This book by the eminent Bible scholar and theologian Vern Poythress is a fascinating examination of developing a new way to think about and understand the Trinity. The author's goal here is to provide a different framework to examine the relations within the Trinity, then flowing out to God's relationship with humans. He proposes uses perspectives - points of view - to do this. He makes the case that people use perspectives all the time in examining themselves and the world around them, and we are certainly hearing a lot in society today about learning to see life, ethnicity and culture from differing perspectives.

Poythress first describes the three types of perspectives he uses in examining the Trinity, and then he begins to apply those three forms of perspectives to an examination of the Trinity. Within this examination, Poythress also shows how the use of thinking and defining in terms of perspectives can help with questions that have long puzzled Christians, such as how God is both transcendent and immanent, understanding the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and balancing the soveriegnty of God with human responsibility for their actions.

This book is by no means an easy and quick read, but careful and methodical reading of the ideas that Poythress presents will provide benefits and understandings that make the effort well-worth the time and energy. Highly recommended!

John Frame and Vern Poythress are Reformed theologians who have worked together in developing a multi-perspectival, more accurately, tri-perspectival approach to knowledge. This work by Poythress represents, perhaps, the most complete working out of these ideas.

Fundamentally, humans beings are limited to a particular perspective but divine revelation makes it possible to see truth from multiple perspectives. Both Frame and Poythress speak in terms of triads of perspectives which they believe are grounded in the Trinity. One triad on God’s Lordship, for example considers the perspectives of authority, control, and presence, relating to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Therefore the first part of this work considers what perspectives are and the types of perspectives that might be identified. Then Poythress moves on to a discussion of the Trinity. A couple of key truths in this discussion that will recur in the book is the coinherence of the Trinity, and the idea of analogy, and that analogies can reveal something both of God and the world because the world reflects or is an ectype of the character or archetype of God. Part three then turns to perspectives on reflections, Trinitarian analogies, ethics, Lordship, and office. In each of these a triad of perspectives are related that coinhere and relate to the persons of the Trinity.

After proposing a classification system for perspectives, Poythress then applies tri-perspectivalism to a variety of theological questions from transcendence and immanence to human responsibility. Each is grounded both in biblical texts and triads of perspectives relating to the Trinity. Part six then applies the nature of perspectives to our reasoning about God. Part seven shows how a few starting perspectives serve as the basis for deriving further perspectives in a grid-like structure of perspectives on perspectives. Appendices deal with a variety of other short subjects and applications pertaining to perspectives.

I find the basic idea of tri-perspectivalism intriguing, particularly in thinking about how the world and even our knowing may reflect the triune nature of God. I must confess however that the logical working out by Poythress can get confusing at times when he writes about perspectives on perspectives or triads within triads. The diagrams in the text are critical if one is to have any hope of keeping it all straight (alas, my e-galley version did not have these–a major barrier to understanding the architecture of tri-perspectival thought Poythress is erecting and very logically delineating). Throughout, he both derives triads of perspectives from prior triads, and recurs to earlier triads in applicative discussions.

Perhaps the best part of the work is that Poythress is devoting himself to the classic work of the theologian of thinking great thoughts about God rooted in God’s revelation of God’s self. While one encounters a good deal of close reasoning, it is quite apparent that for Poythress, God never remains an abstraction, with many chapters ending in a paean of praise for God in all of God’s glory.

This is a work to be studied slowly and carefully, pen and notebook in hand. Each chapter ends with a series of questions as well as key terms that may be found in a glossary at the end of the book. The questions force one to review chapter content and formulate one’s understanding of the material. This rigor of theological thinking may not be something all are given to, and not all will appreciate Poythress’s approach. But for those who give this the time it properly demands, they will be ushered into thinking deeply and long about the Triune God. One might well ask, particularly for those who lead and teach God’s people to know and follow the living God, whether or not this is essential work that cannot be neglected.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

In Knowing And The Trinity Poythress develops a system of perspectival triads to understand the knowledge of God. He explores the relationship between triads and God’s character as it is demonstrated in Trinity, and demonstrates that triads reveal analogies to the Trinity. Understanding analogies help perceive the fundamental connections between our Trinitarian God, the Bible, and our created world.

Poythress is very innovative here so that a thorough critique would be premature. Having read other works by Poythress I know that Knowing and the Trinity will be a valuable contribution to Trinitarian theology.

Triperspectivalism is a bit bizarre. Frame and Poythress, while brilliant men, are not entry level. I wouldn't endorse either of them except in a smaller, more nuanced crowd who might be seeking such a work as Poythress'. It's a labor of love, and that shows, but I do not agree with the major premise that because God is triune, therefore and of necessity, the world (as His creation) will reflect this in manifold ways.

The only reason I am giving this book a 4 Star and not a 5 is because it is missing visuals that would greatly help the reader to comprehend the concepts.

The book is very complex, later chapters building upon previous chapters by establishing perspectives, more specifically a triad of perspectives that are used to analogously understand God, his creation, and the relationship between them better. I have not heard of anyone else write or talk about the concepts in this book, and therefore found them very interesting and accurate, and I would recommend the book to anyone interested in making more sense of the reality in which we live.