- The Christian experience of the Ultimate
articulated in the Bible as the self-disclosure of God as Father, Son and
the Spirit (Ex 4:22-23a; 6:6-7; Mk 14:36; Rom 8:15-16; Gal 4:6), is the
foundation of the Trinitarian doctrine in the Christian tradition.
- The Trinitarian mystery is the source, model and
reference point of all human communities.
- In the context of inter-religious dialogue we
need to explain meaningfully the Christian experience of God as Trinity to
those who have other designations for the Ultimate Mystery.
Introduction
This thesis maintains that Christian
experience of God is Trinitarian in
nature and it forms foundation of Christian faith. Christian tradition has
proposed a Trinitarian formula – “Father-Son and Spirit a three persons in one
nature” to express its understanding of God. (Today Christian faith emphasizes
that we are created in the image and likeness of god, the trinity.)
- Christian
experience of the ultimate as Father+ Son + Spirit
Christian
experience of God is that God revealed himself through various ways and finally
through his son ( Heb 1, 1-3)
The
self communication of God is experienced by the early Christian community.
a.
As the father of Jesus Christ, because
Jesus called God as Abba and revealed this god as a loving Father.
b.
After the resurrection: Christian
community experienced jesus as Lord and God.
c.
At Pentecost : the community experienced
Holy Spirit as Lord and God.
Traces of trinity in the OT
God as Father
in the OT
·
Ex 4: 22-23a. The expressions `Israel is my first
Son', `let my Son go' show for the first time the Father Son relationship
between God and Israel.
·
Ex 6: 6-7 also clearly brings out the
idea of God as Saviour, protector and redeemer of the people of Israel.
·
Is 64: 8 We are the clay, you are the
potter.
·
Mal 2:10 have we not all one father?
The term ‘father’ was understood variously as ‘supreme
authority’, ‘personal affection of God’, ‘Person with motherly care’, ‘father
of the nation’ the later personally ‘ I will be a father to him and he will be
a son to me’. 2 Sam 7:14
B. Foreshadowing of the
son in the OT.
a.
Angel of God – Hagar – early Christian
tradition saw angel of god as –Jesus.
b.
Word of God: Creative, operative,
dynamic through whom everything came into being.The word is sent from YHWH.
c.
Wisdom of God: personified in wisdom
literature.
Since
they are fulfilled in the NT, early community tradition Jesus as the – word(Jn
1,1), Widom of god ( I Cor 1, 23), angel of God.
C. Spirit in the OT
·
Independent reality in the OT.
·
Breath of YHWH – who breathes all life.
·
Drives prophets to speak, hovers over
the prophets.
·
Hovers over those who are cchosen by
god(Is 61,1)
·
Over the anointed Messiah.
New Testament
·
Jesus had a unique
– personal –intimate relationship with God as Father. Mk 14,36
– Jesus calls God as ‘Abba’.
·
After resurrection, the apostolic
community revealed Jesus as – Lord, god, Son of God, Logos etc. They begin to
see Jesus as related to Abba Father.
At
Pentecost : experienced outpouring of the spirit
Now
they began experiencing god a Father –Son and Holy spirit.
Explicit Trinitarian Texts in the
NT
The experience of God
as Father is understood in an intense manner in the person of Jesus Christ. We
see very clearly this intense Father Son relationship in Mk 14: 36 where
Jesus calls God "Abba". "And He said, “Abba Father, all things
are possible to thee, remove this cup from me; yet not what I will but what
thou wilt".
Explicit Trinitarian texts in
NT:
·
Mt 3, 13-17: Baptism (Father reveals, Son revealed,
Spirit empowers
·
Mt 28, 18f: Mission command, baptise in the name of
the Father……
·
Gal 4, 4-6: God sends Son, Spirit; their twofold
mission in the Church
·
2 Cor 13, 13: Mass greeting; grace of Christ, love of
God, fellowship of the Spirit: 3 aspects of Christian life.
·
Eph 4, 4-6: above all (Father), through all (Son), in
all (Spirit).
Trinitarian
faith in the Early Church
1.
Baptismal
liturgy – triple immersion.
2.
Creed
:
Public profesion of Faith and their belief in Father – Son and Spirit.
3.
Doxology
:
Eucharistic prayer - through him, with
himin him, in the unity of the HS…
4.
Martyrs
witness : inscriptions found on the tombs have the mention
of Father, Son, Spirit.
5.
Norm
of Faith : Short formulae in which the doctrine sof faith are
summarized.
- How to
reconcile One God in three persons?(Monotheim)
- This was
the first question after the fundamental period of NT.
- “How can
there be one god, when Jesus Christ is invested with divinity?”
- Many
heresies emerged when theologians began to reflect of these questions.
Heresis
- Dynamic Monarchianim:
Only one principle – that is Father.
Son
and spirits are power(dynamics) of God.
Wrote against Monarchianism and defended plurality of
persons. He said, in trinity there is distinction but not division, there is difference but no
separation
- Modalism :
One god appearing in 3 modes/aspects –Father – Son –Spirit.
Origin speaks against Modalists.
According to him, Trinity is three
distinct individualities. Father, Son and Spirit are three hypostases. There is
one Ousia-substance, but three Hypostasis-persons.
- Subordination:
Son and spirit are subordinate to the Father.
(Araianism - overstresses as distinction, endanger
unity).
- Trinthesim
: Three gods. Three separate gods in the
trinity.Unity among them is a moral union.
5. Ebionites: They don't believe in Trinity.
For them Jesus is angel, a creature. They deny the divinity of Christ.
6. Patripassianism: Father and Spirit also suffered with Jesus and died on the
cross.
Response from
councils against Heresis:
- Nycea(325) – Son is
consubstantial with the Father.
·
Homousios = substance of the father is
the substance of the son.
·
Son is begotten, not made.
·
Condemned Arias, who said, second person
of the trinity is not equal to the Father.
- Constantinople(381): Holy
spirit is equal to the father and the son.(Spirit –as person)
- IV latern council – 1215
·
Trinity as Dogma
·
One substance(nature) and three
persons(ND 317-321)
- Council of Florence :(1438-39)
·
Resolved the filioque controversy
between Latin and eastern.
·
Latin – Spirit proceeds from the
father and the son.
·
Eastern Church – spirit proceeds from
the Father through the son.(council said both are correct based on NT).
If
Time Permits
Response of the Fathers of the church
1.
Hippolitus:
God is one, but not alone.
2.
Turtulian:
God is not single but oneness of communion.
In
the trinity persons are distinct but not divided, different but not separate.
Therefore
God is one substance with three persons.
3.
Origen
:In trinity one Ousia(essence) and three
hypostasis(persons)
(Pleae
Note: divine nature is equal in all three persons. Absolute spirit is the
Father. Understanding is the son- Will is the spirit).
Early theological
explanations of Trinity : 2 approaches
Latins:
·
This starts
from the oneness of divine essence/ divine nature which is equal in all
three persons. This divine nature is spiritual; this gives it an inner dynamic:
·
'absolute spirit 'is the Father,
·
'understanding'
is the Son and
·
'will' is
the Holy spirit.
·
The three appropriate the same nature in three
distinct modes
·
the Father without beginning, the Son begotten by the
father and the spirit breathed out by the Father and the Son.
·
The three are in the same nature, consubstantial and
therefore one God.
·
This runs the
risk of being interpreted as modalism.
2.
Greek / Eastern
·
Father- source and origin of all divinity.
·
There are two ways out from the Father: the Son by begetting and the spirit by proceeding.
·
The Father communicates his whole substance to the Son and the spirit, so both are consubstantial with the Father and
equally God.
·
The Father also forms the persons of the Son and the
spirit in an eternal process.
·
This runs the risk of being
understood as subordination.
Present day /
modern understanding of Trinity
Leonard
Boff :
- To understand trinity – start
with the communion of three persons. – Father, son and the HS.
- Greek fathers used –
Perichoresis = mutual indwelling or unity by external communion.
- The basis for this mutual
communion is mutual self
surrender. That is giving everything except that which cannot be
given (Fatherhood/sonhood/spirithood).
In
Latin Perichoresis can be translated in 2 ways.
- circum-in cession ( dynamic –
permeating or penetrating)
- Circum – in session (static –
seated in the other)
2.
The Trinitarian mystery
is the source, model and reference point of all human communities.(Rom 8, 15-16,
GS 24)
·
Rom 8, 15-16 : You have received a spirit
of adoption, not a spirit of slavery.
·
GS 24 : In his fatherly care for all of
us, God desired that all men should form one family and deal with each other in
a spirit of brotherhood.
Source:
·
Created in the image and likeness of God.
·
Trinity or God is communion.
·
We have Trinitarian dimensions in us.
that is
·
Transcendence : capacity to go beyond –
Father.
·
Transperance: Openness to others – Son
·
Immanance : Interiority – Spirit.
Model:
·
Human communities are modeled after
trinity, because god is a communion of persons.
·
The basis of this - radical openness and self emptying love.
Referrence
Point:
Problem,
divisions, diversity in community - we need to take the example of the trinity.
Personhood
( rels) reduces to individualism – go back to trinity. Equality exits there.
3. In the context of inter-religious dialogue we need to explain
meaningfully the Christian experience of God as Trinity to those who have other
designations for the Ultimate Mystery.
·
In the Indian context with different
rites and religions, communion of trinity is real source of inspiration.
·
Trinity is the foundation of pluralities
because they are different, yet not separate.
·
There could be differences yet need not
divide us/ can complement our understanding / to be celebrated.
Buddhism:
- Speaks of the – ‘Silence of God’- transcendental dimension –
Interiority dimension.
- Here we can share the father
figure of trinity ( transcendence).
Islam:
- Christianity and Islam are the
religions of the son..
- They give importance to the
word and community.
- We can speak of Jesus Christ,
sent by the father to redeem the world.
Christianity and
Judaism:
- They experience God as one who
is active in the history of people.
- Speak of YHWH, who is the
liberator, savior of Israel.
Hinduism:
Our
Christian understanding of Holy Spirit will not be very much alien to them.
Advaitic
concept of absolute : Sat –cit –Ananda comes closer to
Christian understanding of trinity.
But
the difference is Brahman as Sat –Cit –Ananda is ONE…………………………………….
Panickar:
- Buddhism is the religion of
the Father
- Christianity is the Religion
of the Son
- Hinduism is the religion os
the HS.
Differs
from the traditional understanding of …………Sat-Cit –ananda. Instead he proposed
3 margas of H’sm.
- Karma Marga –Father
- Bhakti Marga –Son
- Jnana Marga – Spirit.
The implication is that trinity
calls for the acceptance of plurality and differences.