The Beauty of the Triune God

The eighteenth-century Puritan theologian Jonathan Edwards has become popular again in contemporary theological discussion. Central to Edwards' theology is his concept of beauty. Delattre wrote the standard work on this topic half a century ago. However, Delattre approaches Edwards mainly as a philosopher, and he does not address how Edwards employs the concept of beauty to explain and defend traditional Reformed doctrines. Recent writings by McClymond, Holmes, and others have shown that defending the Reformed tradition is a fundamental concern of Edwards. This work reveals how Edwards, starting with the common notion that beauty means the appropriate proportional relationship, develops a theological aesthetic that contributes to a rational understanding of major doctrines such as the Trinity, Christology, and eschatology. It shows that Edwards is both an innovative speculative theologian and a staunch defender of Reformed orthodoxy.

""The Beauty of the Triune God will prove to be a major contribution. It shows convincingly the significance of doctrinal orientation in Edwards' aesthetics as much as the centrality of aesthetics in his doctrinal articulation, weaving his Trinitarian, christological, and eschatological perspectives together to unfold an aesthetics that is truly theological and holistic.""
--Carver Yu, President, China Graduate School of Theology

""Louie's study reveals the ways in which Edwards' account of beauty does not emerge as an epiphenomenon of his theological system or as a side-concern. . . . The embeddedness of beauty in the doctrines of the Christian faith . . . is thus a central feature of Edwards' theology, and one that is admirably displayed in this study. This is an important contribution.""
--From the foreword by David Fergusson, University of Edinburgh

""Without an understanding and appreciation of the aesthetic dimension of Edwards' theology, the reader will inevitably miss or misunderstand the most important points Edwards has to make. This general point has been recognized by many scholars . . . [but] the fully theological nature of Edwards' aesthetics has been largely ignored. . . . Louie's work seeks to correct this lacuna in Edwards scholarship. And, in my opinion, he does a superb job.""
--From the foreword by Samuel Logan, The World Reformed Fellowship


Kin Yip Louie is Assistant Professor of Theology at China Graduate School of Theology in Hong Kong. He is the author of various articles in the CGST Journal and other Chinese publications.