Dr. René Gehring, the author of this volume in German, is the president of Seminar Schloss Bogenhofen in Austria. Following an introduction, the book is divided into five chapters, the first four of which investigate the Trinity in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, in the writings of Ellen G. White, and in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Chapter 5 deals with critical questions concerning the doctrine of the Trinity.

The chapter on the Old Testament begins with Bible texts that emphasize monotheism, God is one (Deut 6:4). The rest of the chapter focuses on the three persons of the Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A section at the end of the chapter presents texts that show the Holy Spirit is a person, not simply a power. In his conclusion the author reiterates that monotheism does not mean the Godhead consists only of one person. All three persons of the Godhead are involved in creation and in the plan of salvation (p. 32).

The second chapter is primarily a list of texts from the Old Testament and New Testament showing that Old Testament passages attributed to God are in the New Testament ascribed to Jesus—for example, “I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior” (Isa 43:11 RSV). The New Testament, speaking of Jesus in similar terms, tells us, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 RSV). Various divine attributes, such as divinity, omnipresence, and omniscience are in the New Testament assigned to Jesus. At the end of this chapter there is again a section showing from the New Testament that the Holy Spirit is a person.

The third and longest chapter (pp. 63–101) addresses the issue of the Trinity in the writings of Ellen G. White. Sixty-six quotations deal with the divinity of Jesus. The most important one is from The Desire of Ages, where Ellen White writes, “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived.”¹ When the book was published in 1898, many Adventist ministers could not believe that she had written it. They thought the editor must have put this in. Only when they saw this sentence in her own handwriting did they accept that she had indeed written it (pp. 100–101). But it took another thirty years before most of them accepted that Jesus was fully divine and did not have a beginning.

The fourth chapter recounts the colorful history of the doctrine of the Trinity in Adventism. Most of the early leaders, including James White, were semi-Arians, believing that Christ had a similar substance as the Father, but not the same substance and was subordinate to Him. The author divides the Adventist history of thought on this topic into five sections:

• Until 1888 The non-Trinitarian time

• 1888–1898 Development of the Trinitarian understanding

• 1898–1913 Change of paradigm (transitional phase)

• 1913–1946 Consolidation of the Trinitarian position

• Since 1946 Trinity is the standard belief

In each section he quotes several Adventist authors representing the emphases of the various time periods. He begins with Joseph Bates and James White, who both came from the Christian Connection Church that denied the Trinity, and ends with the statement on the Trinity at the Dallas General Conference in 1980: “There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three coeternal Persons.”²

The last chapter of the book responds to critical questions such as: Was Jesus born or begotten? Is Jesus less than the Father? Is Jesus omniscient? Is the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Christ or the Spirit of God?

The book is written for church members and is easy to read, yet scholars will also find it interesting and beneficial. The content is well organized and clearly presented. In the case of the translation of Ellen White quotes, important English concepts or terms are added in parentheses. Each chapter has a summary with the results of the investigation. There is also a final section with the results and consequences of the full study.

The book plainly illustrates that the most important factor in the paradigm change from anti-Trinitarianism to Trinitarianism in the Adventist Church was the inspired writings of Ellen White, who early on pointed the church in the direction of the Trinitarian understanding. First, she emphasized the equality between Father and Son. For example, in 1869 she wrote, “This Saviour was the brightness of His Father’s glory and the express image of His person. He possessed divine majesty, perfection, and excellence. He was equal with God.”³ Then she underscored the personality of the Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, in Christ’s name. He personifies Christ, yet is a distinct personality.”⁴ Finally, she clearly spelled out that the Godhead consisted of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: “When you gave yourself to Christ, you made a pledge in the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—the three great personal dignitaries of heaven. ‘Hold fast’ to this pledge.”⁵

In his introduction the author states that he has only chosen texts that are clear and have evidential value (p. 11). However, this reviewer is not convinced that Proverbs 8:22–23 clearly portrays the Father and the Son, or that Genesis 1:1–3 contains the Trinity. “God said” in Genesis 1:3 cannot exegetically be changed into “‘God said’ [the word=God’s Son].” Nevertheless, the book is a valuable asset to every Adventist reader of German, when confronted with anti-Trinitarian arguments, and every German-speaking minister should have a copy in his library.

The publishers have done an excellent job producing the book. The cover picture is full of meaning and the green color and the font are pleasing to the eye.