The Trinity

Augustine on the Trinity

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all equal in the God-head, which refers to God's substance, his essential nature.

The Son represents God's wisdom

The Holy Spirit represents the love of God which binds the trinity together

Iranaeus on the Trinity

He argued that everything is the work of God

The economy of Salvation, God acted in three ways to give humanity salvation

 - The Father is invisible and without bounds

 - The Son who destroyed death

 - The Holy Spirit whcih acted to renew humanity

Perichoresis and the Trinity

Perichoresis allows for the three parts f the trinity, The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to keep their individuality whilst acting as one - a form of the mutual interpretation of the three modes. 

One phrase often connected with Perichoresis is 'a community of being' where all parts maintain individuality while penetrating the others and being penetrated by them.

Karl Barth on the Trinity

Barth suggests sinful humanity can never really know God so he reveals himself to us in two possible ways:

The revealed God - such as through studying the bible

The self-revelation of God - such as through a religious experience or great spiritual revelation

Barth says that God revealed the Father to us through the son e.g Jesus told us of God, therefore his words hold the highest authority.

Barth uses the term 'mode' or 'ways of being' to describe the Trinity's persons. An analogy to explain this may be that a woman is a wife, a moher and a lawyer, while still only being one person, avoiding the problems of dualism

He argues that each form is distinct from the others and maintains its individuality

Criticisms of Karl Barth on the Trinity

Using the exaplantion of modes or ways of being Barth might be suggesting that the Father, son and Holy Spirit can never have existed at the same time but only consecutively, contradicting what may be written in Genesis - which mentions that all God, Father and Holy Spirit were present at the time of creation. 

However Barth used this term as it fit the unity and complete freedom of God.

For Barth three persons implies three personalities of one graet being, and there is only one nature of God, only one self-consciousness.

Karl Rahner on the Trinity

Rahner saw two different ways of looking at God:

The Immanent Trinity - Looks at what God is like in himself as he stands outsdie the universe - how God sees God. This is the manner in which God exists eternally

The economic Trinty - concerned with humanitys expectations of God e.g. salvation, creation wtc - how humanity sees God. This is the what we know of God through history, from revelation and scripture

Quotes on the Trinty

The Nicene Creed:

'"We believe in one God the afther almighty... and we believe in one Lord Jesus Christ... and We believe in the Holy spirit"

Holy Spirit - "He proceeds from the Father and the Son"

Jesus (not being born as a man but being God made flesh sent to earth) - "begotten not made"    "God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God" - Jesus and the afther are one and the same, Jesus was not a human

Genesis:

'The spirit of God was hovering over the waters'

John:

'In the beginning wa the Word, ad the Word was with God, and the Word was God' - generally accepted that the word is jesus.