I want to ask my Seventh-Day Adventist friends about their view of the Trinity. I was listening this morning to one of your preachers. He said that EGW never refers to the Trinity but is adamant there are three Persons in the Godhead. To me, it sounded as if the speaker was not presenting the traditional Trinity doctrine.
- The Eusebians (the so-called Arians) said that the three Persons are three Centers of consciousness (three distinct Minds or Wills).
- In contrast, in the Trinity doctrine, there is only one Being and only one Center of consciousness. Therefore, in the traditional Trinity doctrine, as RPC Hanson indicates, the term Person is inappropriate:
“In the place of this old but inadequate Trinitarian tradition the champions of the Nicene faith … developed a doctrine of God as a Trinity, as one substance or ousia who existed as three hypostases, three distinct realities or entities (I refrain from using the misleading word' Person'), three ways of being or modes of existing as God.” (Hanson)
I think I read somewhere that the SDA statement of beliefs says, "God is one and three." My question is: In what respect is He three and in what respect is He one? Specifically, is He three or one in terms of Consciousness (Mind, Will).
- The Eusebians said 3.
- Alexander and Athanasius said that the Logos is the Father's ONLY Logos and Wisdom. In other words, they taught one single Consciousness.
- Modern Social Trinitarianism also argues for 3.
The reason I prefer to refer to Consciousness is that all of the other terms are potentially understood differently by different people:
- The Eusebians used ‘hypostasis’ for a distinct existing Reality, and therefore for a distinct existing Centre of Consciousness, but the traditional Trinity doctrine teaches one single Being, and therefore, one single Consciousness, in three hypostases.
- As indicated, in the traditional trinity doctrine, ‘Person’ is often used mistakenly for the hypostases.
- Ousia (substance, being) can potentially be a fairly clear term, for one Being implies one Consciousness, but I still prefer 'Consciousness' for clarity.
So, I would really like to understand whether the SDA teaches one or three Consciousness.
Response to CuriousDannii
Below, CuriousDannii comments:
What does a "center" of consciousness mean? In the traditional Trinitarian understanding, God has only one faculty of mind, which could probably be said to act in three centers of thinking. Indeed, distinguishing between "faculty" and "center" could be a quite helpful way of explaining the traditional doctrine of God, but it's probably not the way you are using "center" here.
I would like to respond as follows:
Ayres describes “three ‘centres of consciousness’” as “three potentially separable agents … the contents of whose ‘minds’ were distinct.” (LA, 296) Hanson refers to the modern theory of social trinitarianism as “the too popular modem theory that God is three persons in our modern sense, i.e. three centres of consciousness.” (RH, 737)
One ‘Centre of consciousness’ is one ‘Faculty of mind’; one Mind and one Will. I also like the term ‘Faculty of mind’ but the one used by scholars is ‘Centre of consciousness’.
With three “centres of consciousness” we have the potential of disagreement between them, and the unity between the Father, Son, and Spirit is one of will; not of substance. For example, when Jesus said, "Your will and not mine.” For me, that is evidence of two centres of consciousness being one in will.
The benefit of this term is that the term “Person” is understood differently by different people. The Three in the traditional Trinity doctrine are sometimes mistakenly referred to as “Persons” but the Three are not “Persons” in the ordinary sense of that word. In the traditional Trinity doctrine, ‘God’ has only one faculty of mind and, therefore, is only one single “centre of consciousness.”
People hide behind confusing terms like soldiers attacking from hiding a smokescreen. I am trying to use alternative and non-traditional terms that are generally well understood.
Response to Bluephlame
Below, in a comment, Bluephlame refers me to an atsjats document.
Atsjats docs are always worth reading. Interestingly, this document admits that the SDA pioneers were not Trinitarians. Unfortunately, this article suffers from the assumption that there is only one Trinity doctrine. In fact, there are many different Trinity doctrines. See, for example, Dale Tuggy’s podcasts. Non-Trinitarians such as Samuel Clarke also refer to the Trinity, but then they mean a group of Three. That is why I always refer to the "traditional" Trinity doctrine to distinguish it from other types of Trinity doctrines.
I find the quote from Fundamental Beliefs confusing. It talks about three "Persons," which implies three ‘Minds’, but then uses the singular pronoun "He" to refer to “God;” a unity of three co-eternal Persons. This implies one single ‘Mind’. So, my question remains, do you believe in three Minds or one Mind? When I put this question to an SDA professor, he said I must just believe. But how can I believe that which I do not understand? To whom do I pray?
