Question

Outline the development of the doctrine of the Trinity from the New Testament to the Nicene Creed. in religion

Answer 1

Development of the Doctrine of the Trinity

From the New Testament to the Nicene Creed

Often the origins of a doctrine can help bring deep understanding of its meaning and what it is supposed to accomplish. Each generation tends to take the creed and re-write it utilizing the current language styles of their era but the essential message remains.

My research regarding the development of the Doctrine of the Trinity from the New Testament to the Nicene Creed taught me several things about its origin. Through this research I will discuss the origins of the doctrine of the Trinity and what the scriptures tell people so that they can know who God is because of what He has done by bringing Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to His believers to teach people and guide them.

In Christian doctrine the Trinity is the description of God and His inherent nature and how He should and should not be viewed. The doctrine tells people that there is one and only one God, and that he eternally exists in three persons. The Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God but they are three separate and distinct different entities.

Each one glorifies the other but is not in each other. But each one has God in them. This is a concept that confuses a lot of regular everyday people but is one that should be fully understood in order to have a good

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relationship with God. "Trinitarian reasoning is a pattern for reminding people what the shape of such knowing is, and an aid to handling the difficult relationship between knowing and not knowing." (Adams, pg.6)

The doctrine of the Trinity was developed in the early church in the 4th century in reaction to monotheistic teachings of several different religions that had popped up.

Arianism being the main target of the early church's attempt at disputing monotheism; monotheism is the belief there is only one God and that Jesus was just a prophet and a lesser being than God, rather than an equal to Him or a part of Him.

The Arian's believed that the analogies in scriptures that referred to Father and Son proved their point that Jesus was not divine. While the Christian's also believed their point in a Triune God was also demonstrated by scriptures. The first step the Christian bishops took was to come up with a way to define the relationship of God and His son Jesus. In the original Nicene Creed they used the term hommoousis which means in English "one in being," homo means, "the same" and ousia means, "being." (Albi, pg 154)

The term "Trinity" or "Triune" never appears in the Bible. Theophilus of Antioch around 180 A.D. first used the Greek term "trias"(a set of three) in reference to God, his Word, and his Wisdom. ..