Understanding the Holy Trinity

¶ … Holy Trinity

One of the most fundamental beliefs of the entire system of Christianity is the belief in the Holy Trinity, something which is known as the union of three people: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This belief has caused much controversy and disagreement among the various churches of Christianity, particularly because the concept does not appear in the Bible, but was a development of some of the earlier church councils. One way of explaining the Holy Trinity is to compare it to water and the various forms that water can take -- be it ice, steam or liquid: many religious scholars have used this analogy as a means of explaining the various forms and energy that God can take and still exist in harmony.

The development of the Holy Trinity was a notion that evolved slowly over time and one can trace its creation at the very beginning, with the death and resurrection of Jesus, as this was the basis for the salvation and evidence of the divinity of Jesus, all which occurred in the year 31 (Letham, 2004). Later in the year 55, Paul refers to Jesus as the Messiah God in New Testament texts like John 1:1, Peter 1:1, and in Hebrews 1:8 (Farrelly, 2005). This is significant because it indicates a blending in reference. Jesus is not seen as separate from God in these incidences: this marks a beginning of an understanding, even though it might be a subconscious one, of the Holy Trinity.

As it turns out, Paul was essential in the development and understanding of the Holy Trinity. In the year 56, Paul includes the apostolic blessing in a text to Corinth, which positions the notion of three personages in God. Later in year 61, Paul includes a hymn to the pre-existent and fully divine Jesus in a letter to the church of Phippi which demonstrates in a truly unquestionable manner that Jesus was God, then he became a human being, and after his death he became the Lord of all people (Letham, 2004).

In the decades which followed, there were more references to the triune and to the existence and dominance of the Holy Trinity (Letham, 2004). For instance Clement, who was a bishop in Rome in the year 96, was one who addressed the church with clear references which were evocative of the trinity, confirming the Trinitarian nature of Christian beliefs. In the year 100, the Christian text Didache also referred to the trinity baptismal formula found in Matthew 28:18 (Letham, 2004). Later in the year 115, Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch, repeatedly uses the phrase, "our God, Jesus Christ" in his letters (Farrelly, 2005). This is yet another example of the blending and merging of the two ideas of God the father and God the son. However, amid these strides in the evolution of Christianity, there were still setbacks (Letham, 2004). For example, the Platonic philosopher Celsus was one who waged an attack against the ideologies contained in the Holy Trinity, alleging that the idea that Jesus was a God was false, saying that it went against the notion of one true God (Letham, 2004). More than anything, it's important to understand that the idea of "one true God" in many ways at this time was a deeply held belief. Regardless, the notion of the Holy Trinity continued to evolve, with Tertullian writing of the complete divinity of Christ and of the Holy Spirit overlapped, protecting the ideas against heresy and modalism in 220 (Letham, 2004). In 250, Novatian, a presbyter in Rome wrote a treatise on the Holy Trinity where he described how God was both fully a spirit and fully human (Letham, 2004). Even so, in 318, the presbyter Arius sent a letter in protest against the bishop Alexander regarding the eternal deity of Jesus. This letter was sent on behalf of the desires of the Emperor Constantine, who realized that there was disunity within his church and sought a reliable means of eliminating that amount of discord (Letham, 2004). However, it was Athansius who followed the Bishop Alexander in Alexandria, and he argued persuasively and in depth in support of major theological ideas and reviews which were used on behalf of the trinity. However, it wasn't until the year 360 when three influential thinkers were able to effectively defend and describe the doctrine contained in the Trinity (Farrelly, 2005). These thinkers were able to settle this issue by providing insight on God as explained in revelation in the Bible, acknowledge the limitations in human understanding, including the Holy Spirit in the doctrine, and by explaining that the notion of a "being" is both communal and relational (Letham, 2004). This explanation proved to be essential in helping to bridge the gaps in understanding of the Holy Trinity, and in leading to widespread acceptance (Farrelly, 2005).

Thus, in the year 381 the Church Council in Constantinople edited the Nicene Creed, incorporating the idea of the Holy Trinity: this is seen as the event which marks the overwhelming acceptance of the notion of the Holy Trinity in Christianity, as the Nicene Creed is used heavily throughout the Christian religion.

As already explained in this paper, there is no hard and fast evidence of the words "Holy Trinity" appearing in the Bible. However, that doesn't mean that there aren't biblical examples of the holy trinity. For example, the virginal conception is hearkened by the Trinity as stated in Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38 (Farrelly, 2005). The immaculate conception in this manner, thus makes reference to the Holy Trinity: "This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 1:18, NIV Bible).

Furthermore, the baptism of Jesus is revealed in such a way that he is the beloved son of the father, as the Holy Spirit visits him in Matthew 3:16-17, Mark 1:9-11 and in Luke 3:21-22. The Holy Spirit descends on him in such a manner that it strongly suggests a connection in beingness: As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened,(A) and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him" (Matthew 3:16).