beliefs on the trinity Flashcards
what do catholics believe about god? (4)
- only one God
- God exists as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- Each of these three persons is fully God
4 But there are not three Gods
what is the trinity?
Each of these three persons is distinct from the other two
why do catholics believe in one god?
made himself known to the world (revelation) as three separate persons
what is the doctrine of the trinity considered as?
fundamental belief for all Catholics
why is the trinity a mystery in terms of how it works?
Catholics can never fully understand this idea because it is only fully known by God
how does the trinity help catholics?
to understand the different qualities of God
where is the doctrine of the trinity set out in?
the Nicene Creed
doctrine
belief
what is the Nicene Creed?
a statement of Catholic beliefs that date back to 325AD
what do catholics do when they attend mass?
say the creed weekly
why do catholics believe that each person of the trinity performs a special function?
- God the Father created heaven and earth
- God the Son, Jesus, passed on God’s message and died as a sacrifice
- God the Holy Spirit is an invisible spiritual power which guides, helps and inspires human beings.
what is the source of authority from the nicene creed?
“We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty.. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God…We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.’
why is the concept of the trinity important?
Without a belief in the Trinity, it would not be possible for Catholics to believe that Jesus is God
what is the most important christian belief?
belief that Jesus is God
how is the importance of trinity demonstrated?
shows its central role within religious practice.
what is the catholic prayer?
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
what is the eucharist prayer?
Many prayers are said to or in the name of the Trinity
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
what does the word ‘trinity’ not appear directly in?
bible
how long was the doctrine of trinity developed?
over several hundred years
what happened when the first Christians began to reflect on their experience of Jesus?
they began to see that they experienced the One God in three different ways
where is the concept of one god found many times?
new testament
new testament:
1. what did jesus teach his disciples to do?2.
2. what does the john gospel state?
3. what does the mark chapter 1 state?
- Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit… (Matthew 28:19)
- “the word became flesh and dwelt (lived) amongst us”
- ” We also see the Trinity at Jesus’ baptism”
what idea did st augustine used to explain the trinity?
that god is love
what are the 3 things that love needs?
- The person who is doing the loving
- The person who is being loved
- Love itself
what did st augustine believe about the 3 aspects of love?
they are present in god
says that the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is like this Trinity of love, lover and beloved.
what is the source of authority from st augustine’s de trinitate?
“There are three things in love… love is of someone that loves, and with love something is loved. Behold, then, there are three things: he that loves, and that which is loved, and love.”
what would jews agree with catholics?
that there is one God as they are monotheist
where is jews belief in only god stated? (2)
the most important prayer for Jews; the Shema
Ten Commandments which are found in the Torah which is the Jewish written law
who is the jewish patriarch?
abraham
what did the jewish patriarch taught the early jews?
that they were to believe in one God only as part of the covenant (promise/agreement) made with God
why do jews reject the trinity?
they do not accept Jesus as the Son of God
what are the ONLY characteristics of the ONE god?
‘lawgiver’, judge and creator’
what does jews believe these attributes of god mean?
are not separate persons, but are just the different ways in which human beings experience God
what could orthodox jews argue about the trinity?
that the belief in the Trinity challenges the first commandment “You shall have no gods before me”
what do jews believe if you have a belief in the trinity?
would break the covenant that God made with Abraham and Moses
