The Trinity in the Book of Revelation: Seeing Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in John’s Apocalypse by Brandon D. Smith starts with the charge from Gregory of Nazianzus to take theology as a serious task. And the book does exactly that, sifting through the book of Revelation to highlight the Trinitarian theology found therein.
Smith repeatedly notes that Revelation is a confusing book and this has lead to a wide and wild assortment of theories about its genre, its meaning, and its conclusions (7-8). Smith approaches the book from a patristic perspective (11ff) and this leads to some of his differentiation from other recent authors. After laying the groundwork for reading the Revelation in light of the Trinity, Smith launches into three chapters, one each on Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The latter chapter highlights again Smith’s commitment to patristic theology. He notes that the Church Fathers did not always agree, even in regards to the focus on the Holy Spirit (144). Smith notes that Basil took a hardline response against any who downplayed the Holy Spirit’s work or divinity.
After these three chapters on Persons of the Trinity, Smith wraps up the arguments of his book by noting not only problems with missing the Trinitarian power of the book of Revelation but also some issues with modern readings of the book.
The Trinity in the Book of Revelation not only highlights the Trinity as a major theme in Revelation, but also manages to eliminate some of the perceived need for some wild-eyed theories about the book. I recommend it.
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