 | Trinity: Encyclopedia II - Trinity - Scripture and tradition
Trinity - Scripture and tradition
The word Trinity comes from a Latin abstract noun which most literally means "three-ness" (or "the property of occurring three at once"). The term Trinity does not appear in the Bible, and indeed did not exist until about AD 200 when Tertullian (who eventually converted to Montanism) coined it as the Latin trinitas and also probably the formula Three Persons, One Substance as the Latin tres Personae, una Substantia itself roughly derived from the Greek treis Prosoponoi, Homoousios in the early third century. A term which roughly corresponds is the Sanskrit word, "Trimurti."
Although trinitarian Christians grant that these words and formulas are later developments, and that the consensus only gradually formed, they maintain that this doctrine is found systematically implied throughout the Bible, especially the New Testament, in the early "rule of faith" which preceded the creeds, and in other early sources of the tradition of the Church. One early passage in the Old Testament, which especially the Eastern Orthodox point to as an example, is Genesis 18:1-22, which is interpreted in various ways by other Christians. Other instances can be found throughout the Gospels and in the various letters to early Christian Churches. Proponents of this doctrine find an example of the concept of Many comprising One, without the element of restriction to three alone (the Father and the Son are listed), in John 17:20-23. On its face, the New Testament states that Christ is in some sense God, and it also refers to the Holy Spirit as the "Spirit of God" and the "Spirit of Christ" quite interchangeably.
Trinity - Baptism as the beginning lesson
Many Christians begin to learn about the Trinity through knowledge of Baptism. This is also a starting point for others in comprehending why the doctrine matters to so many Christians, even though the doctrine itself teaches that the being of God is beyond complete comprehension. The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed are often used as brief summations of Christian faith. They are typical of trinitarian statements which are professed by converts to Christianity when they receive baptism, and at other times in the liturgy of the church, particularly in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Trinitarian Christians are baptized "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). Thus, their Christian life, and the Christian understanding of salvation, typically begins with a declaration related to the Trinity. Basil the Great (330–379) explains:
"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."
At the baptism of Jesus, trinitarians believe that the Trinity appeared: "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." (Matthew 3:16–17, RSV). To trinitarians, the three persons of the Trinity were made manifest at once, in connection with the baptism of Jesus.
"This is the Faith of our baptism", the First Council of Constantinople declared (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."
Trinity - Key scriptural texts cited by trinitarians
This is a partial list.
- John 10:30: "I and the Father are one." (Jesus is speaking here. The use of the Greek neuter form hén indicates one "thing"; ie., of the same substance.)
- John 10:38: "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."
- Mat 28:19: "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).
- Mat 4:10: "Jesus said to him, 'Away from me, Satan! For it is written: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."'" (These and other verses exemplify the argument that Jesus did not refute the Old Testament prohibition against worshipping any god but God, and yet he states that the Son and Holy Spirit are to be involved in worship as well, implying that the Son and Holy Spirit must be, in some sense, God.)
- John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." together with John 1:14 "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."
- John 8:58 "'I tell you the truth', Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!'" This formulation mirrors Exodus 3:14 "God said to Moses, 'I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: "I AM has sent me to you."'"
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 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Scripture and tradition", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
