Did the early catholic church benefit from the creation of the trinity?

Question

I mean with so many potential polytheistic pagans in Europe as potential converts, didn't the idea of the trinity make it a lot easier to convert some of these pagans?

Who was it Tertullian?

Please relax..........If I know that the catholics formilized the trinity than it is just possible that I have read the Bible.......maybe once or twice......right?

Stop preaching to me......dummies

You don't know anythihng about my beliefs.
I believe in Jesus and I believe in God
I just think that we have been lied to by "men",not God!

Answer 1

Sounds logical to me. Obviously there aren't many folks on Yahoo who know the history of the Nicene Creed! LOL

They certainly didn't have to worry about competition from the Jews. How many Romans would consider circumcision???

Answer 2

While the Catholic church was able to gain dominance over the many polytheistic religions, I don't think the codification of the Trinity was necessarily a turning point in the church's success.

The Trinity was not firmly decreed until Christianity had already been accepted by Rome. Even after the Nicene Creed was written, the idea of the Trinity has never been well understood by laymen.

Even today, the average Christian does not understand the concept of the Trinity. Most Christians think of God as a type of Modal Deity capable of taking three forms.

In effect, I don't think adoption of the the Trinity had any effect on the conversion rate. I think that the story of Christ's suffering and resurrection was of far greater importance.

Answer 3

The trinity, is mentioned in the book of Genisis. Look it up. You are still looking to the catholic church as the source and the trinity as an idea. God is not an idea or an opinion. He is TRUTH, He is The Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The bible says Jesus was the word of god manifested in the flesh - The Holy spirit is referenced throughout the Bible and so is the Heavenly Father....it's really not rocket science - sounds like you may have been told alot of lies - read the bible for your self all the way first - then study it - then many of your answers will be complete - don't look to people's opnions - that's where dinominations came from - remeber, changing the truth just a little to suit you - is still a lie, and Satan is the father of all lies - so go to the source of truth - the bible.

Answer 4

Trinity is a biblical teaching. not a Catholic invention. But you are right the Catholic church did add many things to appeal to Pagans

1) The elevation of the status of Mary: Even though Jesus repeatedly addressed her as simply "woman" so that she would get no special religious treatment after her death, Mary's position was elevated to a go between between man and God (though Jesus said only He is the way) to appeal to the many pagan cultures that were headed by a goddess type figure. This practice however is nonChristian in the biblical sense.

2) The elevation of Saints: Many pagan cultures had lesser gods who they worshipped and made request for things like a successful harvest or fishing trip or pregnancy. The Catholic church decided to create a system of Saints that would substitute for these pagan gods. That way the pagan people could continue there cultural practices under so called Christian make up

Answer 5

I'm sure it did. Pagan practices were introduced to the catholic and christian faiths to help unite people under one leadership. Many pagans sought guidance through multiple gods or goddesses. Doesn't that sound like the saints of the catholic church? I could go on and on about holidays and other symbols but to me the trinity represent the virgin, mother, and hag. I'll put up some links for you to read about it.http://www.shadowdrake.com/mmc.html
http://afreshhorizon.co.uk/goddess.htm
http://www.starkindler.org/goddess.html
http://www.geomancy.org/quarter&cross/imbolc.html

Answer 6

The Apostle John believed Father Son and Holy Spirit were One...1 John 5:7-8... dont give Catholicism the credit.

Answer 7

The idea of a trinity is archetypal /universal.....
1 being an outpouring of force (masculine)...
2 representing force finding form or expression (feminine)
3 and the 2 of these combining to form a 3rd principal the whole of which represents the most basic family unit..........
The Trinity....... One unit (Family) composed of the the 3 separate principals.....

This idea wasn't just invented and the Christians were not the first to realize it.... it is universal. Like basic math.

Answer 8

The early Catholic church did not "invent" the Trinity. The Trinity has always been taught in Scripture. It was taught by Jesus, it was taught by His disciples, and it was recorded in Scripture, which is the Divine Word of God. I am a Protestant. www.equip.org

Answer 9

Don't ya just love some of the answers you got? Oy ... yes, it was to align the theosophy with the understanding of the spiritual leadership of the post Roman European people. Here is one for you ... Horus was an Egyptian Deity who was of antiquity during the time of Egypt's old kingdom. He predates Moses. He was the way, the truth, the life, life eternal, giver of life, author of life. He was born in the City of Bread from a virgin. Let your Christian critics explain that one.

Answer 10

The notion of the Trinity is recorded in the earliest ante-Nicean Fathers. To claim that it was 'made-up' at some later date than the Apostolic period is not founded upon the primary historical texts.

Answer 11

""Who was it Tertullian?""


Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicized as Tertullian, (ca. 155–230) was a church leader and prolific author of Early Christianity. He was born, lived, and died in Carthage, in what is today Tunisia.

Tertullian denounced Christian doctrines he considered heretical, but later in life adopted views that came to be regarded as heretical themselves. He was the first great writer of Latin Christianity, thus sometimes known as the "father of the Latin Church". A ROMAN CATHOLIC!