Traces of the Trinity

Signs of God in Creation and Human Experience

by: Peter J. Leithart

• Format

  E-Book

  ISBN

  9781441222510

  Pub. Date

  Mar 2015

  SRP

  $25.00

  Buy

About

As the Triune God created the world, so creation bears the signs of its Creator. This evocative book by an influential Christian thinker explores the pattern of mutual indwelling that characterizes the creation at every level. Traces of the Trinity appear in myriad ways in everyday life, from our relations with the world and our relationships with others to sexuality, time, language, music, ethics, and logic. This small book with a big idea--the Trinity as the Christian theory of everything--changes the way we view and think about the world and places demands on the way we live together in community.

Contents
1. Outside In, Inside Out
2. Like Father, Like Son
3. I Am His, He Is Mine
4. Presence of the Past
5. Word in Word in World
6. Chords
7. Making Room
8. The Supple Imagination
9. I in Thee, Thou in Me
Postscript

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Endorsements

"Peter Leithart deftly discovers traces of the Trinity in the world we inhabit day to day, from dirty coffee cups to a lover's embrace. These reflections--each chapter an exquisite essay--prompt us to gaze at the divine presence we'd so easily neglect without his seasoned eye and unstilted pen. Occasionally whimsical, often lyrical, invariably insightful, this book isn't intended to be the final word on the Trinity, but it should be the first."

Jack Levison, W. J. A. Power Professor of Old Testament Interpretation and Biblical Hebrew, Southern Methodist University; author of Inspired, Fresh Air, and Forty Days with the Holy Spirit

"This is the most delightful book I have read in a long time. One of its delights is its clear, gracefully written prose, which easily engages the reader. The book presents a cogent case for a highly significant point: the whole created world images the divine Trinity. Leithart argues this thesis comprehensively, demonstrating that the divine perichoresis--the mutual indwelling of the three persons of the Trinity--is reflected in every area of human life, including perception, thought, language, sex, time, space, music, and imagination. Leithart's argument has the potential, therefore, to bring major change to our study of all these areas of reality, and thus to all the ways we live in the world."

John M. Frame, Reformed Theological Seminary

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Reviews

"A thoughtful and thought-provoking examination of the stuff of life and of the cosmos through the lens of the Trinity. It is a unique and much needed project. . . . While the epilogue makes clear that the author is capable of heavy theological lifting, in the main the book is pitched for an inquisitive though not necessarily theologically trained audience. Leithart's writing is clear and engaging. Where he does introduce weightier theological and philosophical materials his summaries are clearly articulated. He employs humor and cultural and literary references that explain as well as they entertain. The brisk treatment of the biblical material leaves the reader wishing for more. But this, too, may be intentional as it propels the reader to engage in their own reflections on the world, human experience, and the biblical materials in search of further Traces of the Trinity."

Stephen Jenks,

Themelios

"Though the author is a professional academic, his style is light and engaging. He provides many opportunities for moral reflection. . . . Strongly recommended as a resource for any preacher."

Adrian Roberts,

The Reader

"[Leithart's] goal is to look at creation through the doctrine of the Trinity, rather than the reverse; and in this he is successful. The book leaves you with an eye attuned to finding the 'shadows and traces' of the Trinity throughout creation. . . . The book explores a variety of aspects in the created world, ranging from anatomy to time, from music to hospitality. This diversity is undoubtedly one of the strengths of the book: In each new topic, what once seemed to be a normal part of life proves to speak to a more profound truth. . . . The many topics, initially disconnected from each other, unite in their examples of mutual indwelling. Each is illumined by 'perichoresis,' and the reader comes away with a better command of the topics. . . . Traces of the Trinity is an engaging book. Its ability to bring an abstract concept that has fallen mostly into disuse and make it lively and present is amazing. . . . It can strangely make even the oldest Christian feel as though they're encountering God again for the first time."

Josh Alexakos,

Mere Orthodoxy blog

"This book has a bit of a scholarly feel to it, making it more for those that already have an understanding of God and the Trinity but want to go deeper."

Ruth O'Neil,

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