2006-09-03 13:19:19 · 29 answers · asked by danitaandandrew 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Tertullian, one of the early church fathers, coined the term "Trinity." The word actually means "three-ness." Tertullian was an ardent supporter of orthodoxy in the church, and was one of the greatest defenders of the historic Christian faith.
The term "Trinity" is not found in the Scriptures, but the doctrine is clearly displayed. There are many times where Jesus said of Himself that He was God. He applied the name of God, "I AM," to Himself in several passages. Here's a few examples: Matthew 14:27, Mark 6:50, Mark 13:6, Luke 21:8, John 4:26, John 6:20, John 8:24, 28, 58, and John 13:19. (Some of these examples aren't translated well into English, and some Bible use "It is I," or I am He," instead of the literal I am.) There are several others I have not listed. Besides this, Jesus said that He & the Father were one (John 10:30). This describes a unity, even though there are two.
The Trinity has an underlying appearance in the Old Testament as well. In Genesis, we see during creation that God said, "Let us make man in our image." and also when man sinned, God said, "...man has become as one of us, to know good and evil..." Who was He speaking to? The other persons of the Trinity. We also see that the Spirit of God hovered over the waters in the beginning, and in John 1:1-3, it clearly states that Jesus (the Word) made everything.
Another angle to pursue is the various Scriptures that demonstrate that God's attributes are present in Jesus as well as the Holy Spirit. For example, the Father is eternal (Psalm 90:2), and so is the Son (John 1:2), and so is the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). Another shared attribute is their holiness. Only God is truly holy. The Father is holy (Revelation 15:4), so is the Son (Acts 3:14), and so is the Spirit (Acts 1:8).
An ancient diagram of the Trinity can be helpful in getting your hands around the doctrine, and can be found at the link in the SOURCE list.
The Trinitarian doctrine requires much more depth of discussion than can occur here. It is important to know that we only have to believe, not necessarily understand, the Trinitarian nature of God. It is a bedrock doctrine of the Christian church. Anything else is heresy.
2006-09-03 13:25:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
A PROTESTANT publication states: “The word Trinity is not found in the Bible . . . It did not find a place formally in the theology of the church till the 4th century.” (The Illustrated Bible Dictionary) And a Catholic authority says that the Trinity “is not . . . directly and immediately [the] word of God.”—New Catholic Encyclopedia.
What is the origin of the Trinity doctrine?
The New Encyclopædia Britannica says: “Neither the word Trinity, nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord’ (Deut. 6:4). . . . The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies. . . . By the end of the 4th century . . . the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since.”—(1976), Micropædia, Vol. X, p. 126.
The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: “The formulation ‘one God in three Persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title the Trinitarian dogma. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.”—(1967), Vol. XIV, p. 299.
In The Encyclopedia Americana we read: “Christianity derived from Judaism and Judaism was strictly Unitarian [believing that God is one person]. The road which led from Jerusalem to Nicea was scarcely a straight one. Fourth century Trinitarianism did not reflect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was, on the contrary, a deviation from this teaching.”—(1956), Vol. XXVII, p. 294L.
According to the Nouveau Dictionnaire Universel, “The Platonic trinity, itself merely a rearrangement of older trinities dating back to earlier peoples, appears to be the rational philosophic trinity of attributes that gave birth to the three hypostases or divine persons taught by the Christian churches. . . . This Greek philosopher’s [Plato, fourth century B.C.E.] conception of the divine trinity . . . can be found in all the ancient [pagan] religions.”—(Paris, 1865-1870), edited by M. Lachâtre, Vol. 2, p. 1467.
John L. McKenzie, S.J., in his Dictionary of the Bible, says: “The trinity of persons within the unity of nature is defined in terms of ‘person’ and ‘nature’ which are G[ree]k philosophical terms; actually the terms do not appear in the Bible. The trinitarian definitions arose as the result of long controversies in which these terms and others such as ‘essence’ and ‘substance’ were erroneously applied to God by some theologians.”—(New York, 1965), p. 899.
2006-09-03 20:31:47 · answer #2 · answered by Jeremy Callahan 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This is a very tough question, as it has been debated for centuries. In the catholic faith, the trinity is the father, son and holy spirit. The idea behind it is that God exists in three forms, the father, son and holy spirit. This, however, has been contested for centuries, because obviously, it is a bit contradictory and leads many to believe that the underlying thread in Christianity is polytheistic (worshiping more than one God). It was highly debated during the Reformation, when the Protestant church formed as a result of a break from the Catholic Church.
2006-09-03 20:31:04 · answer #3 · answered by delilah 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its quite simple actually. If you think of an egg which has three parts; the white, the yolk and the shell. But its just one egg with three individual parts.
How about a triangle for example; three sides, one triangle..
A philosopher by the name of Sabellius held that the three Persons are three modes of God in the same sense that the Sun is bright, hot and round.
We must remember that the idea of a triune Godhead should be considered a part of mythology has any other god.
2006-09-03 20:46:05 · answer #4 · answered by axis mentis 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I can not explain the concept clearly it refers to three individual parts of the God head being one at the same time. I can explain where the concept comes from. There are many places in the Bible where it is stated that there is just one God. One of the ten commandments Stataes that I am the Lord thy God and you shall have no other Gods beside me. God clearly tells Moses hundreds of time in the old Testiment that he will bring rath upon anyone who acknoledges another God For example: Deut 8:19 " And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish."
Then Jesus comes and says that the father is in him and he is in the father. John says that in the begining there was the word and that the word was with God and the Word was God. . . and the word was made flesh and dwelt amoung us (and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten father)Clearly speaking of Jesus. Later on Jesus speaks of one that would come later that was greater than him. And in Mathew 27:13 Jesus says "Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"
So we have dilema, God does not allow more than one God, but John is speaking of 2 Gods, "one with God" and Jesus speaking of one who is greater than God.
The concept of the trinity aparantly is the only way that all the things stated in the Bible could be true. All three are God and yet all three are one.
I am Pentecostal and believe hat there is just one God, and that the Trinity was a creation of human minds to explain the unexplainable, God. I believe that Jesus is God and that God is Jesus and that Their Spirit proceeds from them
2006-09-03 21:08:24 · answer #5 · answered by Pete D 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Trinity doctrine is derived from several pagan religions beginning around the 6th century BC. However Emperor Constantine in his zeal for a state religion incorporated it into his new "Christianity" during the fourth century, that we now know as Catholicism.
2006-09-03 20:29:54 · answer #6 · answered by Mike C 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit is like the soul, the body and the works in a single person
2006-09-03 20:22:24 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Trinity is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2006-09-03 20:22:15 · answer #8 · answered by Izzy L 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
God the Father. God the Son. God the Holy Spirit. Three beings in one entity. For those who believe, no explanation is needed. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.
2006-09-03 20:30:54 · answer #9 · answered by Jerzey Daze 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I was going to try and answer this question but Chris C explained this so perfectly that I have no need to answer this question.Way to go Chris. Thank you for sharing. And I hope you already know to ignore all the 'thumbs' down.
2006-09-03 20:32:16 · answer #10 · answered by it's just me 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋