The Trinity
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the doctrine of the Trinity, the idea of a threefold God, which lies at the heart of Christianity.
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Trinity. The idea that God is a single entity, but one known in three distinct forms - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - has been a central belief for most Christians since the earliest years of the religion. The doctrine was often controversial in the early years of the Church, until clarified by the Council of Nicaea in the late 4th century. Later thinkers including St Augustine and Thomas Aquinas recognised that this religious mystery posed profound theological questions, such as whether the three persons of the Trinity always acted together, and whether they were of equal status. The Trinity's influence on Christian thought and practice is considerable, although it is interpreted in different ways by different Christian traditions.
With:
Janet Soskice
Professor of Philosophical Theology at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Jesus College
Martin Palmer
Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture
The Reverend Graham Ward
Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford and a Canon of Christ Church.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
Last on
LINKS AND FURTHER READING
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
READING LIST:
Ìý
Susan Ashbrook Harvey and David G. Hunter (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies (Oxford University Press, 2010), especially chapter ‘The Doctrine of God’ Lewis Ayres and Andrew Radde-Gallwitz
Ìý
Lewis Ayres, Nicaea and Its Legacy: An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian Theology (Oxford University Press, 2006)
Ìý
John Behre, The Way to Nicaea: Formation of Christian Theology Vol 1 (St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2001)
Ìý
Gilles Emery and Matthew Levering (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Trinity (Oxford University Press, 2011)
Ìý
Susan Frank Parsons (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Theology (Cambridge University Press, 2002), especially chapter ‘Trinity and Feminism’ by Janet Soskice
Ìý
George Herbert, The Complete English Poems (Penguin Classics, 2004)
Ìý
Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love (Penguin Classics, 1998)
Ìý
Ben Quash and Michael Ward (eds.), Heresies and How to Avoid Them: Why It Matters What Christians Believe (SPCK, 2007), especially essay on ‘Biblical Trinitarianism’ by Janet Soskice
Ìý
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Hymn of the Universe (HarperPerennial, 1976)
Ìý
Miroslav Volf, After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of the Trinity (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1998)
Ìý
Graham Ward, Christ and Culture (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005)
Ìý
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Melvyn Bragg |
| Interviewed Guest | Janet Soskice |
| Interviewed Guest | Martin Palmer |
| Interviewed Guest | Graham Ward |
| Producer | Thomas Morris |
Broadcasts
- Thu 13 Mar 2014 09:00Â鶹Éç Radio 4
- Thu 13 Mar 2014 21:30Â鶹Éç Radio 4
Featured in...
![]()
Easter treats—Radio 4 in Four
Best bits of R4, R3 and Â鶹Éç iWonder guides to listen to and read in the Easter holidays.
![]()
Religion—In Our Time
Discussion of religious movements and the theories and individuals behind them.
In Our Time podcasts
Download programmes from the huge In Our Time archive.
The In Our Time Listeners' Top 10
If you’re new to In Our Time, this is a good place to start.
Arts and Ideas podcast
Download the best of Radio 3's Free Thinking programme.
Podcast
-
![]()
In Our Time
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas, people and events that have shaped our world.
