Trinity in CHristianity..
Trinity refers to the teaching that the one God comprises three distinct, eternally
co-existing persons; the Father, the Son (incarnate in Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.
Together, these three persons are sometimes called the Godhead, although there is no single
term in use in Scripture to denote the unified Godhead. In the words of the Athanasian
Creed, an early statement of Christian belief, "the Father is God, the Son is God, and the
Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God". They are distinct from
another: the Father has no source, the Son is begotten of the Father, and the Spirit
proceeds from the Father. Though distinct, the three persons cannot be divided from one
another in being or in operation.
The Trinity is an essential doctrine of mainstream Christianity. From earlier than the times
of the Nicene Creed, 325, Christianity advocated[61] the triune mystery-nature of God as a
normative profession of faith. According to Roger E. Olson and Christopher Hall, through
prayer, meditation, study and practice, the Christian community concluded "that God must
exist as both a unity and trinity", codifying this in ecumenical council at the end of the
4th century.
According to this doctrine, God is not divided in the sense that each person has a third of
the whole; rather, each person is considered to be fully God (see Perichoresis). The
distinction lies in their relations, the Father being unbegotten; the Son being begotten of
the Father; and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and (in Western Christian
theology) from the Son. Regardless of this apparent difference, the three "persons" are each
eternal and omnipotent. Other Christian religions including Unitarian Universalism,
Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism and others do not share those views on the Trinity.
The Latin word trias, from which trinity is derived, is first seen in the works of
Theophilus of Antioch. He wrote of "the Trinity of God (the Father), His Word (the Son) and
His Wisdom (Holy Spirit)".The term may have been in use before this time. Afterwards it
appears in Tertullian. In the following century the word was in general use. It is found in
many passages of Origen.
Trinitarians
Main article: Trinitarianism
Trinitarianism denotes those Christians who believe in the concept of the Trinity. Almost
all Christian denominations and churches hold Trinitarian beliefs. Although the words
"Trinity" and "Triune" do not appear in the Bible, theologians beginning in the 3rd century
developed the term and concept to facilitate comprehension of the New Testament teachings of
God as being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Since that time, Christian theologians have been
careful to emphasize that Trinity does not imply that there are three gods (the
antitrinitarian heresy of hritism), nor that each hypostasis of the Trinity is one-third of
an infinite God (partialism), nor that the Son and the Holy Spirit are beings created by and
subordinate to the Father (Arianism). Rather, the Trinity is defined as one God in three
Persons.
Nontrinitarianism
Nontrinitarianism (or antitrinitarianism) refers to theology that rejects the doctrine of
the Trinity. Various nontrinitarian views, such as adoptionism or modalism, existed in early
Christianity, leading to the disputes about Christology. Nontrinitarianism later appeared
again in the Gnosticism of the Cathars in the 11th through 13th centuries, among groups with
Unitarian theology in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century,[70] in the
18th-century Enlightenment, and in some groups arising during the Second Great Awakening of
the 19th century.
co-existing persons; the Father, the Son (incarnate in Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.
Together, these three persons are sometimes called the Godhead, although there is no single
term in use in Scripture to denote the unified Godhead. In the words of the Athanasian
Creed, an early statement of Christian belief, "the Father is God, the Son is God, and the
Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God". They are distinct from
another: the Father has no source, the Son is begotten of the Father, and the Spirit
proceeds from the Father. Though distinct, the three persons cannot be divided from one
another in being or in operation.
The Trinity is an essential doctrine of mainstream Christianity. From earlier than the times
of the Nicene Creed, 325, Christianity advocated[61] the triune mystery-nature of God as a
normative profession of faith. According to Roger E. Olson and Christopher Hall, through
prayer, meditation, study and practice, the Christian community concluded "that God must
exist as both a unity and trinity", codifying this in ecumenical council at the end of the
4th century.
According to this doctrine, God is not divided in the sense that each person has a third of
the whole; rather, each person is considered to be fully God (see Perichoresis). The
distinction lies in their relations, the Father being unbegotten; the Son being begotten of
the Father; and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and (in Western Christian
theology) from the Son. Regardless of this apparent difference, the three "persons" are each
eternal and omnipotent. Other Christian religions including Unitarian Universalism,
Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism and others do not share those views on the Trinity.
The Latin word trias, from which trinity is derived, is first seen in the works of
Theophilus of Antioch. He wrote of "the Trinity of God (the Father), His Word (the Son) and
His Wisdom (Holy Spirit)".The term may have been in use before this time. Afterwards it
appears in Tertullian. In the following century the word was in general use. It is found in
many passages of Origen.
Trinitarians
Main article: Trinitarianism
Trinitarianism denotes those Christians who believe in the concept of the Trinity. Almost
all Christian denominations and churches hold Trinitarian beliefs. Although the words
"Trinity" and "Triune" do not appear in the Bible, theologians beginning in the 3rd century
developed the term and concept to facilitate comprehension of the New Testament teachings of
God as being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Since that time, Christian theologians have been
careful to emphasize that Trinity does not imply that there are three gods (the
antitrinitarian heresy of hritism), nor that each hypostasis of the Trinity is one-third of
an infinite God (partialism), nor that the Son and the Holy Spirit are beings created by and
subordinate to the Father (Arianism). Rather, the Trinity is defined as one God in three
Persons.
Nontrinitarianism
Nontrinitarianism (or antitrinitarianism) refers to theology that rejects the doctrine of
the Trinity. Various nontrinitarian views, such as adoptionism or modalism, existed in early
Christianity, leading to the disputes about Christology. Nontrinitarianism later appeared
again in the Gnosticism of the Cathars in the 11th through 13th centuries, among groups with
Unitarian theology in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century,[70] in the
18th-century Enlightenment, and in some groups arising during the Second Great Awakening of
the 19th century.
Comments
Post a Comment