The Trinity

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  • Created by: Sc1602
  • Created on: 02-01-20 11:44
Why was there need for the doctrine of the Trinity?
to counteract three contemporary heresies
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What were the three heresies?
arianism, sabellianism and adoptionism
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What is Arianism?
the belief that Jesus was the highest of all created beings nut not of the same substance as God
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What is Sabellianism?
the belief that Jesus was divine but not human
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What is adoptionism?
the belief that Jesus was an ordinary man until he became the Son of God at his baptism
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What 2 main beliefs did the doctrine of the Trinity purport to define?
1. The nature of Christ (pre-existence and divinity) 2. The relationship between the three Persons of the Trinity (Father=creator, Son=redeemer, Holy Spirit=sustainer)
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Does the doctrine of the Trinity mean than Christianity is not monotheistic?
No
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What 3 key ideas does the doctrine of the Trinity teach?
1. three distinct Persons 2. each Person is fully God (coexistent, coeternal, and coequal) 3. only one God
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Who coined the word "Trinity?"
Tertullian (early Christian theologian and author)
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What were the beliefs expressed in the doctrine based upon?
Biblical testimony
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How and when was the doctrine formalised?
In the Nicene Creed (325CE)
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The Nicene Creed stated that the Son was "of...
one substance with the Father" (Greek= "homoousios")
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What was said about the Holy Spirit in the Nicene Creed (325CE)?
Christians believe "in the Holy Spirit" (no elaboration)
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What was amended about the Holy Spirit in the Nicene Creed at the Council of Constantinople?
(381CE) "we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father"
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Who agreed to the new wording at Constantinople?
all churches
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What further change was made at the Council of Toledo?
(589CE) "proceeds from the Father AND THE SON"
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What is "and the son" in Latin?
filioque
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It appears that filioque was added in order to...
represent the thinking of some influential theologians of the 4th and 5th centuries (Hilary of Poitiers, Augustine of Hippo and Cyril of Alexandria)
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Where was/wasn't filioque accepted?
The idea became widely accepted by the Latin-speaking West but not the Greek-speaking East
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Why was filioque not accepted by the Eastern church?
it was added without the agreement of the five patriarchs of the Church
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How long did this dispute last?
6 centuries (but did not itself divide the Church)
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What happened in 1014CE?
Pope Leo used filioque for the first time in Mass in Rome
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What did Rome accuse the East of in 1054CE?
heresy (for not accepting filioque)
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What did this (and other misunderstandings between Greek and Latin traditions)) lead to in 1054CE?
the Great Schism (which divides the Church to this day)
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The word Trinity doesn't appear in the Bible, but...
the concept does
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What word for God is used in Genesis 1:1?
"Elohim," which is the Hebrew plural word for God
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How is the Trinity suggested in Genesis 1:26-27?
"Let US make..."
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Matthew 28:19
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"
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Deuteronomy 6:4
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one"
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God is a community of...
three in one
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The Church has never been able to adequately explain how God can be...
a community of three in one
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The Church regards the Trinity as...
a mystery
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Most Christians accept the Trinitarian formula, except from...
the Unitarian Church, which believes that Jesus was not God
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No words can express...
the reality of God
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What is meant by the immanent Trinity?
what God IS (three Persons, one God)
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What is meant by the economic Trinity?
What God DOES (Father creates, Son redeems, Spirit sanctifies)
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The Western Church accept Augustine's argument that...
humans can know the Trinity from their own experience
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Augustine argued that humans can know the Trinity from their own experience because he said...
there are traces of the Trinity in the human soul, in our memory, understanding and will
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Augustine stated that the Holy Spirit is the...
bond of love between the Father and Son and in humanity (so we can derive the nature of God from this experience)
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Did the Eastern Church accept Augustine's argument?
No, they thought it was unacceptable
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The Eastern Church did not think that we can base doctrines upon...
our own experience (would mean that the nature of God would be dependent upon human beings?)
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The Eastern Church argued that Augustine's argument confuses...
the structure of the Trinity and its actions
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The Eastern Church distinguishes between...
the immanent and economic Trinity
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The importance of the doctrine of the Trinity was sidelined by...
succeeding generations
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Who found the doctrine problematic?
enlightenment theologians
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Schleiermacher (18th/19th century) tried to...
reconcile Enlightenment theology with traditional Christian beliefs
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Schleiermacher dismissed the Trinity in...
a 14-page appendix to his work "The Christian Faith" (1821)
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What did Karl Barth do in response to Schleiermacher?
He placed a section on Trinity at the beginning of his work "Church Dogmatics" ((1932-67) to emphasise the importance of the Trinity in Christian theology
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Karl Barth quote on Trinity
"The doctrine of the Trinity...is what basically distinguishes the Christian doctrine of God as Christian"
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Barth stated that God has revealed himself to human beings in...
two movements
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What did Barth say these to movements are?
1. In the Son: an objective unveiling of what God is 2. In the Spirit: a subjective reception ("God working for us")
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Barth said these two movements cannot...
be divided
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In the crucifixion, we can see...
the first movement (an objective unveiling of what God is)
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In the death of Christ, we can see...
both movements
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Barth said that human beings are incapable of responding to Jesus without...
the imparting of the Holy Spirit (which is done by God's grace)
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Barth's modern development endorses the use of filioque because...
the Spirit proceeds from the hidden Father AND the revealed Son
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Barth agrees with Augustine, saying that...
the immanent Trinity is reflected in the economic Trinity
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What were the three heresies?

Back

arianism, sabellianism and adoptionism

Card 3

Front

What is Arianism?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What is Sabellianism?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What is adoptionism?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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