The Trinity in German Thought

This book, published in 2000, is about the Christian doctrine of the Trinity as it has developed in Germany: the way in which it is seen as similar to the human self and how differing understandings of revelation and of the conception of history have affected people's attitude toward the doctrine.

The Trinity in German Thought, published in 2000, describes the three ideas that govern modern German Trinitarian thought: the ideas of reflective selfhood, of revelation and of history. 'Reflective selfhood' designates the attempt at finding an analogy between the Trinity and the structure of the human self. Such attempts, following the lead of Augustine, typically see the structure of self-consciousness as an especially apt analogy of the Trinity. 'Revelation' points to two questions: what is the Word of God? and can the idea of the Trinity be derived from the Word? From Martin Luther to the present, Trinitarian thought has depended on the way in which theologians conceived of the Word. 'History' designates the impact that historical modes of thought have had on Trinitarian thought. For some, 'history' has meant a critical approach to Scripture and creeds; for others, it has meant God's own participation in history.