The Holy Trinity in Johannine and Pauline theological traditions

¶ … Doctrine of the Holy Trinity in Johannine and Pauline Theologies

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate, from the writings of those authors on whom custom has conferred the name of Fathers of the Church, the procedure of growth in Christian thought, life, and adoration for the duration of the period which concluded with the approval of the Christian faith and the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity in Johanine and Pauline Theologies.

Irenaeus

The denial of such vertiginous beliefs, the ousted of 'the unjustifiable fabric of this vision', and the declaration of the apostolic convention and the scriptural disclosure was the purpose of the immense occupation of Irenaeus.

The work usually recognized as Adversus Haereses actually abides the title the Refutation of False Gnosis; and the first two volumes give a comprehensive introduction of Gnostic fantasies; books iii and iv expound Christian lessons; the fifth and last book treats of the renaissance and the consummation of the past (Lossky, 1976); together with an account of the millenarian anticipation which Irenaeus shared with Papias and Justin, and others who obtain the Apocalypse as their chart of the opportunity. Irenaeus is primarily apprehensive to set up the 'Apostolic Tradition', the Church's 'Rule of Faith', next to the Gnostic ascertain to the control of a secret tradition. And he perseveres that this Rule is assured as being the philosophy of the great sees, whose sequence can be traced back to the beginning Apostles. Irenaeus may fairly be known as the first biblical theologian (Joseph, 1981); for him the Bible is not a compilation of proof-texts as it is for the Apologists, but an incessant documentation of God's self-disclosure and his transactions with man, coming to its culmination in the individual and work of Christ. His Christology is not methodically expounded; Irenaeus was not a methodical thinker (Lossky, 1976). But the main points are comprehensible: Christ is the Logos, the total revelation of the Father's love; in resistance to the Gnostic notion of release Irenaeus affirms the everlasting co-existence of the Logos with the Father, thus mounting the education of the introduction of the Fourth Gospel. But he takes up Pauline as well as Johannine ideas; Christ is the second Adam who reinstates mankind to the place lost by the Fall, or rather he allows man to fulfil the potentialities overcome by Adam at his formation; for man was not created faultless and eternal, but proficient of perfection and immortality. This redemptive work, by which Christ 'combines the end to the beginning', that is, restores man to God, is one of the connotations of the renowned doctrine of 'recapitulation' (Joseph, 1981). The word is Pauline; or deutero-Pauline; from Ephesians i. 10. But generally speaking, though Irenaeus makes use of Pauline phrases and images, his doctrine of redemption is 'Eastern' or 'incarnationist'. He discusses Christ's conquest over Satan, of payment, of surrender, but these commencements do not seem to be brought into combination with one another, or with the foremost subject matter of salvation through Christ's personification and our incorporation in him.

Origen

Origen described the way of biblical interpretation which had previously been utilized by Christian writers, and which Clement had momentarily laid a hand on. Scripture, says Origen, is like a man, in that it is made up of body, spirit, and character. The body of scripture is its accurate connotation, which is understandable to the uncomplicated: the soul is the decent denotation, comprehensible to any advocate when it is made clear to him: the strength is the spiritual or allegorical sense. It must be recognized that Origen says very less in relation to the 'moral' meaning; but because his design (Lossky, 1976); the Pauline orientation of the unmuzzled ox to the right of ministers to hold up by the populace; look like to imply that it consists in the meticulous function of some general principle demonstrated by the text, the moral connotation will in the majority examples come out straight from the honest. In any situation Origen is mostly anxious with the allegorical technique, enlightening the concealed spiritual meaning, the machine whereby the complexities and discrepancies of the scriptures, and still what are, from a Christian point-of-view, the immoralities, can be coordinated with the Faith (Viscuso, 2006).

Irenaeus

Irenaeus might honestly be termed the primary biblical theologian; for him the Bible is not an anthology of proof-texts as it is for the Apologists, but an incessant documentation of God's self-disclosure and his transactions with man, attaining its peak in the person and occupation of Christ. His Christology is not methodically described; Irenaeus was not a methodical thinker. But the chief points are apparent: Christ is the Logos, the complete disclosure of the Father's love; in resistance to the Gnostic idea of emanation Irenaeus confirms the unending co-existence of the Logos with the Father, thus increasing the teaching of the preamble of the Fourth Gospel. But he makes use of Pauline as well as Johannine ideas; Christ is the subsequent Adam who reinstates mankind to the point lost by the Fall, or to a certain extent he enables man to fulfil the potentialities overcome by Adam at his formation; for man was not fashioned perfect and eternal, but accomplished of excellence and immortality. This redemptive vocation, by which Christ 'unites the end to the beginning', that is, reinstates man to God, is one of the significance of the celebrated doctrine of 'recapitulation'. The expression is Pauline; or deutero-Pauline; from Ephesians i. 10 (Viscuso, 2006). However generally speaking, though Irenaeus makes use of Pauline phrases and imagery, his dogma of redemption is 'Eastern' or 'incarnationist'. He talks of Christ's triumph over Satan, of ransom, of sacrifice, but these conceptions do not seem to be brought into relation with one another, or with the dominant subject of deliverance through Christ's personification and our incorporation in him. This, as a minimum, is how it comes into view to most commentators. But Bishop Aulen, in his significant book Christus Victor, finds in Irenaeus a dependable statement of the 'classical' theory of the Atonement, doing justice to each feature of the work of Christ considered as an act of God, and free from the forensic ideas of the soon after 'Western' view.