2025 Nicaea 1700 / Trinity Reading Suggestions

Of course it is Trinity Sunday any moment. And The Council of Nicaea has a bit anniversary coming up. 

What reading might you suggest?

Someone more learned than me would be better placed to write a list like this. I have to really concentrate to spell “Nicaea”! No, okay, I’ll be honest: I Google it just to be sure. Anyway, here are some things that come to mind, some of which I haven’t read / didn’t finish: (Some of these will also of course provide lots of other bibliography) Thanks for some suggestions from friends. 

This 800+ pages is due in October 2024: Matthew Barrett (ed.), On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God (IVP Academic)

Jared Ortiz and Daniel A. Keating, Nicene Creed, The: A Scriptural, Historical, and Theological Commentary, (Baker Academic, 2024)

Phillip Cary, The Nicene Creed: An Introduction (Lexham Press, 2023)

Athanasius, On The Incarnation – the introduction by C. S. Lewis is also worth reading 

Peter Barnes, Athanasius of Alexandria: His Life and Impact (Christian Focus)

 Simonetta Carr, Athanasius - Christian Biographies for Young Readers (Reformation Heritage Books)

Ryan Reeves, Who was Athanasius and Why Was He Important? (The Gospel Coalition blog, MAY 9, 2016) https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/who-was-athanasius-and-why-was-he-important/ 

John Piper also has a chapter on Athanasius in Contending for Our All (IVP)

Rowan Williams, Arius: Heresy and Tradition (SCM Press) – do I recall correctly this is a notoriously hard book?

Philip Cary, The Nicene Creed – An Introduction (Faithlife Corporation)

Augustine, On The Trinity 

Gerald Bray, Creeds, Councils and Christ: Did the early Christians misrepresent Jesus? (Christian Focus Mentor)

When the Vicar was at theological college, they probably used J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines and Early Christian Creeds 

At the learned end of the spectrum:

Lewis Ayres, Nicaea and its Legacy: An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian Theology (OUP) and Augustine and the Trinity (CUP)

Mark Smith, The Idea of Nicaea in the Early Church Councils (OUP) 

More general useful books on the Trinity include:

Stephen Holmes, The Quest for the Trinity: The Doctrine of God in Scripture, History and Modernity (IVP Academic)

Fred Sanders, The Triune God (New Studies in Dogmatics) (Zondervan Academic) and The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything (Crossway)

Scott Swain, The Trinity: An Introduction (Short Studies in Systematic Theology) (Crossway)

Robert Letham, The Holy Trinity: In Scripture, History, Theology, and Worship – revised and expanded edition (P&R)

D Glenn Butner Jr, Trinitarian Dogmatics: Exploring the Grammar of the Christian Doctrine of God (Baker Academic) – stimulating, stretching in places 

I think, DV, there might be an edition of The Global Anglican with a particular focus on Nicaea coming to coincide with the anniversary.