Trinity? What Does The Bible Say? What Do The Encyclopedia's Say?

[Anna]

In "The New Catholic Encyclopedia" we get a glimpse of how the concept of the Trinity was not introduced into Christianity until close to four hundred years after Jesus:


".......It is difficult in the second half of the 20th century to offer a clear, objective and straightforward account of the revelation, doctrinal evolution, and theological elaboration of the Mystery of the trinity. Trinitarian discussion, Roman Catholic as well as other, present a somewhat unsteady silhouette. Two things have happened. There is the recognition on the part of exegetes and Biblical theologians, including a constantly growing number of Roman Catholics, that
*one should not speak of Trinitarianism in the New Testament without serious qualification. There is also the closely parallel recognition on the part of historians of dogma and systematic theologians that when one does speak of an unqualified Trinitarianism, one has moved from the period of Christian origins to, say, the last quadrant of the 4th century. It was only then that what might be called the definitive Trinitarian dogma 'One God in three Persons' became thoroughly assimilated into Christian life and thought ... it was the product of 3 centuries of doctrinal development" (emphasis added).
"The New Catholic Encyclopedia" Volume XIV, p. 295.


The Encyclopaedia Britannica states under the heading "Trinity":

"in Christian doctrine, the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament,… The Council of Nicaea in 325 stated the crucial formula for that doctrine in its confession that the Son is 'of the same substance [homoousios] as the Father,' even though it said very little about the Holy Spirit. Over the next half century, Athanasius defended and refined the Nicene formula, and, by the end of the 4th century, under the leadership of Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus (the Cappadocian Fathers), the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since."


International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)

What Anti-Trinitarians quote:
"In the earliest thinking of the Church the tendency when speaking of God the Father is to conceive of Him first, not as the Father of Jesus Christ, but as the source of all being. Hence God the Father is, as it were, God par excellence. To Him belong such descriptions as unoriginate, immortal, immutable, ineffable, invisible, and ingenerate. It is He who has made all things, including the very stuff of creation, out of nothing. . . . This might seem to suggest that the Father alone is properly God and the Son and Spirit are only secondarily so. Many early statements appear to support this."

[Eccl. 12:13]

Here is some info you may find interesting. It's from a previous post of mine; Who is THIS? Revisited!

Most believe that the God of the OT is the one that has become known as God the Father. Well here is a scripture from the OT I would like the readers of the forum to read;

Zech.12
[10] And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

So we have the God of the OT speaking about a future time when He will be "pierced", mourned for as an "only son" and shall be in bitterness as for his "firstborn"

So who is this?

Let's find out. Let's see if all that was said would happen actually did.

John.19
[34] But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
[37] And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

Rev.1
[7] Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

So it was Jesus Christ that was "pierced". Let's read more;

John.1
[14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John.3
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

It was Jesus Christ that was called the, "only begotten Son". Here is more;

Col.1
[15] Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Rom.8
[29] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

And finally, it was Jesus Christ that was called the "firstborn".

Now the God of the OT said ALL of these things would happen to Him. And as we have just read, each and everything He said would happen did. Now who did ALL of these things happen to? Jesus Christ.

Now if what you read above is not enough, here is more proof that Jesus Christ is the one that spoke those words back in the OT.

Just how many times must we read that Jesus was the God of the OT? Let's find out;

John.1
[3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

The "him" here is Jesus Christ. Without Him was not anything made that was made. That's ONE. Here is another;

Col.1
[16] For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
[17] And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Again, the "him" here is Jesus Christ. ALL things were created by him. That's TWO! Let's read more;

Hebrews (1:1) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
(2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.

So it was "his Son" that made the worlds. That's TRHEE!

Ephesians (3:9) And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

So ALL things were created by Jesus Christ. That's FOUR!

Mark.12
[36] For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

And David's Lord is now sitting on the right hand of THE Lord. So who was David's Lord? Jesus Christ! That's FIVE!

1Cor.10
[1] Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
[2] And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
[3] And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
[4] And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

So the Rock that followed the nation of Israel in the wilderness was Christ. That's SIX!

Now we know NO MAN has EVER heard God the Father, because Jesus said so;

John.5
[37] And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

But SOMEONE had to say, "Let there be Light"! Let's find that someone;

John.1
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

So when we read that Jesus was the "Word", He literally was the one that spoke the "Words" that brought things into existence.

Here is something to ponder. Jesus, the "Word", made the worlds and everything in it.

So the "us" in "let us make man" was the maker of ALL things!

So when we sin, just WHOSE laws are we breaking?

Like I said........just something to think about.