1. Christianity Theme 2 b
The Atheist Bill Maher on the Trinity and
Bishop Robert Barron ‘What is the Trinity’

2. The notion of God as existing in Three Person assists many Christians in understanding the relationship between God as Father, God as Son and God as the Holy Spirit. Candidates should be aware of the role of Trinitarian ideas in establishing a shared Christian orthodoxy. Candidates should have an understanding of the Christian claims concerning the eternal pre-existence and divinity of Jesus. Candidates may wish to refer back to Section 1A here. Although not listed in the specification, candidates might find it helpful to look at some key passages in the New Testament which illuminate the relationship between Christ and the Father. For example, John 10:30, Colossians 1:15 and John 8:58. In parallel to these ideas students should be familiar with Christian beliefs concerning the full humanity of Christ. The notion of the co-eternity of the Father and Son means that there was not a point where the Father existed and the Son did not, rather the Son was always in and with God from the beginning. Candidates should be aware of the role that this idea plays in theological discussions surrounding Jesus' divinity. A further area for study concerns the origin of the Holy Spirit. Candidates should be introduced to the sources and consequences of the filioque ('and the son') controversy. In particular, candidates should be aware of the implications of the conflict for Christian understanding of the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The question at stake in the discussion was whether the Spirit proceeded from the Father and Son as a co-eternal unity, or whether the Spirit proceeds from the Father. This is significant for an understanding of the Trinity since it poses the question as to whether all Persons in the Trinity are equal, or is there a hierarchy

3. What is the Trinity?
The idea of God as existing in Three Persons assists many Christians in understanding the relationship between God as Father, God as Son and God as the Holy Spirit.
‘Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19) ‘May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all’ 2 Corinthians 13:14)

6. What three things does the doctrine of the Trinity assert?
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons
Each Person is fully God; the three are coexistent, coeternal and coequal
There is only one God; the doctrine does not split God into three parts

7. Key Questions to ask about the Trinity?
How is the Son related to the Father? How is the Father related to the Son? How is the Spirit related to the Father and Son? Is Jesus, human, God, something else?

8. Three heresies
Adoptionism – Jesus was an ordinary man who became the Son of God at his baptism Sabellinism – belief that Jesus was divine but not human Arianism – belief that Jesus was the highest of all created beings but not of the same substance as God

9. The Council of Nicaea The debate between Arius and Athanasius
Jesus was the greatest of all created beings but not of the same substance of the Father
The Trinity!
One God
Equal in glory, coeternal in majesty

10. The Nicene Creed
WE BELIEVE in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

11. Biblical foundations God the Father Jesus as God
The Holy Spirit as God
God the Father referred to as plural
 In the New Testament Jesus is referred to as God
 John 14:23 the indwelling of the HS is linked to the indwelling of Jesus
 In Genesis – God refers to himself in the plural ‘Let us make humankind in our image’
 John 1 Jesus was the word and the word was God . . .
John 20 ‘My Lord, my God’
 Matthew – disciples told to baptise all nations ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the HS
 St Paul – Jesus ‘was in the form of God’ but didn’t regard equally with God as something to be exploited
 Paul in Romans, if the Spirit of God (calls Spirit of Christ) dwells in him then God will do

12. More biblical evidence
1 Corinthians 8:4New International Version (NIV)
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-5New International Version (NIV)
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Mark 12:29New International Version (NIV)
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a]

13. Trinity as a mystery
"The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the 'hierarchy of the truths of faith'. [GCD 43.] The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men 'and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin'. [GCD 47.]" Catechism of the Catholic Church

14. The origin of the Holy Spirit: The Filioque Controversy
The filioque clause or more appropriately the filioque controversy has to do with the Latin phrase, translated "and the son", which was accepted as an addition to the Nicene Creed by the Western churches and subsequently opposed by the Eastern churches:
Filioque:
Amendments to the Nicene Creed – see page 2

15. Council of Constantinople 381 CE
Council of Christian bishops called by the Roman Emperor. This second ecumenical council was an effort to get agreement in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom.
Council of Toledo 589 CE
The Nicene Creed was amended
Another change to the Nicene Creed
Credo in Spiritum Sanctum qui ex patre filioque procedit ("I believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and Son")
The Nicene Creed was amended
Another change to the Nicene Creed
Credo in Spiritum Sanctum qui ex patre filioque procedit ("I believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and Son")

16. What is the filioque controversy and why is it still going on today
What is the filioque controversy and why is it still going on today? Page 50

17. The Immanent Trinity and the Economic Trinity
Immanent Trinity signifies . . .
Economic Trinity signifies
Explain the Western Churches attitude to the Trinity – add scholars and examples
Explain the Eastern Churches attitude to the Trinity –include structure and actions
Explain modern developments of the Trinity – include Enlightenment, Schleiermacher

18. Read the summary of Barth and problems with the modern developments of the Trinity.
You will not be able to cover them all in an answer, so select three or four that you would use to write about the Trinity bearing in mind the three elements of the Specification: ‘nature and identity of Christ’; ‘relationship with the Father’; and , ‘the origin of the Holy Spirit’.

19. Barth’s modern development of the Trinity
Problems with Barth’s model of the Trinity
Answers to the problems

20. ‘The concept of the Trinity is monotheistic’. Evaluate this view
‘The concept of the Trinity is monotheistic’. Evaluate this view. 30 marks.
Introduction – outline the argument – 3 in 1 is logical nonsense, even Christians claim it is a mystery!
Paragraph 1 – Not monotheistic – like Hinduism or Paganism
Paragraph 2 – Father and Son are separate (Arianism)
Paragraph 3 – Christianity is monotheistic – analogies – Augustine and Welsh theologian
Paragraph 4 – Trinity about relationship
Conclusion – refer to the question and answer it!

21. ‘The doctrine of the Trinity is unbiblical’. Evaluate this view
‘The doctrine of the Trinity is unbiblical’. Evaluate this view. 30 marks
Analyse the sample answer on page 57/18 .
Use it and page 56/17 and the rest of this booklet as basis to write a perfect answer!