarian studies. We witness the church's discovery of the doctrine from Scripture, its crucial patristic developments, its medieval and Reformation continuity and its fortunes since the advent of modernity.

Review Quotes

"By the end, Holmes offers readers both a survey and a critique. As a survey, it is a masterfully concise and nuanced exploration into the historical heart of Christian theology. As a critique, it is a timely challenge to prevailing historical narratives. . . . In academia, this text will serve as a valuable interlocutor for engaging contemporary trends, while also engendering substantial discussion among scholars, as it already has."

"By the end, Holmes offers readers both a survey and a critique. As a survey, it is a masterfully concise and nuanced exploration into the historical heart of Christian theology. As a critique, it is a timely challenge to prevailing historical narratives. . . . In academia, this text will serve as a valuable interlocutor for engaging contemporary trends, while also engendering substantial discussion among scholars, as it already has."

--James A. Garcia, Trinity Journal, Fall 2017

"I recommend the reading of this book to those who want to understand not only the differences between the classical and modern renditions of the doctrine of the Trinity, but also to better understand the presuppositional differences behind such interpretations."

"I recommend the reading of this book to those who want to understand not only the differences between the classical and modern renditions of the doctrine of the Trinity, but also to better understand the presuppositional differences behind such interpretations."

--Marcos Blanco, Journal of Asia Adventist Seminary, 16.1 (2013)

"In summary, The Quest for the Trinity is a positive contribution to Trinitarian theology. . . . Ultimately, I hope it leads more people to a deeper Christian understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity--a central truth of the faith."

--Rev. Shane Lems, Modern Reformation, September/October 2014

"In summary, The Quest for the Trinity is a positive contribution to Trinitarian theology. . . . Ultimately, I hope it leads more people to a deeper Christian understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity-a central truth of the faith."

"In this lively and engrossing book, Stephen Holmes charts the development of the doctrine of the Trinity . . . calling into question some established conventions about the history of trinitarian theology. This is a work of considerable theological intelligence and historical discrimination; it will enjoy a wide readership."

"It is rare to write something which can be both a textbook and a real intervention in a debate, but Steve Holmes has pulled it off. As a textbook for serious students, this is superb, covering the history of the doctrine in a way that is fresh, illuminating, concise and intelligent. I wish we had had it sooner."

"Stephen Holmes's book is brilliant in so many ways: provocative, timely, historically nuanced, theologically insightful, academically courageous and wonderfully sane. This book is must reading for all interested not only in the ongoing scholarly debate about trinitarian theology, but also for those concerned that their worship of the triune God echoes, in some meaningful ways, the voices of the saints throughout the ages."

"The story that Holmes tells, a story of tradition lost not retrieved, is a sad account indeed, and accurate. It is hoped that in light of this narrative, evangelical theologians will return to the rich trinitarian tradition of the Cappadocians, Augustine and the Reformers. When evangelicals return to this tradition they will drink from wells they did not dig and eat from trees they did not plant. Most importantly, they will be returning the church to the heart of the Christian tradition, the trinitarian God who is revealed in Scripture."

"The story that Holmes tells, a story of tradition lost not retrieved, is a sad account indeed, and accurate. It is hoped that in light of this narrative, evangelical theologians will return to the rich trinitarian tradition of the Cappadocians, Augustine and the Reformers. When evangelicals return to this tradition they will drink from wells they did not dig and eat from trees they did not plant. Most importantly, they will be returning the church to the heart of the Christian tradition, the trinitarian God who is revealed in Scripture."

--J. T. English with Glenn R. Kreider, Bibliotheca Sacra, April-June 2014

"Trinitarian theology has been a rallying cry for a particular constructive project in modern dogmatics. . . . In this volume, Holmes sets out a rather different account, one which tracks the tradition with greater care. This will in all likelihood be a healthy corrective to some enamored with an inflated or hypertrophied trinitarian theology."

"What Holmes accomplishes is a challenge to much of current theology. He lays down this challenge clearly and with great documentation. In the course of his argument, Holmes makes admirably clear why even abstruse differences matter in how we live our lives of faith."

"What Holmes accomplishes is a challenge to much of current theology. He lays down this challenge clearly and with great documentation. In the course of his argument, Holmes makes admirably clear why even abstruse differences matter in how we live our lives of faith."

--Ellen K. Wondra, Anglican Theological Review, 96.4

About the Author

Stephen R. Holmes (Ph.D., King's College London) is senior lecturer in systematic theology at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. His books include Listening to the Past: The Place of Tradition in Theology (Paternoster and Baker, 2002) and Christian Doctrine: A Reader, edited with Lindsey Hall and Murray Rae (SCM, 2010).