1. Lecture 7 The Trinity
Dr. Ann T. Orlando

2. Outline De Trinitate Anselm, Monologion
Early Modern Rejection of personal God
Filioque Controversy

3. Latin Background: Tertullian
Father of Latin Theology ( )
North African, deeply effected Cyprian
And then both Catholic and Donatists in North Africa
May of may not have been a lawyer; may or may not have been a Montanist
In Against Praxesis uses word Trinity and describes Trinity as unity of persons (persona)

4. 4th Century Christological and Trinitarian Controversies
Who was Jesus Christ? What was the relationship between His divinity and humanity?
What happened at the Incarnation?
Recall that earliest heresy denied His humanity (docetism)
How to describe the relationship of the “persons” in the Trinity?
Three Gods?
One God with three aspects?
Controversies used technical philosophical language
Controversies hinged on proper interpretation of Scripture:
Proverbs 8:22 ff
Genesis 1-3
John 1:1-14

5. Greek Background: Arianism
Arius ( ) studied in Antioch, ordained presbyter in Alexandria
Jesus as Word, but Word created
“there was when he was not”
Wanted to firmly support monotheism
But 4th C dispute also a dispute about Origen

6. Background to Nicene Creed
Council of Nicea called by Constantine in 325
to resolve Arian controversy and
bring unity to Church, and
therefore unity to Empire
Virtually all Eastern bishops and some Western bishops attended
Bishop Alexander of Antioch succeeded in routing the Arian bishops

7. Nicene Creed Based on various “Rules of Faith”
Lex orandi, lex credendi; the law of prayer is the law of faith
What the Church prays is what the Church believes
Based on Scripture, but wanted to be philosophically precise
Used a word not found in Scripture: homoousia

8. Arianism after Nicea Continued to be a very potent heresy
Also, politically well connected: Constantine may have been baptized by an Arian bishop
His son, Constanstius, d. 360 took side of Arians;
Sent Arian missionaries to Germany
Alaric and the Goths who sacked Rome in 410 were Arian Christians
His cousin, Julian the Apostate, d. 363 tried to return the Empire to paganism
Of the claimants to Empire after Julian
Valantinian I in West, pro-Nicene (although his mother was an Arian)
Valens in East was a semi-Arian
Finally ‘settled’ with Theodosius the Great,
Council of Constantinople, 381, promulgates Nicene-Constantinople Creed,
What we now have
Note structure of CCC

9. Augustine and The Trinity
Meditation on Trinity probably the most important personal meditation by Augustine
Always thinking about it, writing about the Trinity
Although opposed to Arians, Augustine’s Trinitarian works are far more than a refutation of Arianism
Understood that the Trinity was ultimately mystery, but always looked for ways to approach that mystery
Story of Augustine on sea shore

10. De Trinitate Books I-IV
Book I: Augustine addresses his readers
Importance of Catholic tradition
Rule for interpreting Scripture concerning the Trinity: Son is equal to Father in the form of God, less than the Father in form of a servant
Book II: Mission of persons of Trinity does not change equality among them
Old Testament theophanies
Book III: Angels and miracles in Old Testament
Book IV: Jesus Christ Mediator
Inseparability of persons of Trinity, but must be manifested to us separately because of our limitations

11. Books V - VII Book V: Analysis of words describing God
Refutation of Arian language
Spirit as datus, Son as natus
Book VI: Question of interpretation of 1 Cor 1:24 the power and wisdom of God
Refutation of Arians
Book VII: Continuation of 1 Cor. 1:24
Study of Greek word hypostasis

12. Book VIII God is Truth, God is Good, God is Love
Happiness is found in full knowledge and enjoyment of God
But how can we love God if we do not (cannot) know Him?
Definition of love: True love is that by which we should live justly by cleaving to the truth, and so for the love of men by which we wish them to live justly we should despise all mortal things. (VIII.5.10)
There you are with three: the lover, what is being loved and love (VIII.5.14)
We have said enough to provide a frame of a kind of warp for what remains to b e said.

13. Book IX - XII Book IX: How we love
Human mind knows itself, loves itself
But human mind is always changing
Book X: The mind knows it is incomplete
Memory, understanding, will are the triad that best describe the mind
Book XI: How sense perceptions are processed
Book XII: Memory, understanding, will as the imago Dei
But the true image of God is not in the mind

14. Book XIII - XV Book XIII: The Word of God
Christ as knowledge and wisdom of God
Reconsideration of the happy life: not found in this life
Only possible because of redemption by Christ
Book XIV: Importance of faith in this life
Further thoughts on memory, intellect and will in man
But because this changes, need external standards to judge truth and right conduct
Book XIV: How analogy helps us to approach image of Trinity
How the analogy fails

15. Key Points in Augustine
Relationship among persons of Trinity
God is Love
Love implies relationship
Transcendence and eminence
The trinity in man
Knowing, Understanding, Willing

16. De Trinitate and Holy Spirit
What is relation of Spirit to Father and Son?
The Spirit proceeds from the Father (II.5)
The Spirit is sent into the world by and proceeds from the Son (IV.29-30)
The Spirit as love and the gift of love (XV.27-32)

17. Augustine and Eastern Christianity
Augustine greatly influenced by Ambrose and Hilary
Both Ambrose and Hilary introduced bring Eastern theologians to West
Ambrose greatly influenced by Capaddocians
Augustine hampered by lack of Greek
Major contention between Augustine and Greek contemporaries: Pelagianism, not filioque

18. Impact in West
De Trinitate becomes the fundamental doctrinal statement on the Trinity in the West
Perhaps no other work of Augustine will carry such unquestioned authority in the Middle Ages

19. Anselm (1033-1109) Born in northern Italy
Studied and became abbot at a Benedictine monastery in Normandy
Went to (recently conquered) England in 1092
Became Archbishop of Canterbury
Among his most important works:
Proslogion: Ontological proofs for existence of God
Cur Deus Homo: Christology of satisfaction
Monologion

20. Monologion Written 1076, a type of soliloquy or meditation
Attempt to understand the Trinity without recourse to Scripture or other authority
But how does Anselm know he has gotten to the ‘right’ answer?
Read Preface and Chapter Titles
Read Chapters 49-61
Available at
What is significance of Augustine?

21. Aquinas on the Trinity Thinking about God in Aristotelian categories
ST Ia Q39 attempts to reconcile Nicea and Augustine with these categories

22. John Calvin Calvin cautiously accepts Nicene Creed
But is concerned about non-Biblical language (Homoousia)
Relies on Augustine as a guide to thinking about Trinity
But very cautious about analogies
He rejects imago Dei as memory, intellect and will
Note which Books of De Trinitate Calvin uses; not emphasis on Biblical exegesis
Institutes of Christian Religion I.13 and I.15

23. Filioque History Filioque = and the Son
Interpolation in the Nicene Creed in Latin
Appears in West in late 7th C in some versions of Creed
Accepted as standard in imperial liturgy by Charlemagne (early 9th C)
Becomes a doctrinal area of contention between Europe and Byzantium as part of broader political confrontation
Pope Leo III knew filioque was not a good translation from Greek
Accepted as standard in Europe in 12th C
Coincides with beginning of Crusades and renewed friction with Byzantium
De Trinitate translated into Greek in 1274
Coincides with Byzantine request for reunification with West for defense against Turks
Strongly influenced great Eastern mystic Gregory Palamas ( )
Renewed friction over filioque after fall of Constantinople (1453)

24. Current Work The Filioque: A Church Dividing Issue?
Joint USCCB and Orthodox Statement
October 2003
Organization of Document
I Holy Spirit in Scripture
II Historical Considerations
III Theological Considerations
IV Recommendations
Available at
Pay special attention to Part III

25. Early Modern Rejection of Trinity
All reformers (16th C) are Trinitarians
17th C opens up possibility of ‘public’ rejection of Trinitarianism
Thirty Years War
Scientific discoveries

26. Development of a new secular philosophy: Enlightenment
Science (as we now define it) as the basis for knowledge; (Francis Bacon)
Human reason can figure it (anything, everything) out; is always making progress
Devalue history, tradition
Toleration as the basis for political-religious relationship; (John Locke)
Separation of Church and State
Individual rights, not duty, as basis for political systems and society; (Thomas Jefferson)
Social contract not natural law as basis of legal system
Becomes an alternative to established religions

27. Thomas Jefferson ( )
Raised an Episcopalian, studied a William and Mary
Heroes: John Locke, Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton
The most articulate writer of American Revolution; also greatly influenced and influenced by French philosophes and French Revolution
William Short was a friend and fellow Deist
Note rejection of Christian Christology
Note rejection of ‘Platonisms’ in theology
Read his “Epitome of Christianity” and his “Letter to William Short”, comparing Jesus and Epicurus, which includes an epitome of Epicureanism

28. Assignments Augustine Anselm, Monologion, Aquinas Calvin
De Trinitate IV.29-30, XV.27-32
Anselm, Monologion,
Read Preface and Chapter Titles
Read Chapters 49-61
Available at
Aquinas
ST Ia Q39
Calvin
Institutes of Christian Religion I.13 and I.15
The Filioque: A Church Dividing Issue?
Available at
Thomas Jefferson,
“Epitome of Christianity”
“Letter to William Short”