The necessity of a critical introduction to the theological thought of Thomas F. Torrance is undeniable. Apart from books concentrating on specific aspects of Torrance’s oeuvre, one still sensed the need for a more panoramic exegesis. Colyer’s attempt is to provide precisely such a ‘local hermeneutics’ of Torrance’s work. Hence the promise of such a book.

The book is divided into four parts. Three of them deal respectively with the persons of the Trinity. The fourth one presents Torrance’s views on the Trinity as such and on the character of theology. This is a helpful arrangement for the undergraduate student who is attempting to study the intricate theology of Torrance. Colyer deals in turn with: the dogmatic aspects related to the three persons of the Trinity; the importance of relation for Torrance’s metaphysics; his critical realism and so on.

Yet despite its very introductory nature, designed particularly to throw light on the more difficult aspects of his thought, the book is plagued by a fundamental methodological lapse. The author makes certain procedural choices which actually do a disservice to Torrance himself. There are a number of such misgivings: Colyer chose not to consult such vital sources for the writing of any introduction as correspondence, background material, conference papers, lecture notes and so on. The justification that is offered is that this would prove ‘detrimental to careful and comprehensive delineation of Torrance’s theological vision’ (20). Furthermore, what is of interest for Colyer seems restricted to the later work of Torrance. The present reviewer doubts whether one can provide a local hermeneutics without going ‘deeper’ into the influences that have shaped Torrance’s texts.

Not only does Colyer isolate Torrance’s published work from his unpublished material, but he also chose not to take into consideration the criticism wrought by his arguments. The book, he maintains, is primarily descriptive rather than critical. One is reminded painfully of this on every page when almost all of the quotations and the references are from Torrance’s texts. One may wonder whether insulating Torrance from engagement with his critics amounts to a good description of his thought, as one may indeed wonder what sort of hermeneutics can still maintain a rigorous distinction between description and criticism.

In light of the above, the book will not figure prominently in the scholarly exchanges about Torrance’s theology, yet it might provide the undergraduate student with a reference tool to Torrance’s views on specific topics.

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