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There has never been a doctrine so widely embraced as that of trinitarianism. Themajority of Christendom accepts this doctrine as divine truth. Although themajority do embrace this doctrine nominally, there are a variety of ways in whichit is understood. There are the opposite extremes of tritheism and the modernoneness belief, and then there is the orthodox belief as stated in the ancientcreed.What is the relationship of YHWH, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit? How are we tounderstand the Scriptural teaching of monotheism, and yet confess the divinity ofthe Father, Son, and Spirit? How are we to maintain monotheism, and still maintainthe Scriptural distinctions spoken of as existing between the Father, Son, andSpirit?Our generation is not the first in its attempt to find a way to explain theScriptural injunctions as stated above. The church has been attempting tounderstand the nature of the Godhead since its inception. How did the early churchunderstand this? Where did the doctrine of the trinity come from? This paper willaddress these very questions. The apostles taught and preached of one only. Inthe following I will attempt to demonstrate the progressive development of thetrinitarian doctrine up to the Council of Constantinople in AD 381. This will beaccomplished by examining the ways in which the Godhead was explained in thevarious generations leading up to the 381 council, as witnessed by the writings ofthe early theologians. Remember this, all truth must be biblically taught anddefined. Tradition never saved anyone! In fact Jesus himself opposed the phariseesand their traditions that made the word of God to none effect. And so must we ifour desire is to please God. Let the facts speak for themselves, and you thereader decide on your own direction from there!Post-Apostolic Age (AD 90-140)There are not many extant documents from this period of time. We only possess anepistle from Clement of Rome, seven epistles of Ignatius of Antioch, one epistleby Polycarp of Smyrna, The Shepherd by Hermas, The Didache, and some pseudonymouswritings. These writings are very important for our studies due to the proximityin time in which they were written in relation to the apostles. The men who pennedthese works were alive when some of the apostles were still ministering abroad.Their teachings are very likely to be closely allied to the common first-centuryunderstanding of the Godhead, as taught by the apostles. The belief in Deuteronomy6:4 was their motto, or one God period!In the Epistle to the Corinthians, Clement of Rome confessed the deity of JesusChrist, saying, "Our Lord Jesus Christ [is] the Sceptre of the majesty of God."1He did recognize a distinction between the Father and Son. He wrote, "Have we not(all) one God and one Christ? Is there not one Spirit of grace poured out uponus?"2, an apparent allusion to Ephesians 4:6.Ignatius’ writings are somewhat difficult to decipher simply because of the manyobvious interpolations to his texts by later copyists. It is believed that theoriginal versions are found in a Syriac translation. Ignatius also confessed thedeity of Christ in a profound manner. Jesus is none other than the eternal Godmade manifest in the flesh: "Look for Him who is above all time, eternal andinvisible, yet who became visible for our sakes; impalpable and impassible, yetwho became passible on our account; and who in every kind of way suffered for oursakes."3 Not only was Jesus said to have been the preexistent God, but He is alsosaid to have suffered for us: "The passion of my God."4Polycarp was in possession of Ignatius’ writings, and endorsed his theology.5 Itis to be expected, therefore, that Polycarp’s theology would resemble that of
 
Ignatius. The only statement Polycarp made that would lend itself to thetrinitarianism states, "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and JesusChrist Himself, who is the Son of God, and our everlasting High Priest, build youup in faith and truth."6 Some see in this statement an incipient trinitarianism,which is falsely reported. As nobody in the bible or even here, even alludes to atriune entity; but it does not advocate modern trinitarianism. Polycarp merelyasserted that which the Scriptures assert, i.e. a distinction between the Fatherand Son. His statement was quite Scriptural, and did not reflect later theologicaldevelopments.The author of The Shepherd was a man named Hermas who resided in Rome. He was nota bishop, and did not hold an official office in the church, but His Shepherdbecame very popular among Catholic Christendom. Hermas made a statement that seemsto imply the preexistence of the Son as a separate person from the Father, saying,"The Son of God is older than all His creatures."7 However, he may have simplymeant that the Son existed as the plan or wisdom of God before the incarnation,and not as a separate person.Hermas viewed the Holy Spirit to be the manifested Son of God: "The holy, pre-existent Spirit, that created every creature, God made to dwell in flesh, which Hechose. The flesh, accordingly, in which the Holy Spirit dwelt, was nobly subjectto that Spirit, ... and after labouring and co-operating with the Spirit, andhaving in everything acted vigorously along with the Holy Spirit, He assumed it asa partner with it.8 In another place he said, "I wish to explain to you what theHoly Spirit … showed you, for that Spirit is the Son of God."9The Post-Apostolic Fathers maintained that there was one God, and that JesusChrist was God. And rightly so! As that is the essence of what one God belief is,as was handed to Moses, by the ten commandments from God himself! They diddistinguish between the Father and Son, using language much like that of the NT.The Spirit did not receive much attention, but when He did, He was spoken of asbeing God’s Spirit, revealed to humanity through the person of Jesus Christ. Thereis no distinctively trinitarian language or concepts conveyed in the writings atthis point in time. In fact, some teachings, such as equating the Holy Spirit withthe Son, are not consistent with the doctrine of the trinity. Thus, the spirit oferror was not yet manifested or introduced.Greek Apologists (AD 130-180)This age is so called because it was characterized by Greek teachers/philosopherswho wrote literary works to be read by pagans, in order to defend and explain theChristian faith to unbelievers. It was an attempt to demonstrate that Christianitywas good philosophy, so that it would be accepted by the pagan contemporaries.The primary author of this time period was Justin Martyr, whose works werenumerous. Other important writers from this period include Marcianus Aristides,the anonymous author to the Epistle to Diognetus, Tatian, and Melito.It was during this period that the doctrine of the Logos was propagated anddeveloped. The idea of the Logos was already popular in the Hellenistic cultureand philosophy. The apologists adopted this philosophy, tailoring it wherenecessary, in order to make the gospel acceptable to the general population, whosaw Christianity as foolishness. To the Greeks, the Logos was reason as thecontrolling principle of the universe. It was impersonal, existing in the realm ofideas. It was this realm that was an intermediary between The Ineffable One andphysical reality. Edward Hardy explained how the apologists, and Justin inparticular, took the Hellenistic Logos doctrine and incorporated it into Christiantheology:
 
The idea of God’s Logos could be found in a variety of sources. It was floating inthe air of popular Greek philosophy and Hellenistic Judaism. . . . Justin’s use ofit is partly Biblical and partly (Greek) apologetic. The Logos being divine, andyet not the Father himself, accounts both for the divinity which Christians havefound in Jesus, and by retrospect for the divine appearances in the OldTestament.10Justin Martyr was the first prolific writer to clearly teach a plurality withinthe Godhead. He even numbered them, saying, "We reasonably worship [Jesus Christ],having learned that He is the Son of the true God Himself, and holding Him in thesecond place, and the prophetic Spirit in the third."11 Again he said, "There is …another God and Lord subject to the Maker of all things; who is also called anAngel, because He announces to men whatsoever the Maker of all things-above whomthere is no other God-wishes to announce to them. … He who is said to haveappeared to Abraham, and to Jacob, and to Moses, and who is called God, isdistinct from Him who made all things-numerically, I mean, not (distinct) inwill."12The Logos was the second person next to the Father, and was subordinate to theFather. In fact, he was the first creation of God: "The Word … is the first-birthof God."13The Spirit is not mentioned much, but when He is, He seems to be equated with theLogos. There is no clear theology of the Spirit. Justin’s primary focus was onJesus’ relationship to the Father. His perspective seems to be that ofbinitarianism or ditheism. From one to two, at this point in history. The Logoswas second to the Father in time and sequence, and in authority, but not in will.Justin’s teachings closely resemble that of Arianism which was to flourish acentury later.Justin’s disciple, Tatian, made it clear that the Logos was not equal to theFather, but was His first creation. He existed in God, but emanated forth from Himbefore the creation of the world, and eventually became revealed physically in theperson of Christ: "God was in the beginning; but the beginning…is the power of theLogos. … With Him, by Logos-power, the Logos Himself also, who was in Him,subsists. And by His simple will the Logos springs forth; and the Logos, notcoming forth in vain, becomes the first-begotten work of the Father. … The Logos,begotten in the beginning, begat in turn our world."14 This was in essence, thevery heart of the Arian heresy that evolved later.Athenagoras thought of God in some sort of a triad.. He wrote, "[Christiansdesire] this one thing alone, that they know God and His Logos, what is theoneness of the Son with the Father, what is the communion of the Father with theSon, what is the Spirit, what is the unity of these three, the Spirit, the Son,Father, and their distinction in unity."15The Apologists’ doctrine was anything but orthodox trinitarianism. The Biblicaldoctrine of the Logos was explained in terms of Greek philosophical thought ratherthan that of Scripture, which lead to a false understanding of Christ and Hisrelationship to the Father. The Son was seen to be divine reason, which existed inthe mind of God without personal existence, until He emanated from God as thefirst creation of the Father, for the specific purpose of creation.16 It was atthat point that the Son had personal divine existence which was distinct from theFather’s, albeit dependent upon the Father.17 Tatian compared this to ourthoughts, and the utterance of those thoughts. We can have a thought, but it doesnot have an existence until it is spoken. Likewise, the Son was in the mind of Godas His Wisdom and Reason, but was birthed from God at the beginning of God’s
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acts2and38

Through the stages and ages, trinity is shown a man made belief that simply is not enough. I would that everybody throw out their Doctrines (Being invented to explain God in a way he would never approve of or wished to be seen as.) and use the bible only. After you passed on, hundreds of years later, would you want people slandering your name or character? The same goes for God! Nobody sincere even without a bible believes in three gods of equal means and states. Romans chapter 1 is needed to be read daily at every Church along with Acts 2:#8 and Deuteronomy 6:4. God has had enough of Religion as usual as soon will shake the heavens and earth; in an effort to wake up people from traditions to God. Unless you likewise repent (Of your non-biblical traditions that make the word non effective.) you will perish in your sin. I hope this final is enough to motivate the change but history shows that man never learns by the past. God bless us all and give great grace and mercy on us all, and pardon our sins for and in his name of Jesus!

reply07 / 26 / 2009
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