The theology of divine fatherhood is currently of great interest across a broad swathe of Catholic and Protestant theology. Smith's book takes us back to some of our most important resources for thinking about this theme today – the “Fathers" of the fourth century. He shows how any theology of divine fatherhood is inseparable from an account of what we can say and know about the divine Trinity, and inseparable from how we understand the relationship between Father and Son. Smith's analysis is closely textual, carefully analytical and offers much for modern theologians to ponder.

Lewis Ayres, Angelicum, Italy & Durham University, UK

We still need a theology of the first article that proves its Christian title and demonstrates that the fatherhood of God can be affirmed without drifting into bland theism. In that regardBlair Smith's study of pro-Nicene theologies of the fatherhood of God proves of enormous value. He draws on the best of recent revisionary work on pro-Nicene Trinitarianism and early Christian exegesis, and he applies those methods of study to an as of yet unexamined topic: the divine Father.

Michael Allen, Reformed Theological Seminary, USA