Questions tagged [persons-of-the-trinity]

The persons, or "hypostases," of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

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How many minds exist within the Holy Trinity? [duplicate]

Normally I would hear the answer is one mind, but I was wondering; If beliefs are part of your mind, and since Jesus (the second person) would believe "I am the Son of God" and the Father ...
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Why were ousia and hypostasis synonymous in the Nicene Creed?

Why were ousia and hypostasis synonymous in the Nicene Creed? In the original 325 A.D. Nicene Creed, an anathema is included which has ousia and hypostasis as synonymous. In this case, the Trinity is ...
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Why and when did the meanings of hypostasis and ousia change?

One of the most striking aspects of the Nicene Creed is the terms ousia and hypostasis. These terms were not found in any previous creed. In the Trinity doctrine, God is one “ousia who existed as ...
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Why does the Trinitarian Formula start with "In the NAME…" and not "In the NAMES…"?

Today the Universal Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. In the Trinitarian Formula, we invoke the NAME (singular) of the Three Persons of the Trinity. In English we say: "In the ...
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Was Athanasius a Sabellian?

For an overview of Sabellian theology, see - The Sabellians of the Fourth Century. The main characteristic is that God is only one hypostasis (Reality or Person). Jesus Christ, therefore, is not one ...
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Why was homoousios not mentioned for 20 years after Nicaea?

In the “centuries-old account of the Council of Nicaea: … The whole power of the mysterious dogma is at once established by the one word homoousios … with one pronouncement the Church identified a ...
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In the hypostatic union, is Jesus just the name of the man or of the God or of both?

First things first: I am not a Trinitarian. However, I know many good people that are Trinitarians and some of them are very close to me so we'll say that I'm sympathetic to the cause. I'm sincerely ...
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(For denominations who accept icons) Who is "Jesus Christ of the old days" icon?

I'm Eastern Orthodox, but this question can be answered by catholics and any denomination that accepts icons. I went today to my local church and I saw a painting on a wall that I never noticed. It ...
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Significance of one divine essence/nature

All human beings share a common nature/essence, yet are not one "being", but the 3 persons of the Trinity share a common essence/nature and are one being. I have 3 questions here: What ...
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How does the soul fit in with the existence

My question(s) relates to how the soul fits in with the existence "equation" and I have 2 main questions: Is the human soul part of your person or your essence, if essence then do humans ...
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Which theologian advised Theodosius?

This question is based on chapter 23 of the 1988 book by R.P.C. Hanson - The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God: The Arian Controversy, 318-381. "RH" in the quotes below refers to this ...
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What does it mean that the Spirit proceeds from the Father?

The Bible describes the Son as "the only begotten from the Father" (John 1:14). A child is begotten only once. Therefore, I understand "begotten" as a human analogy for how the ...
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Did the Cappadocians teach one or two substances?

"One substance" means that Father and Son are one single substance. That is known as numerical sameness. But if homoousios in the Nicene Creed is translated as "same substance," it ...
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From a non-Trinitarian perspective, how would you show that the Bible does not teach that the Son is equal with the Father?

See below for a more precise definition of the question. Two Views among Evangelicals Ted Peters says that if anything, contemporary mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic trinitarian thinking is “...
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Will all glorified children of God take on the title/name of YHWH in the age to come?

God is 1. I think we can all agree with Jesus' most important commandment... the Shema. I've been told here by the most prudent of Trinitarians, that YHWH is not a being or a person, but instead 3 ...
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Trinitarian Ontology... What is it? Being vs person vs essence vs _______

I will try to ask this unique question again. How can we answer here without defining simple words used to define God? Premise From Wikipedia: Ontology addresses questions of how entities are ...
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Is the theory of Eternal Generation now redundant?

I note that many modern theologians no longer translate monogenēs as “only begotten” but as “unique” or as "one of a kind." Most modern English versions have adopted this new understanding ...
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Catholic Sources Which Point to the Three Visitors to Abraham in Gen. 18 as The Holy Trinity?

Most of the commentary that I have read regarding the identities of the Three Visitors to Abraham in Genesis 18 have all agreed that God (without specifying which Person) was one of them. Many seem to ...
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In what sense was mankind created in the image of a triune essence?

God created mankind in His image. Gen 1 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over ...
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In what way(s) is God the Father a father to God the Son? And in what way(s) is God the Son a son?

Every concept and Truth is from the creative mind of God. This includes what defines a father and a son. By observation, we can know how God defines a father within His design. Some examples of ...
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The Holy Spirit and Revelation 14:1

Revelation 14:1 states (ESV translation): Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. Now, the ...
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According to the Trinitarian interpretation of John 17:3, if Jesus's God and Father is the 1 True God, what type of god is Jesus?

If the Father is the only God who is True, than what type of godhood is the 2nd person of the trinity? John 17:3 (Jesus speaking to his God and Father) And this is eternal life, that they may know ...
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What pronouns make most sense when referencing the Trinity?

The Trinity is 3 persons sharing 1 essence. They share It. (Where does the "He", "Him", "Me", "My" come from?) Jesus uses plural personified pronouns when ...
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According to Trinitarians, when the term Yahweh ('LORD') is used in the OT, who exactly is being referred to?

According to Unitarian Christians, the identity of Yahweh is straightforward. Yahweh = the Father = God. Therefore, linguistic usage in the OT is fairly straightforward. Whenever Yahweh ('LORD') is ...
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According to Trinitarians, were/are some Jews Trinitarians? Who is this "Father" - the Creator spoken of throughout the Old Testament?

The Old Testament identifies YHWH as "our Father", the Creator. Is this "Father"- the first person of the Trinity, God the Father? Is he YHWH, the God of Israel? Malachi 2:10 ...
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Is Jesus God or a Human? [closed]

The Bible describes God as: God is the All-Powerful Creator of the universe. If the God is All-Powerful how would a human (who is the less powerful) be able to crucify the All-Powerful God (Jesus) ...
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According to Trinitarians, is the Holy Spirit quenched and grieved by those who deny His personhood and Christ's deity?

According to Trinitarians, is the Holy Spirit quenched and grieved by those who deny His personhood and Christ's deity? If so, would that mean that people who do not believe in the deity of Christ and ...
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According to Trinitarians, who is the begotten "son" in Psalm 2 and what happened on this "day"?

Psalm 2 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. 7 I will declare the decree: YHWH hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee Question(s) - answer as many as you ...
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For Trinitarians, why is it important to posit Jesus's human nature continued existence post ascension?

Christians belief that God exists in three persons, although being just one entity. One of them is the Father who created the visible and the invisible world. I understand, that the Father was just ...
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How can trinitarians profess co-equality when Jesus said the Father was greater?

Trinitarians typically believe that the persons of the Trinity are coequal. How do they explain Jesus' statement that his Father was greater? Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come ...
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Do Trinitarian denominations believe that the Holy Spirit is omniscient, and do any believe denying it is worthy of expulsion of members?

What is a survey of beliefs in contemporary Trinitarian denominations regarding whether the Holy Spirit - a co-equal person of the Godhead - is omniscient? Do any hold members should be expelled if ...
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How do those who hold to the filiquoe understand 1 Timothy 6:16?

I was thinking about the mention of the Father in the NT with the definite article, first example is John 1:1. In the rest of the NT there is always a theological reverence towards the Father that ...
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How do Trinitarians understand the phrase 'image of God' as in Colossians 1:15?

Colossians 1:15-20 is often cited by Trinitarians as evidence that Jesus is God, because they tend to believe it is describing Jesus as creating all thing and holding all things together in an ...
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In Trinitarian theologies, which nature is subservient to the Father?

In Trinitarian theology, when Jesus uttered the following words that indicate his subservience to the Father, which nature was Jesus "accessing" / "operating in": his divine nature,...
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According to Trinitarians, which person/essence/being/substance/relation is "the Living God"?

Psalm 84:2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of YHWH; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the ...
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According to Trinitarians, who is seated on the Throne and who takes His scroll from His right hand, in Rev 4 and 5?

In Revelation 4 we see the Lord God Almighty sitting on the throne of heaven, who is described as the Creator of all things: Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; ...
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According to Trinitarians who believe Philippians 2:6 says Jesus is God, why did Paul add the word 'form' ('morphe')?

Philippians 2:6 is "Ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ" "Hos en morphe theou hyparchon ouch harpagmon hegesato to einai isa theo" In his talk ...
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According to Trinitarian theologians, why is Christ distinguished from God at 1 Corinthians 11:3 as a man is distinguished from Christ?

1 Corinthians 11:3 is But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. It seems we have 3 distinct beings in the ...
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How can the hypostases be distinct? (Identity Trinitarianism)

NOTE: This question is aimed at those who hold a particular view of the Trinity. If you do not hold the view I am referring to, then this question is not directed torwards you Thomists and other ...
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Can you help me solve this theological puzzle over John 1:14?

John 1:14 is generally used to say that "God" became "flesh" based on the understanding that "the Word" addressed in John 1:1 refers to God. However, several other texts ...
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How do Trinitarians deal with this contradiction regarding the Creator?

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. If a trinitarian is asked which God is being referred to, which God created the heaven and the earth at the beginning, MOST, if not ...
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Do any Trinitarian denominations teach from John 1 with, 'In the beginning was Jesus'?

We all know what it says, many can recite the first 3 verse of John without hesitation. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with ...
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Should the phrase "God from God" in the Nicene Creed be translated as "god from god"?

I previously posted the question: I understand the word theos may be translated as "God" or as "god." Bible writers added words (the, true, only, or one) to indicate the Almighty. ...
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How do non-trinitarians respond to the argument that God is love necessitates the eternity of the Son? [duplicate]

A common argument for the Trinity (or at least the eternity of The Son) is that God is love, For if there be a being without beginning, existing before all things, was He loving when there was ...
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Can a human coherently claim to be "God the father"?

Can a human coherently claim to be "God the father"? Apologies for the obscure question; I have not read much of the bible. Is it theologically (metaphysically?) possible for a human (I ...
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Does the Personalistic Norm apply to Divine Persons?

St. Pope John Paul II would be wont to say: "the person is a good towards which the only proper and adequate attitude is love." but in this sense, does "person" equally apply to ...
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Absolute Divine Simplicity (ADS) and the Trinity

Though apparent, the framework of the Triune Godhead appears logically incoherent in juxtaposition to the Absolute Divine Simplicity model. Looking through the works of Thomas Aquinas, who is the most ...
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Are WLC's arguments against Relative Identity Trinitarianism valid?

In his book Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, William Lane Craig offers three arguments against Relative Identity. The first argument regards the alleged "spurious" nature ...
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Does the Catholic's Trinity doctrine imply that the Unitarian God Multiplied into Three persons by Generating the other Two?

Does the cause-effect and begotten doctrine of the Eastern and Roman Catholic Church imply a division or multiplication in the nature of God? Unitarian God (Father) begets or caused into effect the ...
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Trinity as God in Three Persons or Manifestations? [duplicate]

Where does scripture support the Holy Spirit is a Person? Where in scripture is it essential-for-salvation to claim God is in Three Persons? How does the claim of 'God in Three Persons' reconcile the ...