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Virgin]], a popular subject in the West, often included the whole Trinity. But many subjects, such as [[Christ in Majesty]] or the [[Last Judgement]], which might be thought to require depiction of the deity in the most amplified form, only show Christ. There is a rare subject where the persons of the Trinity make the decision to incarnate Christ, The Trinity may also be represented abstractly by [[symbol]]s, such as the [[triangle]] (or three triangles joined together), [[trefoil]] or the [[triquetra]]—or a combination of these. Sometimes a halo in incorporated into these symbols. The use of such symbols are often found not only in painting but also in [[needlework]] on [[ |
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{{Otheruses1|the Christian Trinity}} |
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{{Christianity}} |
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{{ConceptionsofGod}} |
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The '''Trinity''' is a [[Christianity|Christian]] [[doctrine]], stating that [[God]] is [[Homoousian|one Being]] Who exists, simultaneously and [[eternity|eternally]], as a [[perichoresis|mutual indwelling]] of [[3 (number)#In religion|three]] [[Hypostasis (religion)|persons]] <ref>See discussion in {{CathEncy|wstitle=Person}}</ref>: the [[God the Father|Father]], the [[God the Son|Son]] (incarnate as [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]]), and the [[Holy Spirit]]. Since the 4th century, in both [[Eastern Christianity]] and [[Western Christianity]], this doctrine has been stated as "[[Grammatical person | three persons]]<ref>Lawrence B. Porter, "On Keeping 'Persons' in the Trinity: A Linguistic Approach to Trinitarian Thought," ''Theological Studies'' 41 (1980) pages 530-548</ref> in one God," all three of whom, as distinct and co-eternal persons, are of one indivisible Divine [[Ousia|essence]], a [[Divine simplicity|simple being]]. The doctrine also teaches that the Son himself has two distinct natures, one fully divine and the other fully human, united in a [[hypostatic union]]. Support of the doctrine of the ''Trinity'' is known as '''Trinitarianism.''' Most denominations within Christianity are Trinitarian, and regard belief in the Trinity as a mark of Christian [[orthodoxy]].<ref name ="Harris">[[Stephen L Harris|Harris, Stephen L.]] (1985) ''Understanding the Bible'' Palo Alto: Mayfield. </ref><ref name ="Oxford">Cross, F. L., ed. (2005) ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' New York: Oxford University Press. </ref> |
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Opposing [[nontrinitarian]] positions held by some groups include [[Binitarianism]] (two deities/persons/aspects), [[Unitarianism]] (one deity/person/aspect), the [[Godhead (Latter Day Saints)]] (three separate beings, one in purpose) and [[Modalism]] ([[Oneness]]). |
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Historically, the post-New Testament<ref name ="Harris">[[Stephen L Harris|Harris, Stephen L.]], Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985.</ref> doctrine of Trinitarianism is of particular importance. The conflict with [[Arianism]], as well as other competing theological concepts during the fourth century, became the first major doctrinal confrontation in Church history. It had a particularly lasting effect within the [[Western Roman Empire]] where the Germanic Arians and Nicene Christians formed a segregated social order. |
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== Etymology == |
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The concept came to be called the "Trinity" in later years. The word comes from ''"Trinitas,"'' a [[Latin]] abstract noun that means "three-ness," "the property of occurring three at once" or "three are one." The [[Greek language|Greek]] term used for the Christian Trinity, "Τριάς" ("Trias," gen. "Triados") means "a set of three" or "the number three,"<ref>Liddell & Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon', [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%23104807 entry for Τριάς], retrieved December 19, 2006</ref> and has given the English word ''triad''. |
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The doctrine of the Trinity is the result of continuous exploration of the Bible by the church, argued in debate and treatises.<ref name="McGrath1">[[Alister McGrath|McGrath, Alister E.]] ''Understanding the Trinity.'' Zondervan, 9789 ISBN 0310296811</ref> The concept was expressed in early writings from the beginning of the second century forward. |
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The first recorded use of the word "Trinity" in Christian theology was in about AD 180 by [[Theophilus of Antioch]] who used it, however, to refer to a "triad" of three days: the first three days of Creation, which he then compared to "God, his Word, and his Wisdom."<ref>Theophilus of Antioch, [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/theophilus-book2.html To Autolycus], II.XV (retrieved on December 19, 2006).</ref><ref name="Fulton"> W.Fulton in the "[[Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics]]"</ref> He compared the fourth day to humanity, as a needy recipient of the first three, forming a tetrad. The creations in the fourth, fifth, and sixth days are said to intimate both righteous and unrighteous members of humanity. God rested in the seventh day, the Sabbath. |
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[[Tertullian]], a Latin theologian who wrote in the early third century, is credited with using the words "Trinity" and "person" to explain that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were "one in essence— not one in Person."<ref>[http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/beliefs/trinity.htm#3] History of the Doctrine of the Trinity. Accessed September 15, 2007.</ref> |
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About a century later, in AD 325, the Council of Nicea established the doctrine of the Trinity as orthodoxy and adopted the [[Nicene Creed]] that described Christ as "God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance (''homoousios'') with the Father." |
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== Trinity in Scripture == |
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[[Image:Holy Trinity Column - top.jpg|thumb|left|Sculptural group from the [[Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc]], [[Czech Republic]], 18th century]] |
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Neither of the words "Trinity" nor "Triunity" appear in the [[Old Testament]] or [[New Testament]]. Various passages from both have been cited as supporting this doctrine, while other passages are cited as opposing it. |
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=== Summarizing the role of Scripture === |
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The [[Old Testament]] depicts God as the father of Israel and refers to (possibly metaphorical) divine figures such as Word, Spirit, and Wisdom. Some biblical scholars have said that "it would go beyond the intention and spirit of the Old Testament to correlate these notions with later Trinitarian doctrine."<ref name="ERTrinity"> "Encyclopedia of Religion," Vol. 14, p.9360, on Trinity </ref> According to the [[Catholic Encyclopedia]], a few of the Fathers "found what would seem to be the sounder view" that "no distinct intimation of the doctrine was given under the Old Covenant." <ref>(cf. Gregory Nazianzen, 'Or. theol., v, 26; Epiphanius, Ancor. 73, Haer. 74; Basil, Adv. Eunom. II, 22; Cyril Alex., In Joan., xii, 20.)</ref><ref name="CathEnc Trinity">[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15047a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia "Trinity"], ''Old Testament''</ref> "Some of these, however, claimed that a knowledge of the mystery was granted to the Prophets and saints of the Old Dispensation.<ref>(Epiph., "Haer.," viii, 5; Cyril Alex., "Con. Julian.," I)</ref> The matter seems to be correctly summed up by Epiphanius, when he says: "The One Godhead is above all declared by Moses, and the twofold personality (of Father and Son) is strenuously asserted by the Prophets. The Trinity is made known by the Gospel".<ref>("Haer.," Ixxiv)</ref><ref name="CathEnc Trinity" /> |
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The [[New Testament]] does not use the word "Τριάς" (Trinity) nor explicitly teach it.<ref>The Columbia Encyclopedia: "the doctrine is not explicitly taught in the New Testament"</ref> Jesus and his followers didn't contradict the Jewish [[Shema Yisrael]]: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord" ({{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|6:4|NIV}})."<ref name="EBTrinity"> Encyclopædia Britannica, ''Trinity'' </ref>''Encyclopedia of Religion,'' for example, argues that "God the Father is source of all that is (Pantokrator) and also the father of Jesus Christ. Early liturgical and creedal formulas speak of God as "Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"; praise is to be rendered to God through Christ (see opening greeting in Paul and deutero-Paul). There are other binitarian texts (e.g., {{bibleverse||Romans|4:24|NIV}}; {{bibleverse||Romans|8:11|NIV}}; {{bibleverse|2|Corinthians|4:14|NIV}}; {{bibleverse||Colossians|2:12|NIV}}; {{bibleverse|1|Timothy|2:5–6|NIV}}; {{bibleverse|1|Timothy|6:13|NIV}}; {{bibleverse|2|Timothy|4:1|NIV}}), and a few triadic texts (the strongest are {{bibleverse|2|Corinthians|13:14|NIV}}, {{bibleverse||Romans|8:39|NIV}}, {{bibleverse||Colossians|2:8-9|NIV}}, and {{bibleverse||Matthew|28:19|NIV}})."<ref name="ERTrinity" /> |
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According to ''Encyclopædia Britannica,'' while Trinity does not explicitly appear in the New Testament, its basis is established by the New Testament: The coming of Jesus Christ and the presumed presence and power of God among them had implications for the early Christians. "The Holy Spirit, whose coming was connected with the celebration of the Pentecost. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were associated in such New Testament passages as the Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" ({{bibleverse||Matthew|28:19|NIV}}); and in the apostolic benediction: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" ({{bibleverse|2|Corinthians|13:14|NIV}})."<ref name="EBTrinity" /> The [[Great Commission]] reflects the baptismal practice at Matthew's time (or later if this line is interpolated, as is possible according to ''The Oxford Companion of the Bible''). Aside from this verse, "Matthew records a special connection between God the Father and Jesus the Son (e.g., {{bibleverse||Matthew|11:27|NIV}}), but he falls short of claiming that Jesus is equal with God (cf. 24:36)."<ref name="Oxford Companion" /> |
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According to ''The Oxford Companion of the Bible'', {{bibleverse|2|Corinthians|13:14|NIV}} is the earliest evidence for a tripartite formula. ''The Oxford Companion of the Bible'' states that it is possible that this three-part formula was later added to the text as it was copied. However, there is support for the authenticity of the passage since its phrasing "is much closer to Paul's understandings of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit than to a more fully developed concept of the Trinity. Jesus, referred to not as Son but as Lord and Christ, is mentioned first and is connected with the central Pauline theme of grace. God is referred to as a source of love, not as father, and the Spirit promotes sharing within community."<ref name="Oxford Companion"> The Oxford Companion of the Bible, ''Trinity''</ref> |
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The Gospel of John does suggest the equality and unity of Father and Son. ("I and the Father are one" {{bibleverse||John|10:30|NIV}}). This Gospel starts with "the affirmation that in the beginning Jesus as Word "was with God and ...was God" ({{bibleverse||John|1:1|NIV}}) and ends with Thomas's confession of faith to Jesus, "My Lord and my God!" ({{bibleverse||John|20:28|NIV}})."<ref name="Oxford Companion" /> There is no significant tendency among modern scholars to deny that these two verses identify Jesus with God.<ref>Raymond E. Brown, ''The Anchor Bible: The Gospel According to John'' (XIII-XXI), pp. 1026, 1032</ref> |
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Furthermore, the fourth Gospel elaborates on the role of Holy Spirit being sent as an advocate for believers.<ref name="Oxford Companion" /> The immediate context of these verses was providing "assurance of the presence and power of God both in the ministry of Jesus and the ongoing life of the community." Beyond this immediate context, these verses caused questions of relation between Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, their distinction and yet unity. These questions have been hotly debated over the following centuries, although mainstream Christianity has generally resolved the issue through the writing of creeds.<ref name="Oxford Companion"/> |
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Summarizing the role of Scripture in the formation of Trinitarian belief, [[Gregory Nazianzen]] argues in his ''Orations'' that the revelation was intentionally gradual: |
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:The Old Testament proclaimed the Father openly, and the Son more obscurely. The New manifested the Son, and suggested the deity of the Spirit. Now the Spirit himself dwells among us, and supplies us with a clearer demonstration of himself. For it was not safe, when the Godhead of the Father was not yet acknowledged, plainly to proclaim the Son; nor when that of the Son was not yet received to burden us further.<ref>Gregory Nazianzen, ''Orations'', 31.26</ref> |
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=== Scriptural texts cited as implying support === |
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{{Refimprovesect|date=February 2008}} |
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To support Trinitarianism, Bible exegetes cite references to the Trinity, to Jesus as God, and both to God alone and to Jesus as the Savior. |
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==== References to the Trinity ==== |
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A few verses directly reference the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: |
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* {{bibleverse||Matthew|3:16–17|NIV}}: "As soon as Jesus Christ was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and landing on him. <sup>17</sup>And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.' " (also {{bibleverse||Mark|1:10–11|NIV}}; {{bibleverse||Luke|3:22|NIV}}; {{bibleverse||John|1:32|NIV}}) |
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* {{bibleverse||Matthew|28:19|NIV}}: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (see [[Trinitarian formula]]). |
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* {{bibleverse|2|Corinthians|13:14|NIV}}: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you." |
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* {{bibleverse|1|John|5:7–8|NIV}}: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one." (This is the controversial [[Comma Johanneum]], which did not appear in Greek texts before the sixteenth century.) |
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* {{bibleverse||Luke|1:35|NIV}}: "The angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the [[Son of God]].' " |
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* {{bibleverse||Hebrews|9:14|NIV}}: "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" |
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====Jesus as God====<!-- This section is linked from [[Islam and Judaism]] --> |
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Many verses in John, the epistles, and [[Revelation]] imply support for the doctrine that Jesus Christ is God and the closely related concept of the Trinity. The Gospel of John in particular supports Jesus' divinity. This is a partial list of supporting Bible verses: |
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* {{bibleverse||John|1:1|NIV}} "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." together with {{bibleverse||John|1:14|NIV}} "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." and {{bibleverse||John|1:18|NIV}} "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known."<ref>[[Textual criticism|Textual critic]] [[Bart D. Ehrman]] asserts that the original text of John 1:18 referred to Jesus as "unique Son," not "God the One and Only." See ''Misquoting Jesus'', 2005. The "unique Son" reading is found in the ''[[textus receptus]]'' and in some modern Bible translations.</ref>The Bible says "God the One and Only" in NIV. |
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* {{bibleverse||John|5:21|NIV}} "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it." |
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* {{bibleverse||John|8:23–24|NIV}}: "But he continued,'You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins.'" |
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* {{bibleverse||John|8:58|NIV}} "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before [[Abraham]] was born, I ''am''!"<ref>The Trinitarian interpretation of this statement is that Jesus is claiming for himself the name of God, [[Yahweh]], which is translated as "I am" (see {{bibleverse||Exodus|3:14|NIV)}}</ref> |
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* {{bibleverse||John|10:30|NIV}}: "I and the Father are one." |
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* {{bibleverse||John|10:38|NIV}}: "But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." |
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* {{bibleverse||John|12:41|NIV}}: "Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him."—As the context shows, this implied the [[Tetragrammaton]] in {{bibleverse||Isaiah|6:10|NIV}} refers to Jesus. |
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* {{bibleverse||John|20:28|NIV}}: "Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!'" |
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* {{bibleverse||Philippians|2:5–8|NIV}}: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!" |
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* {{bibleverse||Colossians|1:15|NIV}}: "He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God" |
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* {{bibleverse||Colossians|1:16|NIV}}: "For by him [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." |
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* {{bibleverse||Colossians|1:17|NIV}}: "He [Jesus] ''is'' before all things, and in him all things hold together." |
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* {{bibleverse||Colossians|2:9|NIV}}: "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" |
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* {{bibleverse||Titus|2:13|NIV}}: "while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ." |
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* {{bibleverse|1|Timothy|3:16|KJV}}: "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." |
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* {{bibleverse||Hebrews|1:8|NIV}}: "But about the Son he [God] says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom." |
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* {{bibleverse|1|John|5:20|NIV}}: "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." |
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* {{bibleverse||Revelation|1:17–18|NIV}}: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." This is seen as significant when viewed with {{bibleverse||Isaiah|44:6|NIV}}: "This is what the {{LORD}} says—Israel's King and Redeemer, the {{LORD}} Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God." |
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The Bible also refers to Jesus as a man, which is in line with the Trinitarian concept that Jesus was fully human as well as fully divine which is expressed through the theological concept of [[Kenosis#Eastern Orthodox Mysticism|kenosis]]. |
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==== God alone is the Savior and the Savior is Jesus ==== |
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The Old Testament identifies [[the LORD|the {{LORD}}]] as the only savior, and the New Testament identifies Jesus Christ as God and Savior. These verses are consistent with Trinitarianism, as well as various nontrinitarian beliefs (binitarianism, modalism, the Latter-Day Saints' Godhead, Arianism, etc.) |
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* {{bibleverse||Isaiah|43:11|NIV}}: "'I, even I, am the {{LORD}}, and apart from me there is no savior.'" |
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* {{bibleverse||Titus|2:10|NIV}}: "and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive." |
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* {{bibleverse||Titus|3:4|NIV}}: "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared," in regard with: |
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* {{bibleverse||Luke|2:11|NIV}}: "'Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.'" |
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* {{bibleverse||Acts|20:28|NIV}}: "'the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.'" |
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* {{bibleverse||Titus|2:13|NIV}}: "while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ," |
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* {{bibleverse||John|4:42|NIV}}: "They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man [Jesus] really is the Savior of the world.'" |
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* {{bibleverse||Titus|3:6|NIV}}: "whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior," |
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==History== |
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[[Image:Giovanni Battista Tiepolo 016.jpg|thumb|Pope [[Clement I]] prays to the Trinity, in a typical post-Renaissance depiction by [[Gianbattista Tiepolo]].]] |
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=== The Origin of the Formula === |
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{{main|Trinity of the Church Fathers}} |
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The basis for the doctrine of the Trinity is found in New Testament passages that associate the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.<ref name="BEoWR">"Trinity." Britannica encyclopaedia of world religions. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2006.</ref> Two such passages<ref name="BEoWR">"Trinity." Britannica encyclopaedia of world religions. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2006.</ref> are Matthew's [[Great Commission]]: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" ({{bibleverse||Matthew|28:19|NIV}}) and [[Paul of Tarsus|St Paul]]'s: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" ({{bibleverse|2|Corinthians|13:14|NIV}}). |
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In 325, the [[First Council of Nicaea|Council of Nicaea]] adopted a term for the relationship between the Son and the Father that from then on was seen as the hallmark of orthodoxy; it declared that the Son is "of the same substance" ([[ousia|{{Polytonic|ὁμοούσιος}}]]) as the Father. This was further developed into the formula "three persons, one substance." The answer to the question "''What'' is God?" indicates the one-ness of the divine nature, while the answer to the question "''Who'' is God?" indicates the three-ness of "Father, Son and Holy Spirit."<ref>Swindal, James, and Harry J. Gensler. 2005. ''The Sheed & Ward anthology of Catholic philosophy.'' Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield. Page 84.</ref> |
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The Council of Nicaea was reluctant to adopt language not found in Scripture, and ultimately did so only after [[Arius]] showed how all strictly biblical language could also be interpreted to support his belief that there was a time when the Son did not exist. In adopting non-biblical language, the council's intent was to preserve what the Church had always believed: that the Son is fully God, coeternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. |
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The Confession of the Council of Nicaea said little about the Holy Spirit.<ref name="BEoWR">"Trinity." Britannica encyclopaedia of world regligions. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2006.</ref> The doctrine of the divinity and personality of the Holy Spirit was developed by [[Athanasius]] (''c'' 293 - 373) in the last decades of his life.<ref> On Athanasius, ''Oxford Classical Dictionary'', Edited by Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth. Third edition. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.</ref> He both defended and refined the Nicene formula.<ref name="BEoWR">"Trinity." Britannica encyclopaedia of world regligions. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2006.</ref> By the end of the 4th century, under the leadership of [[Basil of Caesarea]], [[Gregory of Nyssa]], and [[Gregory of Nazianzus]] (the [[Cappadocian Fathers]]), the doctrine had reached substantially its current form.<ref name="BEoWR">"Trinity." Britannica encyclopaedia of world regligions. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2006.</ref> |
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====Comma Johanneum==== |
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{{main|Comma Johanneum}} |
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One explicit trinitarian passage often quoted from the King James translation of the Bible is the result of an addition at a later date. The passage now known as the ''[[Comma Johanneum]]'' or 1 John 5:7 from the King James Version;<blockquote>"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."</blockquote> may have begun as a marginal note quoting a homily of [[Cyprian]] (d. 258) that was inadvertently taken into the main body of the text by a copyist, or placed there because of "interpretive zeal" by "Latin patristic writers".<ref>[[Daniel B. Wallace|Wallace, Daniel B.]] "[http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1185 The Comma Johanneum and Cyprian]," accessed online [[16 February]] [[2006]].</ref> The ''Comma'' found its way into several later copies, and was eventually back-translated into Greek and included in the third edition of the ''[[Textus Receptus]]'' which formed the basis of the [[King James Version]]. [[Erasmus]], the compiler of the ''Textus Receptus'', noticed that the passage was not found in any of the Greek manuscripts at his disposal and refused to include it until presented with an example containing it, which he rightly suspected was concocted after the fact.<ref>Bruce M. Metzger, ''The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, 2d ed. Oxford University'," 1968 p.101</ref> [[Isaac Newton]], generally considered Arian rather than Trinitarian,<ref name="dulles">[[Avery Cardinal Dulles]]. [http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=143 The Deist Minimum]. 2005.</ref> noted that many ancient authorities failed to quote the ''Comma'' when it would have provided substantial support for their arguments, suggesting it was a later addition.<ref>[[An Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture]]</ref> Modern [[textual criticism]] has since concurred with his findings; many modern translations now either omit the passage, or make it clear that it is not found in the early manuscripts. |
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=== Formulation of the Doctrine === |
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The most significant developments in articulating the doctrine of the Trinity took place in the 4th century, with a group of men known as the [[Theologians]].<ref name="JBing">Bingham, Jeffrey, "HT200 Class Notes," Dallas Theological Seminary, (2004).</ref> Although the earliest [[Church Fathers]] had affirmed the teachings of the Apostles, their focus was on their pastoral duties to the Church under the persecution of the Roman Empire.<ref name="JBing">dum</ref> Thus the early Fathers were largely unable to compose doctrinal treatises and theological expositions. With the relaxing of the persecution of the church during the rise of Constantine, the stage was set for ecumenical dialogue.<ref name="JBing">dum</ref> |
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Trinitarians believe that the resultant councils and creeds did not discover or create doctrine, but rather, responding to serious heresies such as [[Arianism]], articulated in the creeds the truths that the orthodox church had believed [[Trinity of the Church Fathers|since the time of the apostles]].<ref name="JBing">dum<ref/> |
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The Ante-Nicene Fathers, although very likely foreign to the specifics of Trinitarian theology because they were not defined until the 4th century, nevertheless affirmed Christ's deity and referenced "Father, Son and Holy Spirit." Trinitarians view these as elements of the codified doctrine.<ref>[http://www.oodegr.com/english/dogmatiki1/C2a.htm#pano Orthodox Outlet for Dogmatic Enquiries: On God]</ref> |
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[[Image:France Paris St-Denis Trinity-CROPPED.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Depiction of Trinity from [[Saint Denis Basilica]] in [[Paris]].]] |
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The [[Trinitarianism|Trinitarian]] view has been affirmed as an article of faith by the [[Nicene Creed|Nicene]] (325/381) and [[Athanasian Creed|Athanasian]] [[creed]]s (circa 500), which attempted to standardize belief in the face of disagreements on the subject. These creeds were formulated and ratified by the [[Church]] of the third and fourth centuries in reaction to [[heterodox]] theologies concerning the Trinity and/or [[Christology|Christ]]. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, revised in 381 by the second of these councils, is professed by the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and, with one addition ([[Filioque clause]]), the [[Roman Catholic]] Church, and has been retained in some form in the [[Anglican Communion]] and most [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[religious denomination|denominations]]. |
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The [[Nicene Creed]], which is a classic formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity, uses "[[ousia|homoousios]]" ([[Greek language|Greek]]: of ''the same'' essence) of the relation of the Son's relationship with the Father. This word differs from that used by non-Trinitarians of the time, "homoiousios" (Greek: of ''similar'' essence), by a single Greek letter, "one [[iota]]," a fact proverbially used to speak of deep divisions, especially in theology, expressed by seemingly small verbal differences. |
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One of the (probably three) Church councils that in 264–266 condemned [[Paul of Samosata]] for his [[Adoptionist]] theology also condemned the term "homoousios" in the sense he used it. Fourth-century Christians who objected to the Nicene trinity made copious use of this condemnation by a reputable council.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11589a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia]</ref> |
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Moreover, the meanings of "ousia" and "[[hypostasis (religion)|hypostasis]]" overlapped at the time, so that the latter term for some meant ''essence'' and for others ''person''. [[Athanasius of Alexandria]] (293–373) helped to clarify the terms.<ref>[http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/152.html Athanasius, Bishop of Alexanria, Theologian, Doctor]</ref> |
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Because Christianity converts cultures from within, the doctrinal formulas as they have developed bear the marks of the ages through which the church has passed. The rhetorical tools of Greek philosophy, especially of [[Neoplatonism]], are evident in the language adopted to explain the church's rejection of [[Arianism]] and [[Adoptionism]] on one hand (teaching that Christ is inferior to the Father, or even that he was merely human), and [[Docetism]] and [[Sabellianism]] on the other hand (teaching that Christ was an illusion, or that he was identical to God the Father). [[Augustine of Hippo]] has been noted at the forefront of these formulations; and he contributed much to the speculative [[Development of doctrine|development]] of the doctrine of the Trinity as it is known today, in the West; the [[Cappadocian Fathers]] ([[Basil the Great]], [[Gregory of Nyssa]], and [[Gregory Nazianzus]]) are more prominent in the East. The imprint of Augustinianism is found, for example, in the western [[Athanasian Creed]], which, although it bears the name and reproduces the views of the fourth century opponent of Arianism, was probably written much later. |
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These controversies were for most purposes settled at the [[Ecumenical council]]s, whose creeds affirm the doctrine of the Trinity. |
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According to the Athanasian Creed, each of these three divine Persons is said to be eternal, each almighty, none greater or less than another, each God, and yet together being but one God, ''So are we forbidden by the Catholic religion to say; There are three Gods or three Lords.''—Athanasian Creed, line 20. |
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[[Modalism|Modalists]] attempted to resolve the mystery of the Trinity by holding that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are merely modes, or roles, of God Almighty. This anti-Trinitarian view contends that the three "Persons" are not distinct Persons, but titles which describe how humanity has interacted with or had experiences with God. In the Role of The Father, God is the provider and creator of all. In the mode of The Son, man experiences God in the flesh, as a human, fully man and fully God. God manifests himself as the Holy Spirit by his actions on Earth and within the lives of Christians. This view is known as [[Sabellianism]], and was rejected as [[Christian heresy|heresy]] by the Ecumenical Councils although it is still prevalent today among [[religious denomination|denomination]]s known as "Oneness" and "Apostolic" Pentecostal Christians, the largest of these sects being the United Pentecostal Church. Trinitarianism insists that the Father, Son and Spirit simultaneously exist, each fully the same God. |
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The doctrine developed into its present form precisely through this kind of confrontation with alternatives; and the process of refinement continues in the same way. Even now, ecumenical dialogue between Eastern Orthodox, [[Oriental Orthodox]], Roman Catholic, the [[Assyrian Church of the East]], Anglican and Trinitarian Protestants, seeks an expression of Trinitarian and Christological doctrine which will overcome the extremely subtle differences that have largely contributed to dividing them into separate communities. The doctrine of the Trinity is therefore symbolic, somewhat paradoxically, of both division and unity. |
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== Trinitarian Theology == |
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=== Baptism as the beginning lesson === |
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[[Image:Piero della Francesca 045.jpg|thumb|''Baptism of Christ'', by [[Piero della Francesca]], 15th century]] |
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Baptism itself is generally conferred with the [[Trinitarian formula]], "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" ({{bibleverse||Matthew|28:19|NIV}}). Trinitarians identify this name with the Christian faith into which baptism is an initiation, as seen for example in the statement of [[Basil the Great]] (330–379): "We are bound to be baptized in the terms we have received, and to profess faith in the terms in which we have been baptized." "This is the Faith of our baptism," the [[First Council of Constantinople]] also says (382), "that teaches us to believe in the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. According to this Faith there is one Godhead, Power, and Being of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." |
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{{bibleverse||Matthew|28:19|NIV}} may be taken to indicate that baptism was associated with this Trinitarian formula from the earliest decades of the Church's existence.<ref name="actsbapt">Some groups, such as [[Oneness Pentecostals]], demur from the Trinitarian view on baptism. For them, the fact that Acts does not use the formula outweighs all other considerations, and is a liturgical guide for their own practice. For this reason, they often focus on the baptisms in Acts, citing many authoritative theological works. For example, Kittel is cited where he is speaking of the phrase "in the name" ([[Koine Greek|Greek]]: {{Polytonic|εἰς τὸ ὄνομα}}) as used in the baptisms recorded in Acts: |
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: The distinctive feature of Christian baptism is that it is administered in Christ ({{Polytonic|εἰς Χριστόν}}), or in the name of Christ ({{Polytonic|εἰς τὸ ὄνομα Χριστοῦ}}). (Gerhard Kittel, ''Theological Dictionary of the New Testament'' (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), 1:539.) |
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: The formula ({{Polytonic|εἰς τὸ ὄνομα}}) seems rather to have been a tech. term in Hellenistic commerce ("to the account"). In both cases the use of the phrase is understandable, since the account bears the name of the one who owns it, and in baptism the name of Christ is pronounced, invoked and confessed by the one who baptises or the one baptised ({{bibleverse||Acts|22:16|NIV}}) or both. (Kittel, 1:540.) |
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Those who place great emphasis on the baptisms in Acts often likewise question the authenticity of {{bibleverse||Matthew|28:19|NIV}} in its present form. A. Ploughman, apparently following [[Frederick Cornwallis Conybeare|F. C. Conybeare]], has questioned the authenticity of {{bibleverse||Matthew|28:19|NIV}}, however, the majority of scholars of New Testament [[textual criticism]] accept the authenticity of the passage. There are no variant manuscripts regarding the formula, and the extant form of the passage is attested in the Didache and other [[patristic]] works of the first and second centuries;{{Fact|date=February 2007}} for most textual critical scholars this is sufficient evidence to prove authenticity.</ref> The formula is found in the [[Didache]],<ref name="patristics">7:1, 3 [http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0714.htm online]</ref> [[Ignatius of Antioch|Ignatius]],<ref name="patristics1">''Epistle to the Philippians'', 2:13 [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.v.xvii.ii.html online]</ref> [[Tertullian]],<ref name="patristics2">''On Baptism'' 8:6 [http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ANF-03/anf03–49.htm#P11646_3280473 online], ''Against Praxeas'', 26:2[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0317.htm online]</ref> [[Hippolytus (writer)|Hippolytus]],<ref name="patristics3">''Against Noetus'', 1:14 [http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0521.htm online]</ref> [[Cyprian]],<ref name="patristics4">''Seventh Council of Carthage'' [http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ANF-05/anf05–124.htm#P9402_2932994 online]</ref> and [[Gregory Thaumaturgus]].<ref name="patristics5">''A Sectional Confession of Faith'', 13:2[http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ANF-06/anf06–14.htm#P784_222567 online]</ref> Though the formula has early attestation, the [[Acts of the Apostles]] only mentions believers being baptized "in the name of Jesus Christ" ({{bibleverse||Acts|2:38|NIV}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Acts|10:48|NIV}}) and "in the name of the Lord Jesus" ({{bibleverse||Acts|8:16|NIV}}, {{bibleverse||Acts|19:5|NIV}}). There are no Biblical references to baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit outside of {{bibleverse||Matthew|28:19|NIV}}, nor references to baptism in the name of (the Lord) Jesus (Christ) outside the Acts of the Apostles.<ref name="baptform">Baptism "in the name of" need not necessarily be taken as referring to a formula used in the ceremony in either Matthew or Acts; it may merely indicate the establishment of a relationship, corresponding to the phrases "baptized into Christ Jesus" ({{bibleverse||Romans|6:3|NIV}}) and "baptized into Christ" ({{bibleverse||Galatians|3:27|NIV}}). Compare "baptized ... into John's baptism" ({{bibleverse||Acts|19:3|NIV}}), "baptized in the name of Paul" ({{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|1:13|NIV}}), "baptized into Moses" ({{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|10:2|NIV}}).</ref> |
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Commenting on {{bibleverse||Matthew|28:19|NIV}}, Gerhard Kittel states: |
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: This threefold relation [of Father, Son and Spirit] soon found fixed expression in the triadic formulae in 2 C. 13:13, and in {{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|12:4–6|NIV}}. The form is first found in the baptismal formula in {{bibleverse||Matthew|28:19|NIV}}; Did., 7. 1 and 3....[I]t is self-evident that Father, Son and Spirit are here linked in an indissoluble threefold relationship.<ref name="kittel3">Kittel, 3:108.</ref> |
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In the [[synoptic Gospel]]s the [[baptism of Jesus]] himself is often interpreted as a manifestation of all three Persons of the Trinity: "And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, ''This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased''" ({{bibleverse||Matthew|3:16–17|NIV}}). |
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=== One God === |
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God is one, and the Godhead a single being: The [[Old Testament|Hebrew Scriptures]] lift this one article of faith above others, and surround it with stern warnings against departure from this central issue of faith, and of faithfulness to the covenant God had made with them. "Hear, O Israel: [[The Lord|The {{LORD}}]] our God is one {{LORD}}" ({{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|6:4|NIV}}) (the [[Shema]]), "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" ({{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|5:7|NIV}}) and, "Thus saith the {{LORD}} the King of Israel and his redeemer the {{LORD}} of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." ({{bibleverse||Isaiah|44:6|NIV}}). Any formulation of an article of faith which does not insist that God is solitary, that divides worship between God and any other, or that imagines God coming into existence rather than being God eternally, is not capable of directing people toward the knowledge of God, according to the Trinitarian understanding of the [[Old Testament]]. The same insistence is found in the [[New Testament]]: "...there is none other God but one..." ({{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|8:4|NIV}}). The "other gods" warned against are therefore not understood as gods at all, but as substitutes for God, and so are, according to St. Paul, simply mythological ({{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|8:5|NIV}}). |
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In the Trinitarian view, the common conception which thinks of the Father and Christ as two separate beings is incorrect. The central and crucial affirmation of Christian faith is that there is one savior, God, and one salvation, manifest in Jesus Christ, to which there is access only because of the Holy Spirit. The God of the Old is still the same as the God of the New. In Christianity, it is understood that statements about a solitary god are intended to distinguish the Hebraic understanding from the [[polytheism|polytheistic]] view, which see divine power as shared by several beings, beings which can, and do, disagree and have conflicts with each other. |
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=== God exists as three persons === |
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[[Image:Shield-Trinity-Scutum-Fidei-English.png|frame|The [[Shield of the Trinity|"Shield of the Trinity" or "Scutum Fidei" diagram]] of traditional Western Christian symbolism.]] |
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God however exists as three '''''persons''''', or in the Greek ''[[hypostasis (religion)|hypostases]]'', but is one being.<ref>Grudem, Wayne A. 1994. ''Systematic theology an introduction to biblical doctrine.'' Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press. Page 226.</ref> God has but a single divine nature. [[Chalcedonian]]s—[[Roman Catholics]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]], [[Anglican]]s and [[Protestants]]—hold that, in addition, the Second Persona of the Trinity—God the Son, Jesus—assumed human nature, so that he has two natures (and hence two wills), and is really and fully both true God and true human. In the [[Oriental Orthodox]] theology, the Chalcedonian formulation is rejected in favor of the position that the union of the two natures, though unconfused, births a third nature: redeemed humanity, the new creation. |
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In the Trinity, the Three are said to be co-equal and co-eternal, one in essence, nature, power, action, and will. As laid out in the [[Athanasian Creed]], The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is uncreated And all three are eternal with no beginning.<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/creeds/athanasian.creed.html Athanasian Creed<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. |
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It has been stated that because three persons exist in God as one unity,<ref>Thomas, and Anton Charles Pegis. 1997. ''Basic writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas''. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Pub. Pages 307-09.</ref> "The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" are not three different names for different parts of God but one name for God,<ref>Barth, Karl, and Geoffrey William Bromiley. 1975. ''The doctrine of the word of God prolegomena to church dogmatics, being volume I'', 1. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. Pages 348-49.</ref> because the Father can not be divided from The Son or the Holy Spirit from the Son. God has always loved, and there has always existed perfectly harmonious communion between the three persons of the Trinity. One consequence of this teaching is that God could not have created Man in order to have ''someone to talk to'' or ''to love'': God "already" enjoyed personal communion; being perfect, he did not create Man because of any lack or inadequacy he had. Another consequence, according to Rev. Fr. Thomas Hopko, an Eastern Orthodox theologian, is that if God were not a Trinity, he could not have loved prior to creating other beings on whom to bestow his love. Thus we find God saying in {{bibleverse||Genesis|1:26-27|NIV}}, "Let ''us'' make man in ''our'' image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." For Trinitarians, emphasis in Genesis 1:26 is on the plurality in the Deity, and in 1:27 on the unity of the divine Essence. A possible interpretation of Genesis 1:26 is that God's relationships in the Trinity are mirrored in man by the ideal relationship between husband and wife, two persons becoming one flesh, as described in [[Eve (Bible)|Eve]]'s creation later in the next chapter. {{bibleverse||Genesis|2:22|NIV}} Some Trinitarian Christians support their position with the ''[[Comma Johanneum]]'' described above, even though it is widely regarded as inauthentic. <!--and was not used patristically (this is false; the Comma Johanneum was quoted by St. Cyprian in [[On the Unity of the Church]], chapter VI.){{Fact|date=February 2008}}--> |
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==== Mutually indwelling ==== |
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[[Image:BLRoyal2BXVFol010vTrinity.jpg|thumb|Trinity from a [[Book of Hours]], an untypical depiction, with symbols of the [[Four Evangelists]])]] |
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A useful explanation of the relationship of the distinct divine persons is called "[[perichoresis]]," from [[Greek language|Greek]] ''going around'', ''envelopment'' (written with a long O, omega—some mistakenly associate it with the Greek word for dance, which however is spelled with a short O, omicron). This concept refers for its basis to {{bibleverse||John|14–17|NIV}}, where Jesus is instructing the disciples concerning the meaning of his departure. His going to the Father, he says, is for their sake; so that he might come to them when the "other comforter" is given to them. At that time, he says, his disciples will dwell in him, as he dwells in the Father, and the Father dwells in him, and the Father will dwell in them. This is so, according to the theory of perichoresis, because the persons of the Trinity "reciprocally contain one another, so that one permanently envelopes and is permanently enveloped by, the other whom he yet envelopes." ([[Hilary of Poitiers]], ''Concerning the Trinity'' 3:1). [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf209.ii.v.ii.iii.html] |
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This co-indwelling may also be helpful in illustrating the Trinitarian conception of salvation. The first doctrinal benefit is that it effectively excludes the idea that God has parts. Trinitarians affirm that [[divine simplicity|God is a simple, not an aggregate, being]]. The second doctrinal benefit is that it harmonizes well with the doctrine that the Christian's union with the Son in his humanity brings him into union with one who contains in himself, in St. Paul's words, "all the fullness of deity" and not a part. (''See also: [[Theosis]]''). Perichoresis provides an intuitive figure of what this might mean. The Son, the eternal Word, is from all eternity the dwelling place of God; he is, himself, the "Father's house," just as the Son dwells in the Father and the Spirit; so that, when the Spirit is "given," then it happens as Jesus said, "I will not leave you as orphans; for I will come to you" ({{bibleverse||John|14:18|NIV}}) |
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Some forms of human union are considered to be not identical but analogous to the Trinitarian concept, as found for example in Jesus' words about marriage: "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh" ({{bibleverse||Mark|10:7–8|NIV}}). According to the words of Jesus, married persons are in some sense no longer two, but joined into one. Therefore, Orthodox theologians also see the marriage relationship as an image, or "[[icon]]" of the Trinity, relationships of communion in which, in the words of St. Paul, participants are "members one of another." As with marriage, the unity of the church with Christ is similarly considered in some sense analogous to the unity of the Trinity, following the prayer of Jesus to the Father, for the church, that "they may be one, even as we are one." {{bibleverse||John|17:22|NIV}} |
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==== Eternal generation and procession ==== |
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[[Trinitarianism]] affirms that the Son is "begotten" (or "generated") of the Father and that the Spirit "proceeds" from the Father, but the Father is "neither begotten nor proceeds." The argument over whether the Spirit proceeds from the Father alone, or from the Father and the Son, was one of the catalysts of the [[East-West Schism|Great Schism]], in this case concerning the Western addition of the [[Filioque clause]] to the [[Nicene Creed]]. |
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This language is often considered difficult because, if used regarding humans or other created things, it would necessarily imply time and change; when used here, no beginning, change in being, or process within time is intended and is in fact excluded. The Son is generated ("born" or "begotten"), and the Spirit proceeds, eternally. [[Augustine of Hippo]] explains, "Thy years are one day, and Thy day is not daily, but today; because Thy today yields not to tomorrow, for neither does it follow yesterday. Thy today is eternity; therefore Thou begat the Co-eternal, to whom Thou saidst, 'This day have I begotten Thee." {Psalm 2:7} |
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==== Son begotten, not created ==== |
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Because the Son is begotten, not made, the substance of his persona is that of [[Tetragrammaton|Yahweh]], of deity. The creation is brought into being through the Son, but the Son himself is not part of it except through his incarnation. |
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The church fathers used a number of [[analogy|analogies]] to express this thought. St. [[Irenaeus of Lyons]] was the final major theologian of the second century. He writes "the Father is God, and the Son is God, for whatever is begotten of God is God." |
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Extending the analogy, it might be said, similarly, that whatever is generated (procreated) of humans is human. Thus, given that humanity is, in the words of the Bible, "created in the image and likeness of God," an analogy can be drawn between the Divine Essence and human nature, between the Divine Persons and human persons. However, given the fall, this analogy is far from perfect, even though, like the Divine Persons, human persons are characterized by being "loci of relationship." For Trinitarian Christians, this analogy is particularly important with regard to the Church, which St. Paul calls "the body of Christ" and whose members are, because they are "members of Christ," also "members one of another." |
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However, any attempt to explain the mystery to some extent must break down, and has limited usefulness, being designed, not so much to fully explain the Trinity, but to point to the experience of communion with the Triune God within the Church as the Body of Christ. The difference between those who believe in the Trinity and those who do not, is not an issue of understanding the mystery. Rather, the difference is primarily one of belief concerning the personal identity of Christ. It is a difference in conception of the salvation connected with Christ that drives all reactions, either favorable or unfavorable, to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. As it is, the doctrine of the Trinity is directly tied up with [[Christology]]. |
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=== Economic and [[Ontology|Ontological]] Trinity === |
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<!-- [[Supersessionism]] links to this subsection --> |
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{{POV-section|date=December 2007}} |
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* Economic Trinity: This refers to the acts of the triune God with respect to the creation, history, salvation, the formation of the Church, the daily lives of believers, etc. and describes how the Trinity operates within history in terms of the roles or functions performed by each of the Persons of the Trinity—God's relationship with creation. |
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* Ontological (or essential or immanent) Trinity: This speaks of the interior life of the Trinity "within itself" ({{bibleverse||John|1:1–2|NIV}}, note [[John 1:1]])—the reciprocal relationships of Father, Son and Spirit to each other. |
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Or more simply—the ontological Trinity (who God is) and the economic Trinity (what God does). Most Christians believe the economic reflects and reveals the ontological. Catholic theologian [[Karl Rahner]] went so far as to say "The 'economic' Trinity ''is'' the 'immanent' Trinity, and vice versa."<ref>K Rahner, ''The Trinity'' (Herder & Herder:1970) p22</ref> |
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The ancient Nicene theologians argued that everything the Trinity does is done by Father, Son, and Spirit working together with one will. The three persons of the Trinity always work inseparable, for their work is always the work of the one god. Because of this unity of will, the Trinity cannot involve the eternal subordination of the Son to the Father. Eternal subordination can only exist if the Son’s will is at least conceivably different from the Father’s. But Nicene orthodoxy says it is not. The Son’s will cannot be different from the Father’s because it is the Father’s. They have but one will as they have but one being. Otherwise they would not be one God. If there were relations of command and obedience between the Father and the Son, there would be no Trinity at all but rather three Gods.<ref>Phillip Cary, Priscilla Papers Vol. 20, No. 4, Autumn 2006</ref> |
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In explaining why the Bible speaks of the Son as being subordinate to the Father, the great theologian Athanasius argued that Scripture gives a “double account” of the son of God – one of his temporal and voluntary subordination in the incarnation, and the other of his eternal divine status.<ref>Athanasius, 3.29 (p. 409)</ref> For Athanasius, the Son is eternally one in being with the Father, temporally and voluntarily subordinate in his incarnate ministry. Such human traits, he argued, were not to be read back into the eternal Trinity. |
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Like Athanasius, the Cappadocian Fathers also insisted there was no economic inequality present within the Trinity. As Basil wrote: “We perceive the operation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be one and the same, in no respect showing differences or variation; from this identity of operation we necessarily infer the unity of nature.”<ref>Basil “Letters”, NPNF, Vol 8, 189.7 (p. 32)</ref> |
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Augustine also rejected the idea of an economic hierarchy within the Trinity. He claimed that the three persons of the Trinity “share the inseparable equality one substance present in divine unity.”<ref>Hill, De Trinitate, 2.15</ref> Because the three persons are one in their inner life, this means that for Augustine their works in the world are one. For this reason, it is an impossibility for Augustine to speak of the Father commanding and the Son obeying as if there could be a conflict of wills within the eternal Trinity. |
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John Calvin also spoke at length about the doctrine of the Trinity. Like Athanasius and Augustine before him, he concluded that Philippians 2:4-11 prescribed how scripture was to be read correctly. For him the Son’s obedience is limited to the incarnation. It is indicative of his true humanity assumed for our salvation.<ref>P. van Buren, Christ in Our Place (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1957), p. 38</ref> |
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Much of this work is summed up in the Athanasian Creed. This creed stresses the unity of the Trinity and the equality of the persons. It ascribes equal divinity, majesty, and authority to all three persons. All three are said to be “almighty” and “Lord” (no subordination in authority; “none is before or after another” (no hierarchical ordering); and “none is greater, or less than another” (no subordination in being or nature). Thus, since the divine persons of the Trinity act with one will, there is no possibility of hierarchy-inequality in the Trinity. |
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Since the 1980’s, some evangelical theologians have come to the conclusion that the members of the Trinity may be economically unequal while remaining ontologically equal. This theory was put forward by George W. Knight III in his 1977 book The New Testament Teaching on the Role Relationship of Men and Women, states that the Son of God is eternally subordinated in authority to God the Father.<ref>George Knight III, ''New Testament Teaching on the Role Relationship of Men and Women'' (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 1977)</ref> This conclusion was used as a means of supporting the main thesis of his book: that women are permanently subordinated in authority to their husbands in the home and to male leaders in the church, despite being ontologically equal. Subscribers to this theory insist that the Father has the role of giving commands and the Son has the role of obeying them. |
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=== Old Testament evidence === |
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==== Old Testament theophanies ==== |
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In the [[Old Testament]], several [[theophany|theophanies]] are recorded in which "God appeared" to one or more human beings in a physical manifestation that could be seen and heard. Jews will reply that "God appearing" does not signify his being in human form since the Jewish bible states in Numbers 23:19 that "God is not a man that He should lie" and that "none is like Him." |
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* {{Bibleref2|Genesis|12:7,18:1|NIV}} — God appeared to Abraham |
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* {{Bibleref2|Genesis|26:2,24|NIV}} — God appeared to Isaac |
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* {{Bibleref2|Genesis|35:1,9,48:3|NIV}} — God appeared to Jacob |
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* {{Bibleref2|Exodus|3:16,4:5|NIV}} — God appeared to Moses |
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* {{Bibleref2|Exodus|6:3|NIV}} — God appeared to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob |
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* {{Bibleref2|Leviticus|9:4,16:2|NIV}} — God appeared to Aaron |
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* {{Bibleref2|Deuteronomy|31:15|NIV}} — God appeared to Moses and Joshua |
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* {{Bibleref2|1Samuel|3:21|NIV}} — God appeared to Samuel |
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* {{Bibleref2|1Kings|3:5,9:2,11:9|NIV}} — God appeared to Solomon |
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* {{Bibleref2|2Chronicles|1|NIV}} — God appeared to David |
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* {{Bibleref2|2Chronicles|7:12|NIV}} — God appeared to Solomon |
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==== The Angel (Messenger) of the Lord ==== |
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* {{Bibleref2|Genesis|16:7–14|NIV}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Genesis|22:9–14|NIV}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Exodus|3:2|NIV}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Exodus|23:20,21|NIV}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Numbers|22:21–35|NIV}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Judges|2:1–5|NIV}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Judges|6:11–22|NIV}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Judges|13:3|NIV}} |
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==== God identified as "the Father" in the Old Testament ==== |
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* {{Bibleref2|Deuteronomy|32:6|NIV}} (Moses' time) |
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* {{Bibleref2|Isaiah|63:15,64:8|NIV}} (pre-exile) |
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* {{Bibleref2|Malachi|2:10|NIV}} (post-exile) |
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====God identified as "the Son" in the Old Testament==== |
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[[Image:Meister Bertram von Minden 009.jpg|189px|thumb|right|God in the form of Jesus confronts Adam and Eve]] |
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God is not directly identified as "the Son" in the Old Testament. Israel (and, poetically Ephraim) are called God's first born son, representing an aspect of the Jewish nation's relationship with God. There are, however, what many Christians believe are foreshadowings of Jesus as God the Son. |
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Psalm 2 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ps%202;&version=31;] is widely considered a Messianic psalm [http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/m.sion/ps2mesin.htm (Jewish Messianic Interpretations of Psalm 2)] prophetically describing the Lord's "Anointed One" (verse 2). It contains in verse 7 the divine decree: "You are my Son, today I have become your Father." Verse 12 contains the words "Kiss the Son". While in verse 7 the Hebrew word for son is used, in verse 12 a Chaldean word is used. Support for the translation of the Chaldean word as "Son" is found in its other appearances, such as Ezra 5:2 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezra%205:2&version=31]. This psalm denotes a Father Son relationship between God and the Messiah, who as the Son would be the heir (verse 8). Isaiah 9, also considered a Messianic prophecy, describes the coming Messiah as "Mighty God" (verse 6). Pslam 110 describes the LORD (understood as God the Father) sharing his eternal glory with the psalmist's Lord (understood to be the Son, the Messiah). |
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In Daniel chapter 7 the prophet records his vision of "one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven" (Daniel 7:13 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%207:13&version=31]), who "was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him." (v14 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%207:14;&version=31;]) Christians believe worship is only properly given to God, and that in the light of other Bible passages this "son of man" can be identified as the second person of the Trinity. Parallels may be drawn between Daniel's vision and Jesus' words to the Jewish high priest that in the future those assembled would see "the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven". (Matthew 26:64-65 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2026:64-65&version=31]). Jesus was immediately accused of blasphemy, as at other times when he had identified his oneness with God[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2010:33&version=31]. Christians also believe that John saw the resurrected, gloried Jesus and described him as "One like the Son of Man" (Revelation 1:13 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%201:13&version=31]) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_man]. |
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==== God the Spirit in the Old Testament ==== |
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* {{Bibleref2|1Samuel|10:10,19:20,23|NIV}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|2Samuel|23:1}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|1Kings|22:24}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Nehemiah|9:30}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Psalms|51:11}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Isaiah|63:10,11}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Micah|2:7}} |
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Deity of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament: |
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* {{Bibleref2|Job|33:4|NIV}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Psalms|104:30|NIV}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Psalms|139:7|NIV}} |
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Words of the Holy Spirit called the words of God: |
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* {{Bibleref2|1Samuel|10:10}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|2Samuel|23:2}} |
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* {{Bibleref2|Zechariah|7:12,12:10|NIV}} |
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=== Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant distinctions === |
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The Western ([[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]) tradition is more prone to make positive statements concerning the relationship of persons in the Trinity. It should be noted that explanations of the Trinity are not the same thing as the doctrine itself; nevertheless the Augustinian West is inclined to think in philosophical terms concerning the rationality of God's being, and is prone on this basis to be more open than the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|East]] to seek philosophical formulations which make the doctrine more intelligible. |
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[[Eastern Christianity]], for its part, correlates [[ecclesiology]] and Trinitarian doctrine, and seeks to understand the doctrine of the Trinity via the experience of the Church, which it understands to be "an [[icon]] of the Trinity". Therefore, when St. Paul writes concerning Christians that all are "members one of another," Eastern Christians in turn understand this as also applying to the Divine Persons. |
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The principal disagreement between Western and Eastern Christianity on the Trinity has been the relationship of the Holy Spirit with the other two hypostases. The original [[Nicene Creed|credal formulation]] of the [[Second Ecumenical Council|Council of Constantinople]] was that the Holy Spirit proceeds "from the Father." While this phrase is still used unaltered in the Eastern Churches, it became customary in parts of the Western Church, beginning with the provincial [[Third Council of Toledo]] in 589, to add the clause "and the Son" (Latin ''[[filioque clause|filioque]]'') into the Creed. Although this was explicitly rejected by [[Pope Leo III]], it was finally used in a [[Papal Mass]] by [[Pope Benedict VIII]] in 1014, thus becoming official throughout the Roman Catholic Church. The Eastern Churches object to it on both ecclesiological and theological grounds. |
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[[Anglicanism|Anglicans]] have made a commitment in their Lambeth Conference, to provide for the use of the creed without the filioque clause in future revisions of their liturgies, in deference to the issues of Conciliar authority raised by the Orthodox. |
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Most Protestant groups that use the creed also include the filioque clause. However, the issue is usually not controversial among them because their conception is often less exact than is discussed above (exceptions being the Presbyterian [[Westminster Confession]] 2:3, the [[Baptist Confession of Faith|London Baptist Confession]] 2:3, and the Lutheran [[Augsburg Confession]] 1:1–6, which specifically address those issues). The clause is often understood by Protestants to mean that the Spirit is sent from the Father, by the Son, a conception which is not controversial in either Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. A representative view of Protestant Trinitarian theology is more difficult to provide, given the diverse and decentralized nature of the various Protestant churches. |
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=== Naming the Persons === |
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Some [[Religious feminism|feminist theologians]] refer to the persons of the Holy Trinity with [[gender]]-neutral language, such as "Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer (or Sanctifier)." This is a recent formulation, which seeks to redefine the Trinity in terms of three roles in [[salvation]] or relationships with us, not eternal identities or relationships with each other. Since, however, each of the three divine persons participates in the acts of creation, redemption, and sustaining, traditionalist Christians reject this formulation as suggesting a new variety of [[Modalism]]. Some theologians prefer the alternate terminology of "Source, and Word, and Holy Spirit." |
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Responding to feminist concerns, orthodox theology has noted the following: a) the names "Father" and "Son" are clearly analogical, since all Trinitarians would agree that God is ''beyond'' all gender; b) that, in translating the [[Creed]], for example, "born" and "begotten" are equally valid translations of the [[Greek language|Greek]] word "gennao," which refers to the eternal generation of the Son by the Father: hence, one may refer to God "the Father who gives birth"; this is further supported by [[patristic]] writings which compare the "birth" of the Divine Word "before all ages" (i.e., eternally) from the Father with his birth in time from the [[Virgin Mary]]; c) Using "Son" to refer to the Second Divine Person is most proper only when referring to the Incarnate Word, Jesus, who is clearly male; d) in Semitic languages, such as [[Hebrew]] and [[Aramaic]], the noun translated "spirit" is grammatically feminine. Images of God's Spirit in Scripture are also often feminine, as with the Spirit "brooding" over the primordial chaos in [[Genesis]] 1, or grammatically feminine, such as a [[dove]]. |
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=== Logical Coherency === |
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On the face of it, the doctrine of the Trinity seems to be logically incoherent as it appears to imply that identity is not transitive—"for the Father is identical with God, the Son is identical with God, and the Father is not identical with the Son." Recently, there have been two philosophical attempts to defend the logical coherency of Trinity, one by [[Richard Swinburne]] and the other by [[Peter Geach]] et al. The formulation suggested by Swinburne is free from logical incoherency, but it is debatable whether this formulation is consistent with historical orthodoxy. Regarding the formulation suggested by Geach, not all philosophers would agree with its logical coherency. Swinburne has suggested that "the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be thought of as numerically distinct Gods." Geach suggested that "a coherent statement of the doctrine is possible on the assumption that identity is "always relative to a sortal term."<ref name="RoutledgeEnc"> Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online, on Trinity, [http://www.rep.routledge.com/article/K105?ssid=102691941&n=1# Link] </ref> |
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Some [[Messianic]] groups, the [[Branch Davidian]] Seventh Day Adventists, and even some scholars within (but not necessarily representing) denominations such as [[Southern Baptist Convention]] view the Trinity as being comparable to the concept of a family, hence the familial terms of Father, Son, and the implied role of Mother for the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word for "God," Elohim, which has an inherent plurality, has the function as a surname as in "Yahweh Elohim." The seeming contradiction of Elohim being "one" is solved by the fact that the Hebrew word for "one", "''echad''", can describe a compound unity, harmonious in direction and purpose; unlike "''yachid''" which means singularity.<ref>{{cite book |
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| last =Strong |
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| first =James |
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| authorlink = |
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| coauthors = |
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| title =Strong's Hebrew Dictionary |
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| publisher =AGES Digital Library |
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| date =1999 |
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| location = |
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| pages =pp. 24, 284 |
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| url = |
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| doi = |
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| id = |
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| isbn = }}</ref> |
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If God has compositional parts, they are either finite or infinite parts. If finite, then God is finite. If infinite, then there are multiple infinities. Each case becomes a denial of monotheism. By definition, therefore, the belief in compositional parts has been regarded as a heresy since the establishment of the Nicene Creed, and reaffirmed in Protestant Creeds such as the [[Westminster Confession of Faith]] and [[1689 Baptist Confession of Faith]] which state "God has no parts."<ref>[[Westminster Confession of Faith]], [[1689 Baptist Confession of Faith]]: "God and the holy Trinity"</ref> [[Louis Berkhof]] describes the doctrine of the Trinity requiring belief in a "simplex unity" and not a complex (or composite) being. "There is in the Divine Being but one indivisible essence" and "The whole undivided essence of God belongs equally to each of the three persons."<ref>Berkhof, Louis: Systematic Theology, pages 87-88</ref> |
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=== Ambivalence to Trinitarian doctrine === |
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Some Protestant Christians, particularly some members of the [[restoration movement]], are ambivalent about the doctrine of the Trinity. While not specifically rejecting Trinitarianism or presenting an alternative doctrine of the Godhead and God's relationship with humanity, they are neither dogmatic about the Trinity nor hold it as a test of true Christian faith. Some, like the [[Society of Friends]] (Quakers) and [[Christian Unitarians]], may reject all doctrinal or creedal tests of true faith. Others, like some members of the restorationist [[Churches of Christ]], in keeping with a distinctive understanding of [[Sola Scriptura|"Scripture alone,"]] say that since the doctrine of the Trinity is not clearly articulated in the Bible, it cannot be required for salvation. Still others may look to church tradition and say that there has always been a Christian tradition that faithfully followed Jesus without such a doctrine. |
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== Non-orthodox Trinitarianism == |
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[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (Mormons) identify the Trinity (or Godhead) as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, but with a different intention than the Nicene faith. They regard these three as individual members of a heavenly triumvirate, completely united with one another in purpose - each member of the Godhead being a distinct being of physical form (God the Father, Jesus Christ) or spiritual form (The Holy Ghost.) |
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The Trinity in [[Christian Science]] is found in the unity of God, the Christ, and the Holy Ghost or—"God the Father-Mother; Christ the spiritual idea of sonship; divine Science or the Holy Comforter." The same in essence, the Trinity indicates "the intelligent relation of God to man and the universe." <ref>Eddy, Mary Baker; Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures</ref> |
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== Nontrinitarianism == |
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{{main|Nontrinitarianism}} |
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Some Christian traditions either reject the doctrine of the Trinity, or consider it unimportant. Persons and groups espousing this position generally do not refer to themselves as "Nontrinitarians." They can vary in both their reasons for rejecting traditional teaching on the Trinity, and in the way they describe God. |
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=== Nontrinitarian groups === |
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Since Trinitarianism is central to so much of church doctrine, nontrinitarians have mostly been groups that existed before the Nicene Creed was codified in 325 or are groups that developed after the Reformation, when many church doctrines came into question<ref>See [[indulgences]], [[particular judgment]], primacy of the [[Pope]], [[purgatory]], [[transubstantiation]], etc.</ref> |
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In the early centuries of Christian history [[adoptionists]], [[Arians]], [[Ebionites]], [[Gnostics]], [[Marcionites]], and others held nontrinitarian beliefs. The Nicene Creed raised the issue of the relationship between Jesus' divine and human natures. [[Monophysitism]] ("one nature") and [[monothelitism]] ("one will") were early attempts, considered heretical by trinitarians, to explain this relationship. |
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During more than a thousand years of Trinitarian orthodoxy, formal nontrinitarianism, i.e., a doctrine held by a church, group, or movement, was rare, but it did appear. For example, among the [[Cathars]] of the 13th century. The Protestant Reformation of the 1500s also brought tradition into question. At first, nontrinitarians were executed (such as [[Servetus]]), or forced to keep their beliefs secret (such as [[Isaac Newton]]). The eventual establishment of religious freedom, however, allowed nontrinitarians to more easily preach their beliefs, and the 19th century saw the establishment of several nontrinitarian groups in North America and elsewhere. These include [[Christadelphians]], [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], and [[Unitarians]]. Some groups espousing [[Binitarianism]] such as the [[Living Church of God]] claim that [[Binitarianism]] was the majority view of those that professed Christ in the second century. |
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Twentieth-century nontrinitarian movements include [[Iglesia ni Cristo]] and the [[Unification Church]]. Nontrinitarian groups differ from one another in their views of Jesus Christ, depicting him variously as a divine being second only to God the Father (e.g., Jehovah's Witnesses), Yahweh of the Old Testament in human form, God (but not eternally God), Son of God but inferior to the Father (versus co-equal), prophet, or simply a holy man. |
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Included in this are [[Oneness Pentecostals]], who deny the Trinitarian doctrine, though affirming their belief that God came to Earth as man (i.e., manifested himself) in the man Jesus Christ. Like Trinitarians, [[Oneness Pentecostals]] believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. One can understand [[Oneness Pentecostals]] by replacing the Trinitarian term "person" with the term "mode" or "manifestation" when discussing the Christian Godhead. Many [[Oneness Pentecostals]] can recite the first Nicene Creed, as it rejects Arianism, yet preserves the oneness of God and divinity of Jesus Christ. Yet Oneness Pentecostals are regarded by all orthodox Christians groups as subscribing to the heresy of Modalism, teaching that God displayed himself in the Old Testament as Father, in the Gospels as the Son, and after the Ascension as the Holy Spirit, which is not the accepted orthodox view of three distinct persons in one divine essence. Oneness Pentecostalism teaches there is only one person displaying himself in different ways. |
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==The Trinity in art== |
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[[Image:Luca Rossetti Trinità Chiesa San Gaudenzio Ivrea.jpg|thumb|''Holy Trinity'', [[fresco]] by Luca Rossetti da Orta, 1738-9 (St. Gaudenzio Church at Ivrea, [[Torino]]).]] |
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The Trinity is most commonly seen in Christian art with the Spirit represented by a dove, as specified in the Gospel accounts of the [[Baptism of Christ]]; it is nearly always shown with wings outspread. However depictions using three human figures appear occasionally in most periods of art.<ref>See below and G Schiller, ''Iconography of Christian Art, Vol. I'',1971, Vol II, 1972, (English trans from German), Lund Humphries, London, figs I;5-16 & passim, ISBN 853312702and ISBN 853313245</ref> |
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The Father and the Son are usually differentiated by age, and later by dress, but this too is not always the case. The usual depiction of the Father as an older man with a white beard may derive from the Biblical [[Ancient of Days]], which is often cited in defense of this sometimes controversial representation. However, in [[Eastern Orthodoxy]] the Ancient of Days is understood to be God the Son, not God the Father. When the Father is depicted in art, he is sometimes shown with a [[halo]] shaped like an [[equilateral triangle]], instead of a circle. The Son is often shown at the Father's right hand ({{bibleverse||Acts|7:56|KJV}}). He may be represented by a symbol—typically the Lamb or a cross—or on a [[crucifix]], so that the Father is the only human figure shown at full size. In early medieval art, the Father may be represented by a hand appearing from a cloud in a blessing gesture, for example in scenes of the [[Baptism of Christ]]. Later, in the West, the "Throne of Mercy" (or "Throne of Grace") became a common depiction. In this style, the Father (sometimes seated on a [[throne]]) is shown supporting either a [[crucifix]]<ref>Schiller op cit II:p.122-124 and figs 409-414</ref> or, later, a slumped crucified Son, similar to the [[Pieta]] (this type is distinguished in German as the ''Not Gottes'')<ref>Schiller op cit II: pp. 219-224 and figs 768-804</ref> in his outstretched arms, whilst the Dove hovers above or in between them. This subject continued to be popular until the eighteenth century at least. |
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By the end of the fifteenth century, larger representations, other than the Throne of Mercy, became effectively standardised, showing an older figure in plain robes for the Father, Christ with his torso partly bare to display the wounds of his Passion, and the dove above or around them. In earlier representations both Father, especially, and Son often wear elaborate robes and crowns. Sometimes the Father alone wears a crown, or even a [[papal tiara]]. |
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[[Image:Angelsatmamre-trinity-rublev-1410.jpg|thumb|left|''Old Testament Trinity'' [[icon]] by [[Andrey Rublev]], c. 1400 ([[Tretyakov Gallery]], [[Moscow]])]] |
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Direct representations of the Trinity are much rarer in [[Eastern Orthodox]] art of any period -reservations about depicting the Father remain fairly strong, as they were in the West until the high Middle Ages. The [[Second Council of Nicea]] in 787 confirmed that the depiction of Christ was allowed because he became man; the situation regarding the Father was less clear. The usual [[Holy Trinity Icon|Orthodox representation]] of the Trinity was through the "Old Testament Trinity" of the three angels visiting Abraham - said in the text to be "the Lord" ([[Genesis]]:18.1-15). However [[post-Byzantine art|post-Byzantine]] representations similar to those in the West are not uncommon in the Greek world. The subject long remained sensitive, and the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] at the Great Synod of Moscow in 1667 finally forbade depictions of the Father in human form. The canon is quoted in full here because it explains the Russian Orthodox theology on the subject: |
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<blockquote>''Chapter 2, §44:'' It is most absurd and improper to depict in [[icon]]s the [[Sabaoth|Lord Sabaoth]] (that is to say, [[God the Father]]) with a grey beard and the Only-Begotten Son in His bosom with a dove between them, because no-one has seen the Father according to His Divinity, and the Father has no flesh, nor was the Son born in the flesh from the Father before the ages. And though [[David]] the [[prophet]] says, “From the womb before the morning star have I begotten Thee” (Ps.109:3), that birth was not fleshly, but unspeakable and incomprehensible. For Christ Himself says in the holy Gospel, “No man hath seen the Father, save the Son” (cf. {{bibleverse||John|6:46|KJV}}). And [[Isaiah]] the prophet says in his fortieth chapter: “To whom have ye likened the Lord? and with what likeness have ye made a similitude of Him? Has not the artificier of wood made an image, or the goldsmiths, having melted gold, gilt it over, and made it a similitude?”({{bibleverse-nb||Isaiah|40:18-19|KJV}}). In like manner the [[Apostle Paul]] says in the Acts ({{bibleverse-nb||Acts|17:29|KJV}}), “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold or silver or stone, graven by art of man’s imagination”. And [[John Damascene]] says: “But furthermore, who can make a similitude of the invisible, incorporeal, uncircumscribed and undepictable God? It is, then, uttermost insanity and impiety to give a form to the Godhead” (''Orthodox Faith'', 4:16). In like manner St. [[Gregory the Dialogist]] prohibits this. For this reason we should only form an understanding in the mind of Sabaoth, which is the Godhead, and of that birth before the ages of the Only-Begotten-Son from the Father, but we should never, in any wise depict these in icons, for this, indeed, is impossible. And the Holy Spirit is not in essence a dove, but in essence He is God, and “No man hath seen God,” as [[John the Theologian]] and [[Evangelist]] bears witness ({{bibleverse-nb||John|1:18|KJV}}) and this is so even though, at the [[Jordan River|Jordan]] at [[Baptism of Jesus|Christ’s holy Baptism]] the Holy Spirit appeared in the likeness of a dove. For this reason, it is fitting on this occasion only to depict the Holy Spirit in the likeness of a dove. But in any other place those who have intelligence will not depict the Holy Spirit in the likeness of a dove. For on [[Mount Tabor]], He appeared as a cloud and, at another time, in other ways. Furthermore, Sabaoth is the name not only of the Father, but of the Holy Trinity. According to [[Dionysios the Areopagite]], Lord Sabaoth, translated from the Jewish tongue, means “Lord of Hosts”. This Lord of Hosts is the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And although [[Daniel]] the prophet says that he beheld the [[Ancient of Days]] sitting on a throne, this should not be understood to refer to the Father, but to the Son, Who at His second coming will judge every nation at the dreadful Judgment.<ref>The Tome of the Great Council of Moscow (1666-1667 A.D.), Ch. 2, 43-45; tr. [[Hierodeacon]] Lev Puhalo, ''Canadian Orthodox Missionary Journal''</ref> |
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</blockquote> |
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[[Image:Trefoil-Architectural-Equilateral-Triangle-interlaced.png|thumb|Trefoil and triangle interlaced.]] |
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Only a few of the standard scenes in Christian art normally included a representation of the Trinity. The accounts in the Gospels of the Baptism of Christ were considered to show all three persons as present with a separate role. Sometimes the other two persons are shown at the top of a Crucifixion. The [[Coronation of the Virgin]], a popular subject in the West, often included the whole Trinity. But many subjects, such as [[Christ in Majesty]] or the [[Last Judgement]], which might be thought to require depiction of the deity in the most amplified form, only show Christ. There is a rare subject where the persons of the Trinity make the decision to incarnate Christ, or ''God sending out the Son''. Even more rarely, the Angel of the Annunciation is shown being given the mission.<ref>for both, Schiller op cit I:pp. 6-12 and figs 10-16</ref> |
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The depiction of the Trinity as three ''identical'' persons is rare, because each Person of the Trinity is considered to have distinct attributes. Even rarer is the depiction of the Trinity as a single anthropoid fiugre with three faces, because the Trinity is defined as three persons in one Godhead, not one Person with three attributes (this would imply [[Modalism]], which is defined as [[heresy]] in traditional [[Christian orthodoxy]]). |
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The Trinity may also be represented abstractly by [[symbol]]s, such as the [[triangle]] (or three triangles joined together), [[trefoil]] or the [[triquetra]]—or a combination of these. Sometimes a halo in incorporated into these symbols. The use of such symbols are often found not only in painting but also in [[needlework]] on [[tapestry|tapestries]], [[vestment]]s and [[antependia]], in [[metalwork]] and in [[architecture|architectural]] details. |
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===Gallery=== |
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<gallery> |
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Image:St Olof trenighedsalter.jpg|"Throne of Mercy", Gothic, Sweden |
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Image:Bernt Notke 001.jpg|''Not Gottes'', [[Bernt Notke]] c. 1483 (St.-Annen-Kloster, [[Lübeck]]) |
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Image:Albrecht Dürer 003.jpg|"Throne of Mercy", [[Albrecht Dürer]], 1511 |
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Image:Jan Polack 001.jpg|"Gottes Not", Jan Polack (Polish artist working Germany), 1491 |
Image:Jan Polack 001.jpg|"Gottes Not", Jan Polack (Polish artist working Germany), 1491 |
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Image:José de Ribera 047.jpg|"Gottes Not", [[Jusepe de Ribera]], ca. 1635 |
Image:José de Ribera 047.jpg|"Gottes Not", [[Jusepe de Ribera]], ca. 1635 |
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* [http://www.triunegod.org/ Discussion of how God is triune and how God reaches man and works in man in his trinity] |
* [http://www.triunegod.org/ Discussion of how God is triune and how God reaches man and works in man in his trinity] |
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* [http://biblicism.wordpress.com/2007/11/18/the-biblical-concept-of-the-triune-god-part-i-the-father-is-god/ The Biblical Concept of the Triune God] |
* [http://biblicism.wordpress.com/2007/11/18/the-biblical-concept-of-the-triune-god-part-i-the-father-is-god/ The Biblical Concept of the Triune God] |
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* [http://www.new] |
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* [http://www.new-testament-christian.com/trinity.html The Doctrine of the Trinity] By [[James Montgomery Boice]] |
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* [http://www.oca.org/OCIndex-TOC.asp?SID=2&book=Doctrine§ion=The%20Holy%20Trinity Eastern Orthodox Trinitarian Theology] |
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* [http://trinities.org/blog/ trinities.org - Summaries and discussions of present and past trinitarian theories] |
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* [http://books.google.com/books?id=Q-BSHWwLLLgC&printsec=frontcover#PPP2,M1 ''The Jewish Trinity: When Rabbis Believed in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit'' by Yoel Natan at Google Books] |
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{{belief systems}} |
{{belief systems}} |
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Revision as of 05:53, 24 April 2008
Virgin]], a popular subject in the West, often included the whole Trinity. But many subjects, such as Christ in Majesty or the Last Judgement, which might be thought to require depiction of the deity in the most amplified form, only show Christ. There is a rare subject where the persons of the Trinity make the decision to incarnate Christ, The Trinity may also be represented abstractly by symbols, such as the triangle (or three triangles joined together), trefoil or the triquetra—or a combination of these. Sometimes a halo in incorporated into these symbols. The use of such symbols are often found not only in painting but also in needlework on [[ Image:Jan Polack 001.jpg|"Gottes Not", Jan Polack (Polish artist working Germany), 1491 Image:José de Ribera 047.jpg|"Gottes Not", Jusepe de Ribera, ca. 1635 Image:H Agia Triada Moni Vatopediou Agion Oros.JPG|Icon of the Holy Trinity at Vatopedi Monastery, Mount Athos Image:LiturgieDamaskinos.jpg|Michael Damaskenos Icon of the Holy Liturgy, from the 16th century Cretan school, with showing Western stylistic influence. Image:Hendrick van balen Holy trinity.jpg|Baroque Trinity, Hendrick van Balen, 1620, (Sint-Jacobskerk, Antwerp) </gallery>
Unusual Trinities
Four 15th century versions of the Coronation of the Virgin show the conventional approach, and less usual ones
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Conventional depiction of the Trinity, with Christ showing the wounds of his Passion -
Enguerrand Quarton with Christ and God the Father as identical figures, as specified by the cleric who commissioned the work -
Page from Book of Hours, with three human figures for the Trinity -
Jean Fouquet, also with three human figures.
.jpg)
Other non-standard depictions of the Trinity:
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Holy Trinity by Fridolin Leiber (1853–1912) -
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Later drawing of a Trinity in a 14th century French miniature
Notes
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Holy Trinity.
- Godhead
- Christ
- Nontrinitarianism
- Fleur de lys
- Holy Trinity Icon
- Oneness Pentecostal
- Social Trinity
- Trikaya
- Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity
- Trinitarian Universalism
- Trinity in Islam
- Tritheism
- Binitarianism
- Unitarianism
- Ahura, the Zoroastrian Trinity
- Ayyavazhi Trinity
- Holy Trinity columns
- Subordinationist
External links
- Doctrine of the Trinity
- The Blessed Trinity Article in the Catholic Encyclopedia
- The Trinity at WikiChristian
- Trinity article at Theopedia
- Discussion of how God is triune and how God reaches man and works in man in his trinity
- The Biblical Concept of the Triune God
- [1]
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