Trinitarian Theology: Reference

The following are essential reference works for the study of trinitarian theology, and can point you to additional sources and works of scholarship as well as provide concise overviews.

• New Catholic Encyclopedia 

The preeminent reference work on all aspects of Catholicism, The New Catholic Encyclopedia was produced by the Catholic University of America and encompasses thousands of signed, scholarly articles with accompanying bibliography.  Especially useful articles include:

• Trinity, Holy (The main article on the Trinity, running to 13 pages.)
• Trinity, Holy (in the Bible)
• Trinity, Holy, Controversies on   
• Trinity, Holy, Devotion to
• Trinity, Holy, Iconography of

• Oxford Reference 

Oxford Reference is the premier online reference portal, allowing you to search simultaneously across dozens of online dictionaries and encyclopedias of the highest caliber published by Oxford University Press.  Kenrick patrons can access over 25,000 different articles related to scripture, theology, and church history.  You can find articles on the Trinity in the following reference works:

• The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology
• The Oxford Guide to the Historical Reception of Augustine 

• Trinitas: A Theological Encyclopedia of the Holy Trinity 

​​These handbooks bring together collections of essays by leading scholars, with each piece on specific dimensions of Trinitarian theology:

• The Oxford Handbook of the Trinity 

Edited by Gilles Emery and Matthew Levering, this handbook examines the history of Trinitarian theology and reveals the Nicene unity still at work among Christians today despite ecumenical differences and the variety of theological perspectives. The forty-three chapters are organized into the following seven parts: the Trinity in Scripture, Patristic witnesses to the Trinitarian faith, Medieval appropriations of the Trinitarian faith, the Reformation through to the 20th Century, Trinitarian Dogmatics, the Trinity and Christian life, and Dialogues (addressing ecumenical, interreligious, and cultural interactions).

• The Oxford Handbook of Catholic Theology 

Edited by Lewis Ayres and Medi Ann Volpe, The Oxford Handbook of Catholic Theology provides a one-volume introduction to all the major aspects of Catholic theology. Part One considers the nature of theological thinking, and the major topics of Catholic teaching, including the Triune God, Part Two focuses on the historical development of Catholic Theology. 

• The Cambridge Companion to the Trinity 

This Companion provides an overview of how the Christian doctrine of the Trinity has been understood and articulated in the last two thousand years.  The Trinitarian theologies of key theologians, from the New Testament to the twentieth century, are carefully examined and the doctrine of the Trinity is brought into dialogue with non-Christian religions as well as with other Christian beliefs.  Authors from a range of denominational backgrounds explore the importance of Trinitarian thought, locating the Trinity within the wider context of systematic theology. Contemporary theology has seen a widespread revival of the doctrine of the Trinity and this book incorporates the most recent developments in the scholarship.