God - Trinity (Part 2)

Question 1

Which council introduced the “filioque” and what were the reasons behind it?

Answer 1

The Third Council of Toledo (589 CE) (summoned by Visigoth King in Spain) introduced the word “filioque” in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

Reasons

• Eliminate Arianism in Spain
• Stress the equality of the Father and the Son

Question 2

Who declared the “filioque” orthodox teaching?

Answer 2

Frankish Emperor Charlemagne called a synod of Frankish bishops in 809, which declared the filioque orthodox teaching

Question 3

Who urged the Frankish churches to leave out the “filioque” and for what reason?

Answer 3

Pope Leo III urged the Frankish churches to leave out the filioque for the sake of the Christian unity

Question 4

When was the “filioque” established in the West?

Answer 4

Middle of the 11th century. Even Rome gave endorsement.

Question 5

What was the reaction from the East regarding the “filioque”?

Answer 5

The East referred to the original wording of the
creed which has repeatedly been affirmed by the
first seven Ecumenical Councils. The West has
unilaterally violated an ecumenical consensus.

Question 6

Name 3 ways the West argue for the inclusion of the “filioque”.

Answer 6

1. The original creed assumed the “filioque”
2. Pope’s authority over the creed (papal supremacy)
3. Taught by Scripture. NT phrases referred to “Spirit of the Son” and “Spirit of the Father”

Question 7

How did the East respond to the arguments of the “filioque” from the West?

Answer 7

1. Distinction between “immanent” and “economic” Trinity. Son sending the Spirit is an act of the “economic” Trinity
2. Filioque upsets the balance between unity and triunity of God. Originally the Father is the source but now there are two sources of origin for the Spirit.

Question 8

Why do the West think that the filioque strengths the unity of the Godhead?

Answer 8

Spirit as the “bond of love” between Father and Son (Augustine).

Question 9

What does the East think about the West’s idea of the Spirit as the “bond of love”?

Answer 9

• Compromises the personality of the Spirit
• Results in undue subordination of the Spirit to the Son
• Aim and destination of the work of our salvation done by Christ is that believers receive the Holy Spirit (Simeon the New Theologian)

Question 10

When did the first challenge to the doctrine of the Trinity start?

Answer 10

Radical Reformation in the 16th century

• Radical reformers (Michael Servetus and Faustus Socinus) rejected the Trinity as they throw away church tradition
• Took place in Poland then spread out

Question 11

When was the greatest challenge to the doctrine of the Trinity?

Answer 11

Western Enlightenment (17th century)
- "unreasonable" heritage of Christianity that should be discarded

Question 12

What did the Deists of the 17th and 18th century tried to do to the doctrine of the Trinity?

Answer 12

reduce Christianity to its most basic (reasonable) elements - and found no place for the Trinity

Question 13

What did Lord Herbert of Cherbury’s (1583-16487) assert were the “five common notions of religion” innate in human beings in De Veritate (1624)?

Answer 13

1. Existence of Supreme Being
2. The duty of Worship
3. The obligation of virtue and piety as service due to the Supreme Being
4. Repentance from sins
5. Rewards and punishments in this life and the next

Question 14

What was Immanuel Kant’s (1724-1804) focus on understanding the Christian faith, and what did he think of the Trinity?

Answer 14

• reconceptualise Christianity on the basis of morality

- Trinity has “absolutely nothing worthwhile” for practical life and morality

Question 15

How did Immanuel Kant understand the person of Jesus Christ?

Answer 15

• “Incarnated” into the form of an ideal moral human being

- Teaching of Jesus’ divinity affects the suitability of Jesus to be our model

Question 16

What was Friedrich Schleiermacher’s (1768-1834) idea of Christianity and Jesus Christ?

Answer 16

• Sought to base Christianity on religious consciousness: sense of absolute dependence on God
• Jesus is “divine” because he is perfectly conscious of God and depended absolutely on God

Question 17

What was Adolf von Harnack’s (1851-1930) idea of the Gospel and Jesus Christ?

Answer 17

• The Gospel has to do with the Father only and not the Son

- Jesus has an important role because He knows the Father better than anyone

Question 18

What did “The Myth of God Incarnate (1977)” think about the incarnation of God?

Answer 18

It was a “mythological or poetic way of expressing his [Jesus] significance for us.”

Question 19

When was the revival of interest in the doctrine of the Trinity?

Answer 19

Middle of the 20th century

Question 20

Who was the key figure in the revival of the doctrine of the Trinity in the 20th century?

Answer 20

Karl Barth (1886-1968)

Question 21

What did Karl Barth think of the doctrine of the Trinity?

Answer 21

• Trinity is the foundation for God’s revelation of himself and the foundation of all Christian theology (Church Dogmatics)

Question 22

How is God known thrice in revelation?

Answer 22

• One who does not take form (Father)
• One who takes form (Son)
• One who enables our recognition and response to the form (Spirit)

Question 23

Who are the other theologians (after Karl Barth) who gave Trinity a key place in their theology?

Answer 23

• Jurgen Moltmann (b 1926)

- Wolfhart Pannenberg (1928-2014)