Our God is Triune: Essays in Biblical Theology

A few weeks ago I learned about this amazing book on the Trinity, edited by a group of apologists against Islam.  Obviously the Trinity takes centre stage in Christian vs. Muslim debates but even if Islam didn’t exist, the Trinity would still hold equal importance in our faith.  This volume is edited by Michael R. Burgos Jr. and it’s a delight to read.

As mentioned above, the book is not written by one person.  There were many contributors, each with their own fields of expertise.  The contributors are Michael R. Burgos Jr., Hiram R. Diaz III, Edward L. Dalcour, Vocab Malone, Anthony Rogers, and Rudolf P. Boshoff.

One thing that I like about this book is how it focuses so much on the Old Testament.  Most Christians think that the Trinity is simply revealed in the NT.  That’s not true in the slightest.  This volume often uses the term proto-Trinitarian in regards to the OT.  Anthony Rogers really hammers this out in his writing on the Angel of the Lord.  In fact, I would say that the two essays by Anthony Rogers are worth the price of the book.  I never knew the importance of Genesis 19:24 before reading his two essays.

Parts of the Bible that you didn’t even think pertained to the Trinity are brought up.  Even the book of Daniel is evaluated and shown to be in support of the sacred doctrine.  In addition to this, traditional passages like John 1:1-3 are brought up and given new light.  Classical Unitarian “proof texts” are examined and shown no mercy by sharp biblical exegesis.  They’re shredded and that’s all there is to it.

The book seeks to defend the doctrine of the Trinity from all angles.  It responds to Unitarians, Modalists, Muslims, and Black Hebrew Israelites.  The best scholarship is brought to the table and dealt with.  Ancient Jewish sources such as the Aramaic Targums and the Greek Septuagint are examined and shown to reveal much.

In addition to the sharp Biblical exegesis, Vocab Malone gives an overview on the early church and the Trinity.  He goes over the Council of Nicaea and provides ample quotes from the Fathers of the Church.  This is especially good since people like Mohammed Hijab and others are asking for very specific quotes from the fathers these days.

If I had to say anything bad about the book, I would say that it’s theologically heavy.  It’s definitely not for beginners.  One doesn’t just start studying the Trinity by reading this book.  This would probably be the third or fourth book on the Trinity for the average person.  It would be better to start with something like The Forgotten Trinity by James White.

The strongest point of the book is how seriously it takes scripture.  As Christians, the Bible is central to our understanding of God and theology.  These writers work hard in defending this sacred doctrine and show that the Bishops at Nicaea in 325 AD knew exactly what they were doing.  They weren’t trying to bring Greco-Roman paganism into the Christian faith.

If you’re into apologetics, thinking about getting into apologetics, or just interested interested in a very important doctrine, this book is for you.  It’s very theologically heavy so be ready!  There is a quote from the book which I find to be a good summary of the content.  It comes courtesy of Anthony Rogers.  At the end of his second essay he writes:

The doctrine of the Trinity is a biblical doctrine, and it is supported by the whole of Scripture, the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.  As stated at the beginning, those who deny the Trinity are in material breach of both Testaments.  The God of the Bible is Triune.  There is no other.