The doctrine of the Trinity poses a series of problems for feminist theology. At a basic level, the androcentric nature of trinitarian language serves to promote the male as more fully in the image of God and as the archetype of humanity, pushing women to the margins of personhood. It is no surprise then that feminist scholarship on this doctrine has often focused on what's wrong with the Trinity, setting out the problems raised by the use of traditional androcentric trinitarian language. This book brings together a discussion of feminist theological methodology with a critical exploration of the doctrine of the Trinity. Focussing on what's right with the Trinity as opposed to what's wrong with the Trinity, it considers the usefulness of this doctrine for feminist theology today. It replaces a stress on trinitarian language with an emphasis on trinitarian thought, exploring how we might effectively think rather than speak God in light of feminist concerns. In particular, it asks how a trinitarian understanding of God might support, and be supported by, key values which underpin a feminist way of doing theology, specifically values which underpin the methodological use of women's experience in feminist theology. The central argument is that thinking God as Trinity need not serve to reinforce patriarchal values and ideals but may in fact promote the subjectivity and personhood of women.

The last few decades have witnessed a renaissance of Trinitarian theology. Theologians have worked to recover this doctrine for a proper understanding of the God and for the life of the church. At the same time, analytic philosophers of religion have become keenly interested in the Trinity, engaging in vigorous debates related to it. To this point, however, the work of the two groups has taken place in almost complete isolation from one another. Which Trinity? Whose Monotheism? Seeks to bridge that divide. / Thomas H. McCall compares the work of significant philosophers of religion Richard Swinburne, Brian Leftow, and others with that of influential theologians such as Jrgen Moltmann, Robert Jenson, and John Zizioulas. He then evaluates several important proposals and offers suggestion for the future of Trinitarian theology. / There are many books on the doctrine of the Trinity, but no other book brings the concerns of analytic philosophers of religion into direct conversation with those of mainstream theologians.

Through a systematic analysis of official Vatican documents, this book shows that the Trinitarian basis of recent Roman Catholic theology of religions has led the Church to adopt a dialectical attitude towards Islam.

This volume contains the apologetical writings of Ab? R?'i?ah al-Takr?t? (+ c. 835) devoted to the defense of the Christian doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation, and the proof of the Christian religion in response to Muslim critics of his time.

In Irenaeus on the Trinity, Jackson Lashier provides a fresh reading of Irenaeus' understanding of God, in dialogue with his opponents and sources, which reveals a more developed Trinitarian theology than traditionally thought. Key Trinitarian themes that emerge are the Fatherhood of God, the mutual indwelling relations of Father, Son, and Spirit, and the cooperative divine work of all three in the economy. The study finds Irenaeus' thought to depart in these areas from standard second century trajectories--Apologists and Gnostics--moving Trinitarian theology in the direction of more developed Trinitarian thought of later centuries. This monograph offers not only a better understanding of Irenaeus' thought, but also a fuller picture of the development of Trinitarian thought in early Christianity.

The doctrine of the pactum salutis (covenant of redemption) offers the idea of a covenant between the very persons of the Trinity for the redemption of humanity. The doctrine received most of its attention in seventeenth-century Reformed theology, and has been criticized and almost totally forgotten in dogmatics since the eighteenth century. Most recent Reformed dogmatics tend to ignore the doctrine or disparage it from biblical, trinitarian, christological, pneumatological, and soteriological perspectives-namely, the doctrine lacks scriptural basis; it is tritheistic; it leads to subordination of the Son; it omits the role of the Holy Spirit; and it applies a deterministic idea for the Christian life. The theologies of Witsius, Owen, Dickson, Goodwin, and Cocceius portray a very robust form of the doctrine. Witsius argues with the help of a peculiar methodology of cross-referencing and collation of related scriptural texts that the doctrine is firmly based on biblical exegesis that was passed on from the patristic era. The doctrine formulated by Owen endorses the doctrines of inseparable operations and terminus operationis so as to give deep insight into the Trinity. In Dickson's doctrine, the Son's voluntary consent and obedience to the will of the Father are highly emphasized. Likewise, Goodwin's depiction of the Holy Spirit secures the divinity of the Spirit as well as his indispensable role for the transaction and accomplishment of the pactum. The doctrine in the theology of Cocceius sheds much light on the vibrant dynamic of the Christian life in accordance with the ordo salutis. The doctrine of the pactum salutis of the five Reformed theologians clearly shows that the doctrine is both promised and promising for theology and the life of faith.

"Papers gathered here are the fruit of an international congress held at the Faculty of Theology of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 18-21 November, 1997."--Pref.

The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most distinguishing marks of Christian faith. This is the first book to present an overview of the role of the Trinity in Christian theology in relation to religious pluralism and other religions. Approaching the study of the relationship between Christianity and other religions from the perspective of the Trinity, this book surveys all the major contributions to the topic by leading theologians at the international and ecumenical level. Veli-Matti Karkkainen points to future challenges and areas in need of development, examining in detail a case study exploring how the Catholic Church has responded to Islam from the perspective of the Trinity. Students of theology and religious studies will find this an invaluable text for courses that discuss religious pluralism and Christianity's relation to other religions. Pastors, other Christian workers, and academics will also find it a handy reference tool for teaching and further study.