Bavinck on The Trinity

There is a really good section in Bavinck, vol 2, when he discusses the development of trinitarian dogma.
ok, I suppose the history of doctrine isn't everyone's thing, but this is really good and well worth reading.

From the very outset [which for Bavink is the Apostolic Fathers of the late first, early second century] it is clear that the dogma of the Trinity was not born from philosophical reasoning about the nature of God, but from reflection on the facts of revelation, specifically on the person and work of Christ. From the beginning it revolved around the deity of Christ, the absolute character of Christianity, the truth of the revelation of God, the true atonement from sin, and the absolute certainty of salvation. (p. 280)

Notice the foundations upon which, according to Bavinck, the doctrine of the Trinity rests:
> the facts of revelation - that is Scripture and its witness to God;
> the person and work of Christ - we cannot read the gospels or the New Testament without asking the disciples question, 'Who is this man?', and we find the language and themes of Scripture drive us ever more towards divinity in answering this question;
> the deity of Christ, the NT leaves us no where else to go;
> the absolute character of Christianity - in part I'm posting this to ask if anyone knows what this might mean!
> the truth of the revelation of God, see above;
> the true atonement from sin - the inclusion of the atonement here I found unexpected, and yet, when we read of the atonement from sin and how this was accomplished in the cross of Christ we must again reflect upon the nature of Christ and of God;
> the absolute certainty of salvation - an assurance of salvation also leads us to reflect upon God and so will take us into an understanding of the Trinity.

The Trinity is not some philosophical add on to a 'simple' Christianity, but the very heart beat of a catholic, ecumenical faith. As the Athanasian Creed, which in large part is an exposition of the Trinity, concludes:

 This is the catholic faith, which except a man shall have believed faithfully and firmly he cannot be in a state of salvation.