Posted on 08/10/2006 6:22:46 PM PDT by Teófilo
Folks, I've been leafing through volume 11 of the Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Catholicism which I purchased second hand. The title of this volume is What is the Trinity? and also contains a study on The Holy Spirit. Bernard Piault wrote What is the Trinity, and indeed it's a very rich study on this most central question in Christian Theism. At the beginning of its fifth chapter I found three tables detailing the different kinds of Trinitarian heresies and their refutations. I'm going to try to reproduce these tables below for your information. All those spaces correspond roughly to those in the original tables.
I. Total Rejection of the Trinity
|
Heresy |
Refutation |
||||
| Year | Of Judaizing Origin | Of Philosophical Origin | Inspired Writers | Final Authority | Christian Teachers |
| 50
100
150 200 |
Ebionites Cerinthus (96-100)
|
Simon Magus. Basilides.
Valentine
(Widespread Gnosticism) |
St. Paul St. John |
The Apostles' Creed |
St. Clement of Rome (96-100) St. Ignatius of Antioch (+107) St. Justin (150) St. Ireneaus |
II. Rejection of the Distinctions of Persons
|
Heresy |
Refutation |
|||
| Year | Adoptionism | Modalism | Teachers | Final Authority |
|
200
250
|
Theodotus the Currier Theodotus the Banker Artemon Paul of Samosata (The Word lives in the man Jesus as in a Temple. Hence, Jesus is not the Son of God) |
Praxeas Sabellius Noetus of Smyrna |
Tertullian (213-18) Hyppolytus of Rome (c. 230-40) |
The two Denises (265) The Three Councils of Antioch(263-8) |
III. Rejection of Equality of Persons
|
Heresy |
Refutation |
|||
| Year | About the Word | About the Holy Spirit | Teachers | Final Authority |
| 300
350
400
|
Arius Eusebius of Nicomedia Eusebius of Caesarea Anomeans Homoiousians Homoeans |
Pneumatomachians Macedonius
Marathon |
St. Alexander of Alexandria (320) St. Athanasius St. Hilary St. Athanasius St. Basil of Caesarea St. Gregory of Nyssa St. Gregory Nazianzen |
Nicea (325)
Alexandria (362)
2nd Council of Constantinople (381 |
PING!
Interesting stuff. Bookmarked to read through later.
Thanks!
...yet the heresy lives on...
This is from a messianic site, that supports Jesus as the messiah...but not as God, or part of a trinity.
http://www.torahofmessiah.com/trinity_art.html
Also, Biblical Unitarians see Jesus as the son of God, but not as part of a trinity, co-equal with God. They back their position w/ scripture...and also address the gospel of John, which is always the gospel Christians use to "prove" that Jesus claimed to be God:
http://biblicalunitarian.com/html/index.php
This site denounces the trinity too (but i think they beleive Jesus was the messiah) Go here and click on Lesson 5 which clearly shows Jesus as inferior to God the Father.
http://www.hutchinsoncog.com/SysTheology/index.html
And the following sites explain the Christian reinterpretation of Jewish scripture:
http://www.messiahtruth.com/trintorah.html ("Is the Trinity Found in the Torah?" addresses the Christian re- interpretation of Gen.)
http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/web/faq/faq134.html (addresses Gen 1:26)
http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/web/faq/faq-tr.html (addresses much more re: the trinity)
http://www.outreachjudaism.org/genesis1-26.html (addresses Gen 1:26)
http://www.whatjewsbelieve.org/ (Click on "God is one and indivisible" in the left hand column.)
Very nicely done!
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Ironically the Final Authority section omits the Bible!
But then again, "trinity" is un-Biblical, can't be found there, and is a demonic inspired doctrine spread by men that denies that Christ came in the flesh.
Omits the bible? I'm sure scripture was involved in all of the councils...
You assume too much.
Can you show me the word 'trinity' in the Bible? No.
Maybe there's a reason it isn't there.
Can you show me the words "God the Son" in the Bible? No.
Maybe there is a reason they aren't there.
Trinintarian doctrine says that God is three while the Bible says that God is one.
Trinintarian doctrine says that Jesus Christ is God...but the Bible says that the man Christ Jesus is the one mediator between men and God (NOT Mary!!!!)
You can believe what you want to believe. And you will.
Jesus says I am the great I Am. He says he is the Lord of the Sabbath. It is why the Jews wanted him stoned. To them, it was blasphemy.
I am not one to get into lengthy debates. I do not doubt that you believe what you believe. In my 'theology according to me' thinking ;) I believe the Lord knows your heart. He knows what dwells there. He knows if I seek truth. He knows if you seek truth. Does it make you a better person, a more Christ-like person to deny the Trinity? If you feel it does, than you are seeking what you think is truth. But ultimately if we go to bed at night with anger in our hearts because there are people out there that do not agree with a certain interpretation of Scripture, then we might reexamine if we are seeking truth. Is this an academic search or a spiritual one? Ultimately anything that causes hate, anything that causes us to pass judgement, leads us farther from truth.
Love one another.
Short of retyping the entire book...no. :-)
-Theo
Those who deny the Tri-Unity of God can't understand, much less explain, even less experience, how God is Love.
-Theo
The church refered to Christ as God and the Holy Spirit as God long before the word trinity was used to describe God.
very nicely done. :-)
I notice all the refutataions were done via the Magisterium of the Christian Catholic Church.
One can almost see some sort of pattern...
Why am I not surprised? Wouldn't it be great to have a "make it up as you go along religion" and then declare everyone a heretic who didn't agree with you.
But then again, "trinity" is un-Biblical, can't be found there, and is a demonic inspired doctrine spread by men that denies that Christ came in the flesh."
As you yourself have said....."to support the idea of a 3 in 1 Godhead you must use terms not found in the Bible, rely on false scripture and twisted interpretations that contradict extremely clear scripture and create a convoluted theory that no one really understands......forcing its adherents to declare it a mystery.
Mat 6:9 Therefore pray in this way: Our Father, who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Mat 14:23 And when He had sent the crowds away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray. And when evening had come, He was there alone.
Mat 26:36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane. And He said to the disciples, Sit here while I go and pray there.
Here is Jesus standing at the right hand of God. How can you stand at the right hand of yourself?
Act 7:55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, looking up intently into Heaven, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Act 7:56 And he said, Behold, I see Heaven opened and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.
Rom 8:34 Who is he condemning? It is Christ who has died, but rather also who is raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
Col 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.
1Pe 3:21 which figure now also saves us, baptism; not a putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ; 1Pe 3:22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into Heaven, where the angels and authorities and powers are being subjected to Him.
And how can Jesus be our Mediator and our God at the same time?
1Ti 2:5 For God is one, and there is one Mediator of God and of men, the Man Christ Jesus, 1Ti 2:6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 1Ti 2:7 To this I am ordained a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie), a teacher of the nations, in faith and truth.
Heb 9:15 And for this cause He is the Mediator of the new covenant, so that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, those who are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
The doctrine of the trinity is a modern version of baal worship which was the antithesis to worship of the true God.
Read the other comments on the thread.
If Jesus is God, how can be between mediator between man and God?
God is spirit and invisible. Jesus is God's representation but not God.
God is not a man that he should lie nor the son of man tha he should repent.
God cannot be tempted. Jesus was tempted in all ways.
There is one God; God is one. The Trininty is three.
Yeah, I know what I believe and can articulate it as do some others on this thread.
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