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Brief Declaration and Vindication of The Doctrine of the Trinity - Enhanced Version

John Owen

3.75 · Rating details · 12 ratings · 6 reviews

In this focused and enlightening treatise, John Owen defends the truth and coherency of the doctrine of the Trinity. Owen responds most explicitly to the heresy of "Socinianism." Socinianism holds that Christ did not pre-exist before being a man. Working with both Scripture and tradition, Owen vigorously argues for a traditional account of the Trinity. Owen doesn't just de ...more

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Published July 30th 2010 by Christian Classics Ethereal Library (first published March 22nd 2010)

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May 30, 2018 Samuel Bierig rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Faithful and clear.

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Oct 07, 2020 Grace rated it did not like it · review of another edition

The Doctrine is nowhere found in our most ancient Biblical manuscripts. It is a later concept that came into play after the adoption of it from outside the early Christian Church of Jesus Christ. The concept put forward is that The Father is God, Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit is God, yet they are one person, actually defies all reason and still cannot be adequately and simply proven by the Church to this day. The doctrine from a purely analytical, scientific and scholarly view works to only c ...more

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Nov 30, 2012 James Mayuga rated it liked it · review of another edition

I read a free online version of this book about 10 years ago (ccel.org). So, the following review is based on what I can remember. Overall the book is a good *Scriptural* defense of the doctrine of the Trinity. The focus is on the *scriptural* testimony rather than theological, philosophical or historical arguments that could be mustered. But here are 2 criticisms:

1. While I had no problem reading and understanding the 17th century English of this book, modern readers who aren't familiar with ol I read a free online version of this book about 10 years ago (ccel.org). So, the following review is based on what I can remember. Overall the book is a good *Scriptural* defense of the doctrine of the Trinity. The focus is on the *scriptural* testimony rather than theological, philosophical or historical arguments that could be mustered. But here are 2 criticisms:

1. While I had no problem reading and understanding the 17th century English of this book, modern readers who aren't familiar with older styles of English may have difficulty. Especially since, as J.I. Packer has said, it's as if Owen thinks in Latin when he writes in English. The good news is that this book is one of his more easy to understand works. His book The Death of Death in the Death of Christ took me years to finish because the English is so tedious that you have to pace yourself or you'll give up.

2. Because Owen is writing in the 17th century, he's unaware of the modern manuscripts that have been discovered and the various textual variants that we now know of. Because of that, he uses passages which I wouldn't use because we know that either the variant he's using isn't original, or because there are other equally valid variants that might be original. For example, if I recall correctly, he argues for the full divinity of Christ based on 1 Tim. 3:16 where the manuscripts he has in front of him read "*God* was manifest in the flesh". Newly discovered manuscripts have "*He* was manifested in the flesh". While "God" might be original (and some scholars argue for that possibility), it wouldn't be fair for a modern defender of the Trinity to use that variant as if it were certain that "God" was written in the original autographal letter. If I recall correctly, the same could be said of his use of John 3:13; 1 Cor. 15:47 (and his use of "the Lord from heaven") and other passages. If I recall correctly, Owen also uses 1 John 5:7 in defense of the Trinity. But it seems to me that he should have known, even at that time, that the Comma Johanneum isn't original given the history of how Erasmus reluctantly included it in his Textus Receptus. But maybe that wasn't a well known anecdote in Owen's circle of scholars.

Furthermore, he doesn't delve deeply enough into the possible alternative interpretations of Rom. 9:5 that would go against his views. Same with 1 John 5:20. Finally, living in the 17th century, he's also unaware of the developments in the understanding of Greek grammar that affect Christology (e.g. Granville Sharp's Rule).

Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in reading a defense of the Trinity and wants to sample Owen's style of writing. ...more

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Jun 18, 2016 Todd Wilhelm rated it really liked it · review of another edition

John Owen authored this treatise as an orthodox response to the heresy of Socinianism.

Socinianism is a strict unitarianism which denies the deity of Christ and also attempts to undermine the doctrine of penal substitution.

Although Owne labels this work "brief' it was quite thorough and I would say he did a fine job of vindicating the doctrine of the Trinity. He makes frequent reference to relevant scripture passages. ...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Ruth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If this, my introduction to Owen, is representative of his work as a whole, I think he and I are going to get along just fine.

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Dec 08, 2016 Gabriel Barnes rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: biblical-studies, puritan-jewls, the-christian-life, theology

Short but powerful work by Dr. Owen! Highly recommend!

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About John Owen

John Owen

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John Owen was an English theologian and "was without doubt not only the greatest theologian of the English Puritan movement but also one of the greatest European Reformed theologians of his day, and quite possibly possessed the finest theological mind that England ever produced" ("Owen, John", in Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals, p. 494) ...more