2B The Trinity

Question 1

What three things does the doctrine assert?

Answer 1

1) F,S,HS = three distinct persons
2) Each person = fully God; coexistent, coeternal, coequal
3) Only one God; not split into three parts

Question 2

Who coined the word ‘Trinity’?

Answer 2

Tertullian, 3rd C. (word never appears in Bible)

Question 3

When/how was the doctrine formalised?

Answer 3

• Nicene Creed, 325 CE

* Son was “of one substance” w/ Father

Question 4

What were the three contemporary heresies that Tertullian saw?

Answer 4

• Adoptionism
• Sabellianism
• Arianism

Question 5

What is Adoptionism?

Answer 5

Jesus = ordinary man; only became SoG after baptism

Question 6

What is Sabellianism?

Answer 6

Jesus = divine, but not human

Question 7

What is Arianism?

Answer 7

Jesus = highest of all created beings but not of same substance as God

Question 8

What is the OT biblical foundation for the Trinity?

Answer 8

• God the father is referred to in the plural

* Genesis 1:26-7 - “Let us make humankind in our image”

Question 9

What is the NT biblical foundation for the Trinity?

Answer 9

• Jesus is referred to as God

* John 20:28 - “My Lord and my God”

Question 10

When is the HS referred to as God?

Answer 10

• Epistle to the Romans, 8:11 - tells readers of the Spirit of God

Question 11

Give a quote for Christianity as monotheistic.

Answer 11

1 Corinthians 8:4 - “There is no God but one.”

Question 12

Why has the church never been able to adequately explain the doctrine?

Answer 12

• It is logically impossible
• Regards it as a mystery
• No human words can express the reality of God

Question 13

When was the Council of Nicea?

Answer 13

325 CE

Question 14

What was stated at the Council of Nicea?

Answer 14

Christians believe “in the Holy Spirit”

Question 15

When was the Council of Constantinople?

Answer 15

381 CE

Question 16

What was stated at the Council of Constantinople?

Answer 16

• Modified the Nicean Creed
• Christians believe “in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father”
• This undermines the consubstantial nature of HS, yet all present churches agreed to the new wording.

Question 17

When was the Council of Toledo?

Answer 17

589 CE

Question 18

What was the order of the three councils?

Answer 18

1) Nicea
2) Constantinople
3) Toledo

Question 19

What was stated at the Council of Toledo?

Answer 19

• Christians believe “in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.”
• “and the Son” = ‘filioque’ in Latin

Question 20

Why did the addition of ‘filioque’ cause controversy?

Answer 20

• It implies that the HS = subservient/inferior to the Father and Son, which should not be the case if the doctrine is to be upheld
• It was added without agreement from the 5 patriarchs of the Church

Question 21

Whose thinking does the addition of filioque seem to reflect?

Answer 21

• Augustine of Hippo
• Hilary of Poitiers
• Cyril of Alexandria
• They all wrote about the HS proceeding “from the Father and the Son”

Question 22

Where was filioque accepted/rejected?

Answer 22

• Accepted: Latin-speaking West

* Rejected: Greek-speaking East

Question 23

How did Pope Benedict VIII cause the Great Schism of 1054?

Answer 23

• In 1014, he used ‘filioque’ for the first time in a Mass in Rome
• Made the change to the Nicene Creed w/o agreement of an Ecumenical Council
• Divided the Eastern/Western Churches to this day

Question 24

What is the view of the West regarding filioque?

Answer 24

The Eastern rejection denied the consubstantiality of the Father and Son ∴ is a form of crypto-Arianism

Question 25

What is the view of the East regarding filioque?

Answer 25

The interpolation of filioque indicated that the West was teaching a substantially different faith

Question 26

Give a quote from Siecienski about the filioque controversy.

Answer 26

It has "destroyed the purity of the faith"

Question 27

What is the Immanent Trinity?

Answer 27

* Signifies what G is | * Three persons, one G

Question 28

What is the Economic Trinity?

Answer 28

* Signifies what G does | * Father - creates; Son - redeems; HS - sanctifies

Question 29

What is Augustine's view of the Trinity?

Answer 29

* Humans can know the Trinity from their own exp. ∵ there are traces of the Trinity in the human soul * E.g. Triad of self-knowledge: memory, understanding, will * He does not differentiate between the immanent and economic trinity

Question 30

What did Schleiermacher try to do?

Answer 30

* Reconcile Enlightenment theology w/ traditional C.tian beliefs * He dismissed the Trinity in his 1821 book 'The Christian Faith'

Question 31

Who responded to Schleiermacher, and what did he argue?

Answer 31

* Karl Barth * Tried to underline the central importance of the Trinity in C.tian theo. * "The doctrine of the Trinity us what basically distinguishes the C.tian doctrine of G as C.tian"

Question 32

Give more information on Karl Barth's theory.

Answer 32

• The basis of the Trinity is how G has revealed himself to humans: 1) Son = objective "unveiling" of what G is 2) Spirit = subjective "imparting" • Objective unveiling of G in J ≠ enough ∴ must also be a subjective recognition imparted by HS, which Barth illustrates by imagining two men witnessing J's crucifixion: a) "There is a common criminal being executed"; has not recognised the unveiling of G in J b) "There is the Son of God dying for me"; HS has imparted the recognition of G in J

Question 33

Why does Barth endorse the use of filioque?

Answer 33

* Humans = incapable of responding to the objective revelation of G in J, unless a recognition of that revelation is imparted to them by both the HS, which proceeds from the hidden F and the revealed S * Agrees w/ Aug. that the Imm. Trinity = reflected in the Eco. Trinity

Question 34

Barth: explain the first criticism and response.

Answer 34

* Criticism (from the Eastern Orthodox Church): merging of Imm. + Eco., and endorsement of filioque = heresy * Response: The Western Church has accepted this for centuries * Not a strong response ∵ the issue still remains

Question 35

Barth: explain the second criticism and response.

Answer 35

* Criticism (from Western theo.s inc, Moltmann): Barth's use of 'seinseweise' (mode of being), instead of 'person' to refer to members of the Godhead = Modalism * Response: Barth used 'seinsweise' to avoid confusing 'person' with 'personality', as to say that G has three personalities = Tritheism * Not a strong response ∵ still Modalism

Question 36

Barth: explain the third criticism and response.

Answer 36

* Criticism: Does not distinguish btwn F, S, HS. * Response: Distinguishes F from S by use of Greek, 'Logos asarkos' ('the Word w/o flesh') for S, i.e., G the Son as he lived in the Godhead before incarnation, distinct from the F

Question 37

Barth: explain the fourth criticism and response.

Answer 37

* Criticism: Sees F, S, HS in one eternal repetition, they exist one after the other, which destroys the eternal unity of G * Response: Barth insists that "He is the one God in each repetition" and highlights the unchanging nature of the eternal Trinity. G = "unimpaired unity" + "unimpaired distinction" as Revealer (F), Revelation (S), and Revealedness (HS)