Davis Editing

A question has been growing in my mind for a while now: Should theologians abandon the terms “First/Second/Third Person of the Trinity”? Arguably, the terms imply a hierarchy that cannot be said to be orthodox Christian theology, and yet we still use them. At what cost?

One could justify, on biblical and theological grounds, calling God the Father the “First” of the Trinity since the Father is the origin and source of the Son and Spirit. But “Second” and “Third” cannot easily be justified. Particularly problematic is “Third” for the Holy Spirit. Since when did the Spirit hovering over the waters at creation become “Third”? I am more inclined to see, with Irenaeus of Lyons, the Son and the Spirit as God’s “two hands”—and we don’t number hands sequentially.

So, then, what do we gain from the language of First/Second/Third Person? What do we lose? It could be time to replace this modern trinitarian textbook language with more appropriate terminology.

As a postscript, I should say that I do not change this language in books I edit (and I encounter it often). This change must come from the writer of theology, not the editor.