filmov
tv
The Trinity - Part 4: The Holy Spirit in Church History
Показать описание
Part 4 of the presentation about the Trinity: The Holy Spirit in Church History.
The Trinity is not the belief in three Gods, but rather the belief in three divine persons in one divinity, which we have already defined in the terms of a compound unity (ECHAD).
Anti-Trinitarians argue that “the Trinity did not originate in the Bible, but at the Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council in history, held in 325 A.D., with the participation of 318 bishops.” They also claim that since the emperor Constantine convened the council, he "thus became the father of the Catholic dogma of the Trinity.”
If the doctrine of the Trinity was truly formulated by this council, we would indeed be facing a pagan invention, and we should not believe in it. However, it is important to highlight that this interpretation is incorrect!
Let us understand the historical context. Christians were persecuted by Rome until Constantine claimed to have converted to Christianity. Constantine implemented several changes in Christian doctrines. One example is when he decreed Sunday as a day of rest in the year 321 A.D. Today, most Christian denominations keep the Sunday as the day of rest. By decree, Constantine stated: "From now on, everyone shall observe the venerable day of the sun."
He did not convene a council to impose the observance of Sunday. So why would he need a council to force the church to accept the doctrine of three Gods?
The concept of the Trinity existed many years before the Council of Nicaea. The first to use the term "Trinity" was Tertullian, in 150 AD. Tertullian died in 225 AD. The Council of Nicaea took place about 100 years later.
The same concepts present in the Nicene Creed were already in the writings of Irenaeus of Lyon, who lived between 115 and 177 AD.
Irenaeus is extremely important here because he received biblical instruction from a man named Polycarp, who had been a disciple of the apostle John! This proximity indicates that Irenaeus had direct access to the teachings of the apostles. Irenaeus taught that Jesus was God and that there was a Holy Spirit. And so, long before Nicaea, the church was already formulating Trinitarian concepts.
Greek Philosophy
The concept called "dualism" believed that matter was evil because it could be destroyed, suffer, and die.
If there was a God, He could not have created matter because that would make God responsible for evil and suffering. But then, how did matter come into existence? They explained this through eons, "emanations" from God. From God emanated rays of glory, which became the abodes of beings created by God. These beings, lesser gods, were created by the greater God.
This was the teaching that Arius believed! According to his doctrine, we are not direct creatures of the omnipotent God but of a lesser god, created/emanated by the greater God. This idea began to dominate Christianity and deeply influenced Arius, who believed he had found an explanation for the origin of evil without blaming God. He argued that Jesus was this lesser god who created the Earth and was, in turn, created by the Father. Thus, Jesus was seen as inferior, a son created by God.
This is paganism! Pagan teachings strongly influenced these church leaders, which were essentially a form of spiritism and Gnosticism. Gnosticism held that knowledge (Gnosis) was necessary to fully understand God, unlike Christianity, which accepted the mystery of God. And today, some are wanting to resurrect this within the church!
Conclusion
It is essential to understand that the doctrine of the Trinity was not imposed by Constantine through the Council of Nicaea. The man who drafted the Nicene Creed also did not defend the Trinity. Therefore, it does not make sense to claim that Constantine defended the Trinity. The creed formulated at the council does not explicitly mention the Trinity, and Arius's interpretation and that of his followers that Jesus was a lesser god contradicts the idea of one true God, leading to a misunderstanding of the divine nature and ultimately, polytheism.
The Trinity is not the belief in three Gods, but rather the belief in three divine persons in one divinity, which we have already defined in the terms of a compound unity (ECHAD).
Anti-Trinitarians argue that “the Trinity did not originate in the Bible, but at the Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council in history, held in 325 A.D., with the participation of 318 bishops.” They also claim that since the emperor Constantine convened the council, he "thus became the father of the Catholic dogma of the Trinity.”
If the doctrine of the Trinity was truly formulated by this council, we would indeed be facing a pagan invention, and we should not believe in it. However, it is important to highlight that this interpretation is incorrect!
Let us understand the historical context. Christians were persecuted by Rome until Constantine claimed to have converted to Christianity. Constantine implemented several changes in Christian doctrines. One example is when he decreed Sunday as a day of rest in the year 321 A.D. Today, most Christian denominations keep the Sunday as the day of rest. By decree, Constantine stated: "From now on, everyone shall observe the venerable day of the sun."
He did not convene a council to impose the observance of Sunday. So why would he need a council to force the church to accept the doctrine of three Gods?
The concept of the Trinity existed many years before the Council of Nicaea. The first to use the term "Trinity" was Tertullian, in 150 AD. Tertullian died in 225 AD. The Council of Nicaea took place about 100 years later.
The same concepts present in the Nicene Creed were already in the writings of Irenaeus of Lyon, who lived between 115 and 177 AD.
Irenaeus is extremely important here because he received biblical instruction from a man named Polycarp, who had been a disciple of the apostle John! This proximity indicates that Irenaeus had direct access to the teachings of the apostles. Irenaeus taught that Jesus was God and that there was a Holy Spirit. And so, long before Nicaea, the church was already formulating Trinitarian concepts.
Greek Philosophy
The concept called "dualism" believed that matter was evil because it could be destroyed, suffer, and die.
If there was a God, He could not have created matter because that would make God responsible for evil and suffering. But then, how did matter come into existence? They explained this through eons, "emanations" from God. From God emanated rays of glory, which became the abodes of beings created by God. These beings, lesser gods, were created by the greater God.
This was the teaching that Arius believed! According to his doctrine, we are not direct creatures of the omnipotent God but of a lesser god, created/emanated by the greater God. This idea began to dominate Christianity and deeply influenced Arius, who believed he had found an explanation for the origin of evil without blaming God. He argued that Jesus was this lesser god who created the Earth and was, in turn, created by the Father. Thus, Jesus was seen as inferior, a son created by God.
This is paganism! Pagan teachings strongly influenced these church leaders, which were essentially a form of spiritism and Gnosticism. Gnosticism held that knowledge (Gnosis) was necessary to fully understand God, unlike Christianity, which accepted the mystery of God. And today, some are wanting to resurrect this within the church!
Conclusion
It is essential to understand that the doctrine of the Trinity was not imposed by Constantine through the Council of Nicaea. The man who drafted the Nicene Creed also did not defend the Trinity. Therefore, it does not make sense to claim that Constantine defended the Trinity. The creed formulated at the council does not explicitly mention the Trinity, and Arius's interpretation and that of his followers that Jesus was a lesser god contradicts the idea of one true God, leading to a misunderstanding of the divine nature and ultimately, polytheism.
0:50:41
0:38:26
0:38:44
0:06:40
1:36:31
1:50:05
0:01:01
0:38:13
3:01:42
0:47:20
0:00:39
1:15:39
0:41:13
0:01:32
0:07:26
1:19:29
0:00:41
0:32:12
1:48:16
0:34:55
0:00:33
0:00:16
0:00:23
0:00:07