The Mystery of the Trinity: A Trinitarian Approach to the Attributes of God

Starting with the doctrine of the Trinity, Vern Poythress addresses six challenges concerning the compatibility of God’s independence with his activities in the world. The eternal activities among the persons of the Trinity offer a foundation for God’s activities in the world. Alternative metaphysical frameworks for explaining God’s transcendence and immanence run the danger of overriding the truths of biblical revelation.

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“This book is a valiant and thought-provoking attempt to approach the attributes of God through the doctrine of the Trinity. . . . While broadly endorsing the classical doctrine of God, [Poythress] is suspicious of our reliance on well-defined technical terms that are required to do our work for us. He wants us to abandon our implicit reliance on Aristotelian metaphysics in favor of the shaping power of the mystery of the Trinity. . . . In the hands of Poythress, this becomes an appeal to become more robustly biblical, not less. This book is truly transforming—a capstone to all that Vern Poythress has taught us over the last two or three decades. Read it slowly and carefully.”

—D. A. Carson, Emeritus Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

“Dr. Poythress applies his deep knowledge of Scripture, his well-informed knowledge of historical theology, and his brilliant mind to some of the most difficult controversies in the theology of the divine attributes.”

—Philip Graham Ryken, President, Wheaton College

“A stimulating and fascinating book. . . . Poythress raises important questions that need addressing and offers many incisive and challenging insights.”

—Robert Letham, Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Union School of Theology

“The challenge for our speaking about who God is . . . is to speak of the sublimely majestic mysteries involved in a biblically bounded way. . . . In this volume, Dr. Poythress meets this challenge in an exemplary and most helpful way. I commend it.”

—Richard B. Gaffin Jr., Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology, Emeritus, Westminster Theological Seminary

“I enthusiastically recommend The Mystery of the Trinity as by far the best account of these issues.”

—John M. Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy Emeritus, Reformed Theological Seminary

“Thoughtful, pastoral, and meticulously exegetical. There is no topic more important than the doctrine of God. Those who want to know him better will be richly rewarded by reading this book.”

—Chad Van Dixhoorn, Professor of Church History, Westminster Theological Seminary

“A monumental achievement. . . . [Vern Poythress] unites doctrine with praise, content with personal knowledge, theory with pastoral practicality. Above all, the reflections are thoroughly and richly scriptural. . . . If given the right kind of regard, this book will be life-changing.”

—William Edgar, Professor of Apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary