Trinity Schminity

What the Early Church Believed: Trinitarian Baptism

What are different interpretations of the Trinity?

The doctrine of the Trinity has been interpreted in various ways throughout Christian history. Here are some key perspectives:

Classical Trinity: This view, held by most mainstream Christian denominations, teaches that God exists as three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who are co-equal and co-eternal. Each person is fully God, yet there is only one God.
Relational Trinity: Some theologians emphasize the relational aspect of the Trinity, suggesting that the three persons exist in a dynamic relationship of love and unity. This perspective highlights the interconnectedness of the divine persons rather than focusing solely on their distinct identities.
Orthodox Christian Understanding: Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy uphold the Trinity as a divine mystery, emphasizing that each person is co-equal and co-eternal. The Nicene Creed affirms this belief, stating that Jesus is "true God from true God".
Protestant Interpretations: While Protestant denominations generally accept the Trinity, some emphasize different aspects. Evangelicals often focus on Jesus' role as Savior, while mainline Protestants may explore varying expressions of Trinitarian worship and theology.
Non-Traditional Views: Some groups reject the Trinity altogether. Unitarians believe in a singular God without distinct persons, viewing Jesus as an important prophet but not divine. Oneness Pentecostals embrace "modalism," which teaches that God manifests in different modes (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) rather than existing as three distinct persons.

Each interpretation reflects different theological emphases and historical developments. - Copilot

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God or Son? Jesus Is God? THE FOURTH MAN Yahshua: Did He Pre-exist? Yahshua Came Down From Heaven Can A Spirit Being Die?

Yahshua's Glory Before the Foundation of the World Did Our Saviour Pre-exist? Yahshua A Man The Greek Word Logos Yahshua: Son Of Elohim Hebrews 1:12

The 2nd Psalm - Pre-existence? The Pre-existence Yahshua's Pre-existence "One And The Same Being?" ONE LONE YAHWEH Oneness Matthew 28:19 ECHAD And Pre-existence New Covenant And Sabbath

YHWH Did Yahshua Create? Who Is The Word? Who Raised Yahshua From The Dead? The Word of Yahweh The First & The Last Yeshua Is Not Yahowah The Holy Spirit Is An It

Elohim: Singular Or Plural? TWO YAHWEHS? Did The Father And Son Have The Same Name? Are You A Nicolaitane? Should Believers Be Vegetarians? Voy Wilks On STDs Can A Spirit Being Die?

Who Was Cain's Wife? Santa God Sabbath Church Confessions House of Yahweh - Abilene, Texas TRM Wine Or Grape Juice?

The Name Jesus "Jesus IS God!" Links Eternal Virgin? THE TESTIMONY OF THE REFORMERS The Epistle Dedicatory To The 1611 Authorized Version Isaiah 9:6

Trinity Schminity

The Law

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Textual Corruptions Favoring the Trinitarian Position

"For there are three that bear record [in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth], the spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three agree in one." (1 John 5:7-8, KJV)

The oldest and most reliable Bible manuscripts do not include the words within the brackets in the above scripture and most recognized Bible scholars do not recognize them as part of the original text. The Revised Standard Version states:

"And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth. There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree." (1 John 5:7-8 – RSV, cf. NIV, MEB, NEB, TLB, GNB, NAS)

“Trinity (theology), in Christian theology, doctrine that God exist as three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – who are united in one substance or being. The doctrine is not taught explicitly in the New Testament, where the word God almost invaribly refers to the Father; …”

Encarta Encyclopedia

“Nowhere in the New Testament is a fully formulated doctrine of the Trinity stated.”

Baptist Quarterly

Adult Sunday School Edition

January, Febuary, March

1974, Page 26.

“Is there one who fears God, … who would not admit that Paganism alone could ever have inspired such a doctrine as that avowed by the Melchites at the Nicene Council, That the Holy Trinity consists of 'the Father, the Virgin Mary, and the Messiah their Son'?”

The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop Loizeaux Brothers Neptune, N.J. Page 89.

“Will anyone after this say that the Roman Catholic Church must still be called Christian, because it holds the doctrine of the Trinity? So did the Pagan Babylonians, so did the Egyptians, so do the Hindoos at this hour, in the very sense that Rome does. They all admit a Trinity, but did they worship the Triune Jehovah, the King Eternal, Immortal, and Invisible?”

Ibid, Page 90.

Igdrasil, or Ygdrasil – “Norse myth. The great tree of the universe, having three roots which embrace and support heaven, hell and earth, destined to live until the world comes to an end.”

Winston Dictionary, 1943 Edition

The Catholic Encyclopedia: “For nowhere in the Old Testament do we find any clear indication of a Third Person. Mention is often made of the Spirit of the Lord, but there is nothing to show that the Spirit was viewed as distinct from Yahweh Himself. The term is always employed to signify God considered in His working, whether in the universe or in the soul of man.”

The Encyclopedia Americana: “Fourth century Trinitarianism did not reflect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was, on the contrary, a deviation from this teaching.”

A Dictionary of Religious Knowledge: “Many say that the Trinity is a corruption borrowed from the heathen religions, and ingrafted on the Christian faith.”

The Paganism in Our Christianity: “The origin of the Trinity is entirely pagan.”

The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge: “The doctrines of the Logos and the Trinity received their shape from Greek Fathers, who were much influenced, directly or indirectly, by the Platonic philosophy. That errors and corruptions crept into the church from this source cannot be denied.”

The Church of the First Few Centuries: “The Doctrine of the Trinity was of gradual and comparatively late formation. It had its origin in a source entirely foreign from that of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. It grew up, and was ingrafted on Christianity, through the hands of the Platonizing Fathers.”

Outlines of the History of Dogma: “Church doctrine became rooted in the soil of Hellenism (pagan Greek thought). Thereby it became a mystery to the great majority of Christians.”

The Illustrated Bible Dictionary: “The word Trinity is not found in the Bible…It did not find a place formally in the theology of the church till the 4th century.”

The Encyclopedia of Religion: “Theologians agree that the New Testament does not contain an explicit doctrine of the Trinity.”

The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology: “The New Testament does not contain the developed doctrine of the Trinity.”

The Encyclopedia Americana: “Christianity derived from Judaism, and Judaism was strictly Unitarian [believing that God is one person]. The road that led from Jerusalem to Nicaea was scarcely a straight one. Fourth century Trinitarianism did not reflect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was, on the contrary, a deviation from this teaching.” –(1956), Vol. XXVII, p. 294L.

The Nouveau Dictionary Universel: “The Platonic Trinity, itself merely a rearrangement of older trinities dating back to earlier peoples, appears to be the rational philosophic trinity of attributes that gave rise to the three hypostases or divine persons taught by the Christian churches…This Greek philosopher’s [Plato, fourth century BCE ] conception of the divine trinity…can be found in all the ancient [pagan] religions.” (Paris,1865-1870), edited by M.Lachatre, Vol. 2, p. 1467.

Dictionary of the Bible by John L. Mckenzie, S.J: “The trinity of persons within the unity of nature is defined in terms of ‘person’ and ‘nature’ which are Greek philosophical terms; actually the terms do not appear in the Bible. The Trinitarian definitions arose out of long controversies in which these terms and others such as ‘essence’ and ‘substance’ were erroneously applied to God by some theologians.” – (New York, 1965), p. 899.

The New Encyclopedia Britannica: “Neither the word Trinity, nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament: ‘Hear O Israel; YHWH our God is one Lord’ (Deut. 6:4)…The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies…By the end of the 4th century the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since.” -(1976), Micropedia, Vol.X, p. 126.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia: “The formulation ‘one God in three persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formula that has first claim to the title the Trinitarian dogma. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.” –(1967), Vol. XIV, p. 299.

“Long ago – right after the Flood, a man named Nimrod emerged on the scene of history. His name means “let us rebel”. He led the founding of the first great civilization – Babylon…He led them to rebel against God. He had tremendous power, so much that hebecame a god in the eyes of the people. When he died,his wife, Semiramis, recognized that without him she might loose power herself, so she devised a clever plan.Semiramis was pregnant. She told everyone that the child in her womb was none other than Nimrod being reborn. This was the beginning of the greatest perversion… the concept of father/son deity, the very first incomprehensible divine trinity (the unexplainable mystery)…” – Resurrection Sunday and the Babylonian Connection; By Errol Hale

“Bel (Lord) was the oldest and mightiest of the gods of Babylonia, one of the earliest trinities. He was “Lord of the World. The “doctrine of the Trinity” is first met northeast of the Indus; and, tracing it to Asia Minor and Europe, one recognizes it among every people who had anything like an established religion. It was taught in the oldest Chaldean, Egyptian, and Mithraic schools. The Chaldean Sun-god, Mithra, was called “Triple”

and the trinitarian idea of the Chaldeans was a doctrine of the Akkadians who, themselves, belonged to a race which was the first to conceive a metaphysical trinity. According to the archeologist Rawlinson, the Chaldeans were a tribe of the Akkadians who lived in Babylonia fromearliest times…” – THEOSOPHY, Vol. 52, No. 6, April, 1964 (Pages 175-182) THE CHALDEAN LEGEND

“In ancient days Satan seemed to make Babylon the capital of his evil operation. From this headquarters was started false religion.”-(Revelation Illustrated and Made Plain p. 224).

“the Tower of Babel was actually the worship of Satanin the form of fire, the sun and the serpent. However, Satan worship could not be done openly because of the many who still believed in the true God of Noah. So a mystery religion began at Babel where Satan could be

worshipped in secret.” – Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, 2nd American ed. Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1959) 5, 24.)

“The researches of modern writers….. uniformly regard Babylon… as the cradle of the ancient Paganism.” –The Worship of the Dead (London; 1904), Colonel J. Garnier, pg. 8

“Babylon was, at that time, the center of the civilized world; and thus Paganism…had opportunities of sending forth its debased counterfeit

of the truth to all the ends of the earth.” – Hislop, A., The Two Babylons, Loiseaux Brothers, Neptune, N.J. pg 99.

Unlike early Christianity, which worshipped the Jewish God, Jehovah – The apostate Church adopted the Trinity god of Ancient Babylon.

“The trinity got its start in Ancient Babylon with Nimrod – Tammuz – and Semiramis. Semiramis demanded worship for both her husband

and her son as well as herself. She claimed that her son, was both the father and the son. Yes, he was “god the father” and “god the son” –

The first divine incomprehensible trinity.” –The Two Babylons ; Alexander Hislop; p.51

“There were triads of gods…”- (Babylonian and Assyrian Religion, Norman, Okla.; 1963, S. H. Hooke, pp. 14-40)

Rome Adopts Babylon's Errors

“The doctrine that Jesus Christ the Son of God was God the son was decreed by worldly and ecclesiastical powers. Men were forced to accept it

at the point of the sword or else, Thus, the error of the trinity was propounded to the end that ultimately people believed it to be the truth.

Thus Christianity became in essence like 'Babylonian' heathenism, with only a veneer of Christian names.” — Forgers of the Word -1983 Victor Paul Wierwille

“The Babylonian pagan worship of Nimrod, Semiramis, and the god-incarnate son extended throughout the entire world and eventually assumed the name of Trinitarian Christianity.” – The Two Babylons, pp. 240-252.

Babylon is the source of false religion, Revelation 17:1-6.

“Though the city of Babylon was destroyed, its religious concepts and customs had spread around the world. Today’s myriad of false religions

have their origin in ancient Babylon.” - All Roads Lead to Babylon

“Ralph Woodrow, in his book, Babylon Mystery Religion (first published in 1966, now out of print), clearly traces the practices and teachings of ancient Babylon, and their modern counterparts in the Roman Catholic Church and her Protestant daughters. Babylonian ideas

are by no means isolated to professing Christianity.” - All Roads Lead to Babylon

“Mankind in general, has followed variations of one kind or another, of the religion of Babylon, to this day.” - Ralph Woodrow; Babylon Mystery Religion; 1966

“Rome…assimilated religions from her many conquered territories. All these religions had commonalities, for they all came from Babylon.

These practices infiltrated and overcame the professing Christian Church, which later came to be dominated by Rome itself.” - Ralph Woodrow;

Babylon Mystery Religion; 1966

“This is the cup which the Babylonish system has made all the world to drink. It is not limited to the Roman Catholic Church of Rome, but she certainly plays a major role in today’s religious deception.”- Ralph Woodrow; Babylon Mystery Religion; 1966

“The Romish system is based upon a mixture. The word “Catholic” means Universal…the true Christian goal is not religion based on mixture,

but a return to the original, simple, powerful, and spiritual faith that was once delivered to the saints. -Ralph Woodrow; pg. 161

Babylon Mystery Religion; 1966

The Trinity Doctrine was a “CORRUPTION” of Early Christianity.

The Trinity “is a Corruption borrowed from the heathen religions, and “ingrafted ” on the Christian faith.” - Dictionary of Religious Knowledge

The Trinity ” When she allowed these idolatries to be engrafted into her church, Rome re-established the teachings of Nimrod (and his Babylonian Trinity) – into the New Testament Age, and into church dogma.” - Thunder Ministries

The Origin and Development of the Trinity according to Trinitarian Scholars

“The doctrine of the Trinity was not a teaching of the original Christians, who were either with Jesushimself or taught directly by the surviving apostles. This explains why it is not found in the Bible. If it was a fundamental, core doctrine of such greatimportance, it would have been clearly and unmistakably stated in scripture. The fact that the vast majority of professed Christians and church doctrine today maintain a belief in the Trinity does not prove it iscorrect. Rather, it suggests that corruption of Christian doctrinal truths is widespread and deep.” - Is Jesus God Almighty? Is the Trinity Scriptural? By Gordon Coulson

“Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it. . . . From Egypt came the ideas of a divine trinity.” (Historian Will Durant)

“The pagan trinities had all the prestige of a vast antiquity and universal adoption… The Gentile converts therefore eagerly accepted the Trinity compromise, and the Church baptized it. Now at length we know its origin.” — John Newton (Origin of Triads and Trinities)

Altering the Bible to Support The Pagan Trinity

“Codex B (Vaticanus)…was altered by a later hand in MORE THAN two THOUSAND places. Eusebius, therefore, is not without grounds

for accusing the adherents of…the newly-risen Doctrine of the Trinity of FALSIFYING the Bible…” -(Fraternal Visitor 1924, p. 148; translated from Christadelphian Monatshefte).

`“We certainly know of a great number of corruptions brought into the Scriptures by the Athanasians – relating tothe Doctrine of the Trinity.” - Sir William Whiston Second letter to the Bishop of London, 1719, p. 15

Rewriting the Bible to Support the Trinity Doctrine:

“Learned men, so called Correctores were, following the church meeting at Nicea 325 AD, selected by the church authorities to scrutinize

the sacred texts and rewrite them in order to correct their meaning in accordance with the viewswhich the church had just sanctioned.” - Einfhrung in die Textkritik des griechischen Testaments: Eberhard Nestle

“Christianity's doctrine of a “holy Trinity” is simply NOT true. There is nothing in the scriptures which even suggests that it is, except to those who have already been taught to see it there. The doctrine of the Trinity is a heathen philosophical intrusion into

the faith of Jesus…” -The Influence of Trinitarian Doctrine on Translations of the Bible by John David Clark, Sr.

“What I discovered in most of the versions of the Bible produced by trinitarians which I studied – is irrefutable proof of intentional mistranslation of words which refer to God… Christian trinitarians routinely and purposely mistranslate Greek pronouns, so as to promote the doctrine of the holy Trinity.” - The Influence of Trinitarian Doctrine

on Translations of the Bible

by John David Clark, Sr.

`“It's interesting to see that many of the scriptural “evidences” said to be in favor of the doctrine of the Trinity, are…sometimes even outright

forgery. These can often be exposed by even a cursory glance at an English/Greek interlinear Bible or a Greek concordance.” - The Trinity -

A Doctrine Overdue for Extinction; Part 2 “Imperfections in the King James Version” by Ted Whitten

“the doctrine of the Trinity…is contrary tocommon sense. It is contrary to Scripture. Its origin is Pagan…” - J.N. Loughborough, Review and Herald, XVIII, November 5, 1861, p. 184

Trinitarians –

“Any true scholar can surely see that these men did NOT use the “Entire” word of God to base their theology upon.

Rather they chose specific passages to build on their theology, because, influence, pagan tribute in a Roman Nation filled with paganism, and governing power was the mindset of Rome. When she allowed these idolatries to be “engrafted” into her church, Rome re-established the teachings of Nimrod into the New Testament Age, and into church dogma.” -Thunder Ministries

The Origin and Development of the Trinity according to Trinitarian Scholars

`“The Papacy has in some of its churches, an image of the Triune God, with three heads on one body. The Babylonians had something of the same. So utterly idolatrous was the Babylonian recognition of the (Triune) Divine unity, that Jehovah,

the Living God, severely condemned his own people for giving any countenance to it.” - Alexander Hislop The Two Babylons (pp. 16-19).

THE TRINITY DOCTRINE CORRUPTS EARLY CHRISTIANITY

“It is apparent to me that the Christian religion has been corrupted from very early times, and that these corruptions have been mistaken for essential parts of it, and have been the cause of rendering the whole religion incredible.” - Quoted Stannus, Origin of Doctrine of Trinity, p. 23.

“Platonism…was part of the general Nature worship; it was attempting to renew Paganism, and was the recognised and leading tenet in the higher Mysteries. In early Christianity, the Christ had been this Being which connected mankind with the Eternal Father.” - Milman, History of Christianity, Vol. ii., p. 355.

“This Platonic philosophy was adopted by… all those who in this second century presided in the schools of the Christians at Alexandria,

Athenagoras, Pantaenus, and Clemens Alexandria…” - Mosheim, Fourth Century Ecclesiastical History

“This cultivation of pagan philosophy by Christian teachers greatly displeased those who were attached to the ancient simple faith, as taught by Christ and His apostles; for they feared, what afterwards actually happened, that the purity and excellence of divine truth would suffer by it.” - The Translator of Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, James Murdock, D.D.,

“The solemn dedication of the church of St. Sophia was celebrated by a prelate who denied the differences between the Father and the Son.

The whole Christian world was in confusion; these fatal feuds penetrated almost as far as the Gospel itself had reached.” - Milman, History of Christianity, Vol. ii., p. 447.

“the Trinity and the Incarnation have never been learned from Scripture. Surely the sacred volume was never intended, and is not adapted to teach us our creed…From the very first, the rule has been, as a matter of fact, for the Church to teach the truth, and then appeal to Scripture in vindication of its own teaching.” - Cardinal Newman Arians of the Fourth Century, pp. 55-56.

“Our belief in the Trinity…are in Scripture nowhere to be found.” - Richard Hooker The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, book i., sect. xiv.

“…the doctrine of the Trinity…is NOT taught in the Holy Scriptures. What we profess in our prayers,we nowhere read in Scripture …There is no such text in Scripture as this.” - BISHOP SMALRIDGE Sermons, No. 33, p. 348.

“… the Triple Godhead… is nowhere taught in Scripture.” - THE OXFORD DOCTORS Tracts for the Times, vol. i., No. 45; vol. v., No. 85.

“This TRINITY doctrine does not…belong to the fundamental articles of the Christian faith; as appears from the fact that it is NOT set forth

in any passage of the New Testament; for the only one in which this is done, the passage relating to the three that bear record (1 John v.), is undoubtedly spurious (false, a forged later addition)…the preaching of Jesus Christ as the Messiah; and the foundation of His religion is designated by Christ, as faith in the only true God and also in Jesus Christ whom God hath sent.” - Dr. Neander History of Christian Religion and Church, vol. ii., p. 286.

“If a crooked stick is before you, you need not explain how crooked it is. Lay a straight one down by the side of it, and the work is well done. Preach the truth, and error will stand abashed in its presence.” – Charles H. Spurgeon

ECHAD

Try to imagine the astonished reaction of a Jew (who has his monotheism intact) as he discovers that missionaries use his cherished national creed, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Hebrew: echad), to prove the doctrine of the Trinity. To the surprise of many, Trinitarians will often use this celebrated verse to support their belief in a triune nature of God. Let’s examine this missionary argument more closely.

To support their claim that there are multiple persons within the godhead, missionaries insist that the Hebrew word echad (one) at the end of Deuteronomy 6:4 does not mean an absolute one, but rather it can only signify a compound unity, or many things in one. They will often cite two verses to support this assertion. The first is Numbers 13:23 reads,

Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one (echad) cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. The second is Genesis 1:5, which reads, . . . and there was evening and there was morning, one (echad) day. From these verses, they contend, it is clear that the Hebrew word echad can only mean a fusion of a number of things into one.

Although this “proof” is as flawed as the doctrine it seeks to support, for those who lack an elementary knowledge of the Hebrew language, this argument can be rather puzzling.

The word echad in the Hebrew language functions in precisely the same manner as the word “one” does in the English language. In the English language it can be said, “these four chairs and the table constitute one dinette set,” or alternatively, “There is one penny in my hand.” Using these two examples, it is easy to see how the English word “one” can mean either many things in one, as in the case of the dinette set, or one alone, as in the case of the penny.

Although the Hebrew word echad functions in the exact same manner, evangelical Christians will never offer biblical examples

where the word echad means “one alone.” Thus, by only presenting scriptural verses such as Genesis 1:5 and Numbers 23:13, it creates the illusion to the novice that the word echad is somehow synonymous with a compound unity. Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth. For example, Deuteronomy 17:6 reads,At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one (echad) witness he shall not be put to death. or Ecclesiastes 4:8 reads, There is one (echad) alone, without a companion; yes he has neither son . . . .

In the above two verses the exact same Hebrew word is used, and clearly the word echad is referring to one alone, not a

compound unity.

The question that immediately comes to mind is: If the Hebrew word echad can signify either a compound unity or one alone, how can one tell which definition is operative when studying a verse? The answer is: In the exact same way the word “one” is understood in the English language, that is, from the context. “Four chairs and a table make up one dinette set” is a compound unity, and “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” is unsullied monotheism.

And you must not call any man on earth your 'Father', for you have only One Father, Who is in heaven. (Matthew 23:9).

Where did the notion of a trinity begin? Did the understudies of the Apostles mention the trinity?

Polycarp, Clement, and Ignatius were the students of the original apostles. They lived at the turn of the century, before and after 100 AD. Did they mention a trinity or give a description of a trinity in all their writings? No. Did they mention the Holy Spirit being a ground of consciousness distinct from the Father or Son? No. Did they mention the Holy Spirit being a person? No.

What about the next generation of writers, the Apologists? The Apologists wanted to demonstrate the Christian's faith as being supposedly compatible with Greek philosophy, ignoring the warnings of Paul (Colossians 2:8). In this era which included the later part of the 100's AD was Justin Martyr, Theophilus of Antioch, Tatian, and Athenagoras. Totally missing from their writings was any mention of a trinity. There was one bishop however, Irenaeus, of the same period of time, who mentioned “His Wisdom” as being a divine entity. He did this in reaction to gnosticism.

It was not until the 200's AD that even the primitive idea of a trinity began to take shape.

Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, known as Tertullian, in the early 200's AD was the first to mention the primitive form of a trinity. He is the first person to use the word “trinity” and he was the first person to formulate the idea of one substance having three persons. He had the idea of the Spirit being a persona, not in the sense of a person but in the sense of a mask, which ancient actors would wear in a live play. Tertullian considered the Holy Spirit to be the “deputy” of the Son.

The idea of individual subsistence, hypostasis (from the Greek), was first introduced by Origen. Origen considered the Son to be derivative of the Father and the Spirit not to be co-equal to the Father or the Son. This idea (of the Son being derivative of the Father) would be latched onto by Arius in the 300's AD to eventually cause a major crisis leading to the Counsel of Nicea.

In the 300's AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine “converted” to Christianity. He made Christianity (the large group of what was called Christianity at that time) the official religion of Rome. By this time the religion (Christianity) had no resemblance to the church in which the Apostles were involved.

Arius in the 300's AD gained many followers as he taught that Christ was a created being, created by the Father. This was the birth of the idea of the unity (the idea of one God (the Father) denying the divinity of Christ). Arius made such an impact he created a crisis that led the Roman Emperor Constantine, at the behest of Pope Dionysius, to call together the Counsel of Nicea.

Up to that point in time, Monarchianism with monotheistic imperatives was pitted against those who believed the God head to be composed of more than one. There was the binity (God is a Kingdom consisting of 2 beings, Father and Son). There was the divine trias, which was the predecessor to the belief in the trinity. And most of all, there were the Arians (the followers of Arius).

So the Counsel of Nicea was called together in 325 AD. About 300 Catholic Bishops were brought together to resolve the dispute. The conclusion was the repudiation of Arianism.

The creed that came out of the Counsel of Nicea in 325 AD did not explicate the trinity. It simply proclaimed the divinity of Christ, rejecting Arianism. There was no resolution on the “personhood” of the Holy Spirit. That notion would not arise in full strength until the Counsel of Constantinople in 381 AD.

Basilius, commonly known as Basil, bishop of Caesarea in the later 300's AD, formulated ideas as to what the Holy Spirit was. This was mainly in reaction to Arius who was his enemy doctrinally. Basil and others such as Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa were encouraged to develop ideas to combat the idea of arianism. The person who encouraged them was Athanasius who hated Arianism and wanted to wipe it out.

Gregory of Nazianzus acknowledged that the scripture does not refer to the Holy Spirit as God. Therefore they (he and the other Gregory and Basil) would have to pursue a line of logic outside of scripture in order to formulate the Holy Spirit to be more than it really is.

Using human reasoning, Basil concluded that spirit itself necessarily meant unchangeable. This is contrary to the teaching of scripture (some angels, for example, changed — they followed Satan!). Nevertheless it appealed to the academic minds of that day. Also using human reasoning, Basil concluded that if the Spirit was sanctified, how could it be anything less than divine. The next logical step (also using human reasoning) was to declare the Holy Spirit a person. And that is exactly what he did.

This reasoning was the basis for the creed that came out of the Counsel of Constantinople in 381 AD. This creed declared the Holy Spirit to be co-equal and co-essential to God the Father and God the Son. It was the origin of the doctrine of God in three persons, holy trinity, the doctrine that is popular even in today's information age.

The Trinity -- Fact or Fiction?

TRINITY

The statement of faith which appears often in churches that “there is One God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit” is alien to the Bible.

Th Jewish people schooled in the Torah, have always known that God is One and not Three. Jesus himself made the fundamental confession of Judaism his own and expressly quote the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:28ff.; Matthew 22:37; Luke 10:27).

Although completely co-ordinated with God he remains subordinate to him (1 Corinthians 15:28). He represents us before God, but this is not to say that Christ is equal with God. In Revelation a distinction is always made between God and the Lamb.

“The Trinity. The New Testament does not contain the developed doctrine of the Trinity. The Bible lacks the express declaration that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are of an equal essence and therefore in an equal sense God Himself. And the other express declaration is also lacking, that God is God thus and only thus, i.e., as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These two express declarations, which go beyond the witness of the Bible, are to twofold content of the Church doctrine of the Trinity’ (Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics I,1, 437) … That God and Christ belong together and that they are distinct, are equally stressed, with the precedence in every case due to God, the Father, who stands above Christ … all this underlines the point that primitive Christianity did not have an explicit doctrine of the Trinity such as was subsequently elaborated in the creeds of the early church” (J. Schneider, Prof. of Theology in Berlin).

“The doctrine of the Trinity is the product of reflection and not a Gospel Message. The Gospel Message is about God revealed [manifested] in Christ. The doctrine of the Trinity, however, is not a biblical doctrine … The Bible does not speak about the ‘Triune God’ … it is therefore intelligible that it is precisely those theologians whose thinking is entirely controlled b the thought of the Bible who have had little sympathy with the doctrine of the Trinity.” (Emil Brunner, The Christian Doctrine of God, Westminster Press, 1950, pp. 236, 238).

" . . . The modern doctrine of the Trinity is not found in any document or relic belonging to the Church of the first three centuries. . . so far as any remains or any record of them are preserved, coming down from early times, are, as regards this doctrine an absolute blank. They testify, so far as they testify at all, to the supremacy of the father, the only true God; and to the inferior and derived nature of the Son. There is nowhere among these remains a coequal trinity. . . but no un-divided three, -- coequal, infinite, self-existent, and eternal. This was a conception to which the age had not arrived. It was of later origin." (Alvan Lamson, The Church of the First Three Centuries - Boston: Walker Fuller and Co., 1865, pp. 75, 97, 98).

Study on the Trinity - The belief that Jesus is God

Matthew 28:19 has been disputed on textual grounds. There is grave doubt whether they (the traditional words Father, Son and Holy Ghost) may be regarded as the actual words of Jesus (The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, 1980 Edition, Vol. 1, p. 35). The Truth About Matthew 28:19 https://www.apostolic.edu/the-truth-about-matthew-2819

The Story of an Interpolation — 1 John 5:7-8: A Critical Analysis of Textual Corruption

Anderson New Testament - For there are three that testify, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; ... Weymouth New Testament - For there are three that give testimony-- the Spirit, the water, and the blood; ... Worsley New Testament - Yea there are three that bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: ... NASB 1977 - And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth. ... New American Standard Bible - For there are three that testify: https://www.biblehub.com/parallel/1_john/5-7.htm

For there are three that bear witness: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that He has borne witness about His Son (1 John 5:7-9 - Legacy Standard Bible). https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%205:7-9&version=LSB#

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus the Messiah; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the spirit that bears witness, because the spirit is truth (1 John 5:6). Other translations of 1 John 5:6-7 https://www.biblehub.com/1_john/5-7.htm

A Spurious Reference to the Trinity Added in 1 John 5 verses 7-8

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Reasons Why I Don’t Believe in the Trinity

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A Statement of Reasons for Not Believing the Doctrines of Trinitarians: Section Five*

[PDF] The Doctrine of the Trinity – Christianity’s Self-Inflicted Wound

Trinity: The Truth About Matthew 28:19 & 1 John 5:7 by DISCOVER THE TRUTH • JULY 26, 2013

[PDF] Trinity (2015) Daniel Howard-Snyder

Trinity Schminity!

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