NSBT 24: Father, Son and Spirit

The Trinity and John's Gospel.
From the patristic period
until today, John's Gospel has served as a major source for the church's
knowledge, doctrine, and worship of the triune God. Among all New Testament
documents the Fourth Gospel provides not only the most raw material for the
doctrine of the Trinity, but also the most highly developed patterns of
reflection on this material - particularly patterns that seek to account
in some way for the distinct personhood and divinity of Father, Son and Spirit
without compromising the unity of God. While there have been recent, fine
studies on aspects of John's doctrine of God, it is surprising that none
summarizes and synthesizes what John has to say about God as Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. In order to fill this gap, Köstenberger and Swain offer a fresh
examination of John's trinitarian vision.
Part One situates John's
trinitarian teaching within the context of Second Temple Jewish monotheism.
Part Two examines the Gospel narrative in order to trace the characterization
of God as Father, Son and Spirit, followed by a brief synthesis. Part Three
deals more fully with major trinitarian themes in the Fourth Gospel, including
its account of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and mission. A final chapter
discusses the significance of John's Gospel for the church's doctrine of the
Trinity, and a brief conclusion summarizes some practical implications. (=
0830826254 / 9780830826254)
Authors: Andreas J. Köstenberger and Scott R. Swain.
Series: New Studies in Biblical Theology, volume
24.
'For those who want to know what they ought to believe -
surely one of the functions (though not the only one) of constructive
systematic theology - out of God's self-disclosure in Scripture, this book
will be a stimulating delight. In addition to its contribution to Christian
understanding of God - can there be any higher subject? - it
stimulates serious thought about how we move from careful study of biblical
text to theological formulation' - D. A. Carson
Recommended €
23,9