Trinity in the OT

George,
 
I have attended some lectures by Paul Blackham (Associate Minister in
Theology at All Soul's Church, London, where John Stott is Rector Emeritus)
and read some of his writing on Old Testament Christophanies e.g.
 
http://www.theologian.org.uk/bible/blackham.html
 
Blackham is a proponent that OT prophets had always understood God to be
trinitarian. Can you recommend some detailed articles or books that rebuts
Blackham's arguments?
 
Thanks.
 
-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of George Murphy
Sent: 04 May 2006 15:30
To: Dick Fischer; ASA
Subject: Re: Reading Genesis literally

You can find "trinities" - i.e., groupings of 3 deities in Hinduism & among
the Celts & Babylonians, Plotinus, &c. The Jehovah's witnesses like to make
great sport of the Babylonian since it "proves" that trnitarian belief is
Babylonian. But in fact none of these have anything to do beyond the number
3 with the Christian understanding of God. Christian belief in God as
Trinity is inextricably connected with belief that the historical Jesus of
Nazareth is God and that the One he prayed to as Father is God and that
their Spirit is God. The doctrine of the Trinity is not about some abstract
threeness, groups of three attributes &c.
 
& no, there is no doctrine of the Trinity in the OT. Abraham, David &c
didn't know about it. There are OT passages which connect up to & support
that doctrine when read in the light of the NT but that's another matter.
 
Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
Received on Sat May 6 12:31:45 2006