The Historical Development of the Doctrine of the Trinity

To the ordinary reader it may seem a little strange to commence a review of the history of a Christian doctrine with a survey of the teachings and views of Greek philosophers. But in fact it is impossible to understand the development of the Trinity without this background. It was not mere rhetoric when St. Augustine confessed that he was in the dark about the Trinity until he read the writings of Plato; or when he told some to go and learn the Trinity from the Platonists.2

And Gibbon, in speaking of the Trinity, remarks that Platonic philosophy ‘marvelously anticipated one of the most surprising discoveries of the Christian revelation’.3

Philosophy, literally ‘love of wisdom’, concerns man’s search for an understanding of the world and himself. By means of human thought it attempts to explain what knowledge is and how it is gained. It advances propositions and tries to deduce conclusions from them by reasoned arguments. It is essentially a deductive process, no external revelation being admitted. The early Greeks specialised in this type of abstract reasoning, which was first established by Socrates and elaborated by his disciple, Plato.

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Author: James H. Broughton & Peter J. Southgate

Keywords: Logos, Word made flesh, Jesus is the Word, trinitarianism, Tri-unity, Pre-existent word, Pre-existence, Pre-existent, Jesus is God, God the Son, hypostasis, Jesus existed before Abraham, Christ existed before Abraham, Greater than Abraham, Existed before Abraham, Before Abraham, Trinity, Trinitarian, Preexistence, Jesus preexisted, Jesus pre-existed, JJesus preexisted before he was born, Jesus' preexistence, Jesus' pre-existence, Christ preexisted, Christ pre-existed, Christ's preexistence, Christ's pre-existence, Jesus's preexistence, Jesus existed before he was born, Deity of Christ, Deity of Jesus, Triunity, Arianism, Arian, Three in one, Three gods, Three gods one person, Three persons, Johannine comma, Johanine comma, Johanine coma, Johannine coma, Comma, False doctrine, False teaching, Arius, Arias, Nicene Creed, Nicaea, Nicea, Athanasian Creed, Athanasius, Father son holy spirit, Father son holy ghost, Triune, Three persons in one God, eternal sonship, god manifest in the flesh, God incarnate, incarnation, incarnate, God made flesh, God manifestation, eternal son, eternal son of God, Christology, Christologies, Binitarian, Binitarianism, Jesus is divine, Christ is divine, God in three persons, divinity of Jesus, divinity of Christ, Divinity of the holy spirit, divinity of the Holy Ghost, Homoiousian, Homoousian, Homoousion, Adoptionism, adoptionist, Binitarianism

Bible reference(s): Genesis 1:26, Gen 3:22, Gen 11:7, Isaiah 9:6, Genesis 1:26, Gen 3:22, Gen 11:7, Isaiah 9:6, Mar 2:7, John 1:1-3, John 1:14, John 1:18, John 5:18, John 8:24, John 8:28, John 8:58, John 10:30, John 10:33, John 20:28, Romans 9:5, Philippians 2:6-8, 2 Thessalonians 1:12, 1 Timothy 2:5, Titus 2:13, Heb 1:8, 2 Peter 1:1, 1 John 5:20Mar 2:7, John 1:1-3, John 1:14, John 1:18, John 5:18, John 8:24, John 8:28, John 8:58, John 10:30, John 10:33, John 20:28, Romans 9:5, Philippians 2:6-8, 2 Thessalonians 1:12, 1 Timothy 2:5, Titus 2:13, Heb 1:8, 2 Peter 1:1, Genesis 1:26, Gen 3:22, Gen 11:7, Isaiah 9:6, Mar 2:7, John 1:1-3, John 1:14, John 1:18, John 5:18, John 8:24, John 8:28, John 8:58, John 10:30, John 10:33, John 20:28, Romans 9:5, Philippians 2:6-8, 2 Thessalonians 1:12, 1 Timothy 2:5, Titus 2:13, Heb 1:8, 2 Peter 1:1, 1 John 5:20

Source: The Trinity: True or False?, Chapter 8 (Dawn Book Supply, UK).

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