Ps 82:6, "I said: 'You are Gods.

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The Psychological and Social Models of the Trinity

The Bible teaches that there is only one God. At the same time, it teaches that the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each fully God. For this reason the church has always
affirmed the doctrine of the Trinity, which teaches that God has one substance (ousia)
but eternally and fully exists as three distinct Persons (hypostases in Greek, personae
in Latin).

The question left unanswered is how we are to understand the relationship between the
substantial unity and personal plurality within the Godhead. Throughout church history,
two distinct models have been proposed.

The first model goes back to the second-century apologists and was made famous by
Augustine. It is usually called the psychological model of the Trinity, for it likens the unity
and diversity of the Godhead to the unity and diversity of the human self. According to
Augustine, the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is like the unity of the mind
(thoughts), heart (emotions), and volition (will) of a person. A different version was put
forth by Jonathan Edwards in the eighteenth century. He argued that as the human
psyche consists of a self, a self-image, and a relationship between the self and the self-
image, so the Godhead consists of a self (Father), a perfect self-image (Son), and a
perfect loving relationship (Spirit) between the self and the self-image.

While many have found the psychological model helpful, others have objected to it on
the grounds that it is not faithful to the biblical data. The Bible depicts the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit as three distinct Persons, they argue, not three distinct aspects of one
Person. Hence, they have proposed that we should think of the unity of the Trinity more
like the unity of the mind, heart, and will of three people. This has been labeled the
social model of the Trinity.

To some defenders of the psychological model, the social model borders on tri-theism
(the belief in three separate gods). To some defenders of the social model, the
psychological model borders on modalism (reducing the three Persons to three modes
of one person). Still others argue that since models are only models, not exact replicas
of reality, we may affirm both models as valid in capturing distinct perspectives on a
God whose full reality defies exhaustive description.
Chalcedonian Creed
The Chalcedonian Creed is a creed which was made during the Council of Chalcedon in
the year 451. This council is one of the seven ecumenical councils. It is recognised by
the Eastern Orthodox, the Catholics, and by many Protestant Churches. It is the first
council the Oriental Orthodox Church does not not recognize.

The Chalcedonian creed was written during a controversy between the Western and
Eastern Churches. They could not agree about the meaning of Incarnation, the
influence of the emperor in the church, and the role of the Roman Pope. The Western
Churches had no problems accepting the creed, but some Eastern Churches had.

The creed became doctrine in the Orthodox Church. The Coptic church of Alexandria
disagreed. They used Cyril's formula instead. They said that the creed should say that
Christ be acknowledged "from two natures" rather than "in two natures".

English translation of the Creed

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach people to confess one
and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also
perfect in manhood;
truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body;
consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and
consubstantial with us according to the Manhood;
in all things like unto us, without sin;
begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter
days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according
to the Manhood;
one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures,
inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably;
the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the
property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one
Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and
only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ;
as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.