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The Birth of the Trinity: Jesus, God, and Spirit in New Testament and Early Christian Interpretations of the Old Testament Reprint Edition

by Matthew W. Bates (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
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How and when did Jesus and the Spirit come to be regarded as fully God? The Birth of the Trinity offers a new historical approach by exploring the way in which first- and second-century Christians read the Old Testament in order to differentiate the one God as multiple persons. The earliest Christians felt they could metaphorically 'overhear' divine conversations between Father, Son, and Spirit when reading the Old Testament. When these snatches of dialogue are connected and joined, they form a narrative about the unfolding interior divine life as understood by the nascent church. What emerges is not a static portrait of the triune God, but a developing story of divine persons enacting mutual esteem, voiced praise, collaborative strategy, and self-sacrificial love. The presence of divine dialogue in the New Testament and early Christian literature shows that, contrary to the claims of James Dunn and Bart Ehrman (among others), the earliest Christology was the highest Christology, as Jesus was identified as a divine person through Old Testament interpretation.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0198779240
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0198779247
  3. Edition
    Reprint
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    November 15, 2016
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
  8. Print length
    272 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is not every day that one reads a book that makes a distinct contribution to our understanding of how the NT authors interpret the OT, sheds significant light on the reading practices of the NT authors by means of the early church fathers, and uses those results to make a compelling argument for the origins of the doctrine of the Trinity. But this is exactly what Bates does in The Birth of the Trinity...The Birth of the Trinity is a stunning achievement that makes a powerful argument for the origins of the doctrine of the Trinity by means of close attention to the reading practices of the early church and the NT authors."--Themelios

"The Birth of the Trinity is a stunningly important book that defies easy categorization. Is it exegetical? Is it theological? Is it historical? The resounding answer to each of these questions: 'Yes, and much more!' Setting aside widespread and long-held views about Christological development or adoptionism, or about Trinitarian theology as an intrusion into biblical faith from Hellenistic philosophy, Bates urges that early high Christology and Christian understanding of the Trinity itself were cultivated through dramatic reading of Israel's Scriptures. For biblical and theological studies alike, this is a compelling game changer." --Joel B. Green, Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Fuller Theological Seminary

"This is a bold and ambitious book that cuts across disciplinary lines as typically perceived, and will certainly (and reasonably) generate debate on a number of the points argued in it. But Bates makes an important contribution in underscoring how early Christians perceived the voice and person of Jesus in their ('Old Testament') scriptures, and in contending that this constituted an important mode of theological reflection along the route to the doctrine of the Trinity." --Larry W. Hurtado, Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language, Literature & Theology, University of Edinburgh

"In this fascinating new study Matthew W. Bates mines a stream of early Trinitarian thinking that has all too often been forgotten. Of particular importance is his attention to the continuities between the New Testament writers own ways of attending to the divine agents at which Israel's Scriptures already hinted, and also to the modes of Trinitarian exegesis that remained central throughout the early Christian period." --Lewis Ayres, Professor of Catholic and Historical Theology, Durham University

"In this bold and erudite study, Matthew W. Bates argues that it was not least by reading the Scriptures (the 'Old Testament') theodramatically, or prosopologically, that Jesus and his followers came very early on to Trinitarian conclusions. Scholars and students will find here a new and exciting way of investigating Christian origins. A landmark book." --Matthew Levering, Perry Family Foundation Professor of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

"On the dust jacket Joel Green calls this book a 'game changer', and it certainly is that." --Heythrop Journal

"Ambitious." --Expository Times

"Whatever the final verdict on Bates's overall claims about the role of prosopological exegesis in the development of Trinitarian theology, his approach opens up beautiful, rich Trinitarian readings." --First Things

"...[A] fresh approach to Christian trinitarian interpretation..." --Euangelion Blog, via Patheos

Book Description

A new historical model explaining how the concept of the Trinity first emerged

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (November 15, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0198779240
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198779247
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

About the author

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Matthew W. Bates

Matthew W. Bates

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Why the Gospel? is now available. Matthew W. Bates (@MatthewWBates) is a father of seven and Professor of Theology at Quincy University. His popular books include the award-winning Salvation by Allegiance Alone (Baker Academic), The Birth of the Trinity (Oxford University Press), The Gospel Precisely (Renew), and Gospel Allegiance (Brazos). When he isn't hiking, running, baseballing, or chasing around the seven, he co-hosts the OnScript podcast. Bates holds a B.S. in physics, an M.C.S. in biblical studies from Regent College, and a PhD in theology (New Testament) from the University of Notre Dame. A Protestant by conviction, he enjoys the privilege and challenge of teaching in a Catholic context. Learn more about his books or conference-speaking at www.MatthewWBates.com

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
41 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Christina Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars A Reader's Treasure Chest for Divine Dialogue in Scripture
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
To paraphrase E. B. White’s Wilbur the Pig, “It is not often that someone comes along who is a true Christian and a good scholar. Matthew Bates is both.” In The Birth of the Trinity, Bates has gifted his readers a treasure chest. This is a magnificent book replete with highly detailed bibliographic and substantive footnotes, end references, and beautiful biblical, topical, and primary, secondary, ancient, and modern bibliographic indices.
Everything Bates writes is thoroughly focused and impressively complete on the topic of divine dialogue between Father and Son, as evidenced in the ancient Jewish Scripture, i.e., the Old Testament.

As he demonstrates the early concept of Trinity, Bates closely examines and dissects biblical passages from the Old Testament that evidence speaker shifts, or dialogue, between the Divine Persons. Then, just as thoroughly, he reviews the literary reception history of these passages that is found in the pages of the New Testament (by Jesus, Peter, Paul, Luke, the author of Hebrews, and others) and in extra-biblical, coeval literature by authors such as Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Origen. By these methods, he demonstrates that the Trinitarian God has “an unremitting personal concern for one another” (204) and that “the Christology of our earliest Christian sources is as high as that of our later sources.” (ibid.)

Negatively, Bates falls short on tracing out the presence of the Holy Spirit in the quotations from the ancient Jewish Bible. As a member of the Trinity, his part is downplayed in a book with this title. Also, his discussion of Psalm 102 is not as thorough as it could be, since there is a body of extant literature that recognizes Father/Son dialogue within this psalm. These are relatively small concerns, however, concerning the value of the book as a whole.

As concerns the topic of divine dialogue within Scripture, Bates performs the inestimably valuable service of structuring a framework of analysis, introducing a vocabulary (prosopological exegesis), and proposing a methodology for any reader to recognize and critically test such biblical speech. This book is a scholar’s prayer come true on the topic of divine dialogue in Scripture.
9 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars Great!!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2017
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I was given this book, but after reading it I ordered a copy myself so I could share it with others...This book has really helped me fill in some gaps in my Old Testament understanding, that I knew were there but wasn't sure how to fill them! Bates exposes and reflects on an antique writing style (or perhaps more appropriately described, genre) that modern readers often don't see, but an ancient reader would have quickly spotted in the ancient Hebrew texts.(kind of like I would easily recognize a poem in the middle of a novel in a modern literary work) After Bates shows this ancient writing style then it's like a lightbulb went on and I think, "of course, that makes sense!" Be prepared to read the Birth of the Trinity slowly and know your Bible (and grammar) pretty well, it is a heavy read for someone not knee deep in the theological world, but I found it well worth my time. The content of the Birth of the Trinity is very unifying for the Christian church because it deals with concepts at the heart of Christianity, the deity of Jesus Christ, his crucifiction, and his resurrection as Lord and King. I think this book can greatly benefit the church because we are called to be unified in Christ Jesus our Lord! Reflection on his Majesty can only do us good, as individuals and as His body.
10 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars and how the individual Christian's life of service and love toward this God can be nourished by Scripture
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2015
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Bates' work is innovative and ancient, conversant with contemporary scholarship in search of wisdom and insight of the earliest church's Old Testament hermeneutic pertaining to the Trinity. This book provides not only academic and scholarly insight into a fuller interpretation of New Testament Scriptures and their relation to the Old Testament, but also provides a vision that is highly devotional and spiritual, paving the way for a deepened understanding of the Trinitarian God whom all Christians serve, and how the individual Christian's life of service and love toward this God can be nourished by Scripture.
4 people found this helpful
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Felix H. Cortez
5.0 out of 5 stars Clear and enlightening
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2020
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This is a must read for students of New Testament Christology and for those interested in how the idea of the trinity rose in the earliest times of Christianity.
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D. T. Morris
4.0 out of 5 stars Rare find: A Believing Scholar
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2019
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What is most like-able about this book is that the author is a believing Christian. Rarely do you find someone who can converse and research on a scholarly level and holds to the tenants of the Christian faith (D. A. Carson and N. T. Wright are among the few).

Pros:
1. Accomplishes his goal of showing early uses of OT texts, as read by Christians, employed prosopological techniques in order to few the Christ as a speaker in such texts as the Psalms.
2. Shows a plethora of examples to validate his view

Cons:
1. Heavy language. Not for someone who doesnt enjoy a deep reading with big words.
2. There is really only one point to be made, and he makes it early on. The last several chapters are redundant.

Overall, great read. Really makes you consider the beginnings of Christology from the early Christian perspective. How did they read the OT in light of what they recently discovered about the plan of God as made human in Jesus? This is not, however, a book to read in order to gain a better understanding of the Trinity.
6 people found this helpful
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