Development of the Christian Doctrine of Holy Trinity
The word trinity traces its origin from the Latin trinitas which literally translates to ‘triad’. In Latin trinus means threefold. This therefore implies that God is one but in that oneness exists three coeternal consubstantial persons- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Trinitarian doctrine can be inferred from the New Testament teaching about God. Many falsely believe that Trinity Doctrine was formulated at the Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E. (Tuggy, 2016). This is not true because at the Council of Nicaea it was pronounced that Christ was the same substance as God. This became the foundation for Trinitarian Theology. It should be remembered that at the Council of Nicaea there was no mention of the Holy Spirit as the third person of the triad. This essay seeks to illuminate how the christian doctrine of Holy Trinity has developed over the years from the New Testament Church to the Nicene Church.
There was opposition that Jesus was also God for many years. This was the reason why Constantine called summoned bishops to Nicaea where they took part in rigorous religious discourses. At the Council of Nicaea, the bishops did not promote the concept of trinity (Tuggy, 2016). They decided on the nature of Christ but not the role of the Holy Spirit. Debates raged even after the Council of Nicaea. In 381 C.E. the Council of Constantinople was convened where Holy Spirit was placed at same level as God and Christ (Tuggy, 2016). After the that followed the Athanasian Creed that declared the worship of one God in Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who are not three Gods but one God (Tuggy, 2016).
At the Second Vatican Council, attempts were made to define the question” What is the Church?’’ in the constitution Gentium Lumen. The answer to the question pointed out that the Church of God is a mystery. To some, the word Church refers to Diocese, to others it means a parish, while to some it resonates with hierarchy. The Second Vatican council, however, points out how the church relates to God's divine...
References List
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Ngon, D. (2016). Lumen Gentium Icon of the Trinity.
Retrieved May 18, 2018 from www.academia.edu/15882414/Lumen_Gentium_ICON_0F_THE_TRINITY
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (2001). Mystery of our Recollection: Reading from Letters of Pope Saint Leo the Great (Letter 28, 3-4) Retrieved May 18, 2018 from ww.vatican.va/spirit/documents/spirit_20010325_leon-mago_en.html
Tuggy, D. (2016). History of Trinitarian Doctrines Retrieved May 18, 2018 from www.plato.stanford.edu/entries/trinity/trinity-history.html
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