The Trinity and the Kingdom

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 276 pages
• Published by: Augsburg Fortress Publishers September 1, 1993
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 080062825X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0800628253
• Book Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 12.8 ounces

Product Description
"An great introduction to the prophets and the prophetic literature . . . The goal of the book is to understand the thought of the prophets in their historical contexts, and to communicate that understanding for our time. Its approach, while innovative, builds upon he best of contemporary analysis of the prophetic literature." --Gene M. Tucker Candler School of Theology Emory University "Koch's first volume on the prophets of ancient Israel displays his sound and creative scholarship and will fill a bibliographical gap.He displays the individuality of each prophet with perceptive insight, but he also compares and interrelates them in his various summaries. Furthermore, Koch relates his study of individual prophets to theological currents that have been flowing through the scholarly world in recent decades." --Bernhard W. Anderson Princeton Theological Seminary

Language Notes
Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reader Reviews
Professor Moltmann has the distinction of being one of the most popular Protestant academic theologians today. This book is the first of his "systematic contributions to theology (xii)." This book could be an enchiridion to his messianic theology. In many ways, his theological project tries to deal with the changing landscape due to the postmodern shift (The Way of Jesus Christ, xvi). As his counterpart, Wolfhart Pannenberg once said, "the doctrine of the Trinity is an anticipatory sum of the whole content of Christian dogmatics (Systematic Theology 1:335)." Inter alia Pannenberg, Moltmann seeks to develop a social doctrine of the Trinity, in contradistinction to the Latin model. The social doctrine of the Trinity makes as its epistemological starting point the three Persons and proceeds to the problem of one Substance, whereas the Latin model starts from the one Substance and derives three Persons. However, unlike Pannenberg, he veers close to tritheism, despite some of his nuances (Systematic Theology 1:335n217). Here are Moltmann's fundamental premises. First, there is a degree of reciprocity between God and man. Schleiermacher asked "How do I experience God?" Moltmann then asks "How does God experience me?" In this way, the passion of God becomes a central theme of his theology. Second, he also subscribes to Rahner's rule, viz. the immanent Trinity is the economic Trinity, and vice versa. This is different from his mentor Barth, who agrees with the Augustinian distinction between the external works of the Trinity and the internal works. A lot of hermeneutical weight seems to rest on this one point. Third, creation is created by the self-limitation of God. He outlines briefly his zimsum doctrine. To put it crudely, God is like a donut who made a hole in himself, and then creation fills the empty space in God. There are three parts to creation, which correspond to the appropriations of each Person of the Trinity. There is original creation, creation's continuation, and the new creation. Creation has an eschatological movement forward, where it is headed toward its final destiny, viz. creation becoming the home of the Trinity . Finally, he thinks monarchial monotheism is a more dangerous problem for Christian theology than tritheism. This means that he gives logical priority to the love of God, over the lordship of God, since in God, freedom coincides with necessity. For a critical appraisal, see Douglas Farrow's review of the entire Moltmann project in the journal, Modern Theology. For an appreciative overview, see Richard Bauckham's essay in The Modern Theologians. There is much to like about Moltmann's proposals. Without question, he is an important conversation-partner in contemporary theology. He is pastor-friendly. He is more than just a textbook. He is stimulating and creative. He writes in an engaging fashion. His emphasis on synergy between God and man makes him accessible to those from the Wesleyan-holiness and Pentecostal-charismatic traditions. He also brings in the concerns of political theology, process theology and feminist theology. It is also easy to see how he has influenced Pinnock's openness of God (for evangelicals, this is a red-hot discussion). I appreciate his political theology, as an honest attempt to get away from the problems of monarchial repression. However, are his revisions of the doctrine of the Trinity necessary? While some of his readings of Barth can lead to the consequences he points out, at times I am left wondering about the hermeneutical adequacy of his reading of Barth. I really wanted to be convinced by Moltmann. Pannenberg has a more rigorous treatment of the social Trinity, but at the cost of being less accessible. His zimsum doctrine of creation is highly speculative. His invective against monotheism can be strident. I am not so sure if he is fair to the Latin model of the Trinity. Having read Barth myself, I find the analogia Trinitatis seems to address the concerns of social Trinity, without sounding too tritheistic, and staying within the Latin model (CD III/2: ?). One also needs to take seriously the contributions of von Balthasar to trinitarian theology. Von Balthasar stays within the Latin model, but he is also sensitive to kenotic and mystical theology. His final phrasing of the filioque clause seems to collapse under its own weight (i.e. the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father of the Son, and receives his form from the Father and the Son). Also, his christology on the way seems too casual in its dismissal of the traditional two-natures doctrine. Lastly, on an editorial level, it would have been nice to see an index of subjects and an index of Scriptural texts. All in all, contemporary theologians should read this book.