What is the Holy Trinity?
Christianity is a monotheistic religion, meaning followers believe in one God. Most Christians also believe in the Holy Trinity or Blessed Trinity, which comprises God’s three persons from the same source. This Christian belief asserts that the entities of the Holy Trinity are co-equal and eternal.
“Trinity” means three-fold and derives from the Latin word “trinus.” Trinity is a term associated with the Christian belief in the Holy Trinity. This 3:1 concept is significant in thefoundations of the Christian faith as an organized religion.
The Trinity Meaning
The Trinity originated from the belief that God came to people in three forms throughout time. Early Christians thought Jesus first referred to the Trinity in Matthew 28:19, stating, “in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” In John 10:30, Jesus said, “I and my Father are one.” The belief in the Holy Trinity emerged during the life and or shortly after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, circa 33-34 AD/CE. A central acceptance of the Trinity was even at the forefront of many early Christian baptisms. However, the official Trinity belief was established for Christians during the Council of Nicea in 325 AD/CE, through the Nicene Creed.
Faces of the Trinity
The Creator/Father from the Old Testament in the Christian Bible was viewed as the eternal Father figure and creator of the universe. The Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, lived amongst humans, circa 0-33 C.E., on Earth and became the resurrected Savior for his followers.
The Holy Spirit, also known as the “Holy Ghost,” present with humans always, is often mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible. The symbol for the Holy Spirit is often depicted as a dove and is associated with healing, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and exorcism.
Christianity spread rapidly throughout the 3rd century in the Middle East and Europe. The religion became more and more organized, structured, and formal during this period, as church leaders thought there should be greater unification. Church leaders, primarily from the major Roman cities of Alexandria, Antioch, and Constantinople disagreed on some core issues.
The Council of Nicea & the Nicene Creed
The main disagreement was if Jesus, the Son, existed before He came to Earth. Arianism is the belief that the Son was created by the Father, God, and did not exist before his life on earth, and is not co-eternal. This was the belief of Arius, a prominent Alexandrian priest.
Even citizens of Rome and beyond allegedly discussed and argued over the issue of the Trinity and whether Jesus was co-eternal with God the Father. Roman Emperor Constantine worried that the arguments would split the Empire and its churches, so he called a meeting of church leaders and bishops throughout his Empire. The summons for the meeting were sent in 323 AD/CE in the summer of 325 CE in Nicea, modern-day Turkey. The meeting would be known as the First Council of Nicea, in which the Christian Nicene Creed would be created.
Many bishops and representatives of various churches from the Empire were present. They had to Choose or narrow down to one main framework of Christian faith. Overseen by Emperor Constantine, the church leaders selected Caesarea’s Rule of Faith, which outlined official church beliefs about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Allegedly, Caesarea’s Rule was agreed upon by all representatives, save for one. This unified doctrine brought an official stance, agreement, and focus to the early Roman Church. Caesarea’s Rule included the belief in the Holy Trinity, that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was unified as the same, but also three entities.
The significant disagreement during the Council of Nicea was over homoousias, which means “one” or “same substance.” Constantine wanted the word homousian in the Nicene Creed to make clear the belief that the Son always existed as part of the Father and whole before his life on Earth. Homoousias is an integral part of the Creed and understanding of the Holy Trinity’s significance, as it clarifies that the Son always existed. The Nicene Creed served as the outline for how Christians should worship and includes what they should believe as decided by Church leaders. Other bishops who once disagreed with the philosophy behind the Holy Trinity ended up accepting it due to fear of banishment by Emperor Constantine. The Nicene Creed would later expand in 381 CE.
The Trinity Explained
So, who are these ”persons” in the Holy Trinity? To get better acquainted with them, we can turn to the Nicene Creed. It was developed by Christian leaders at the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. The Nicene Creed is a statement of faith outlining fundamental Christian beliefs and is the best place to start when trying to understand how the Holy Trinity works. Let’s look at some excerpts from the Creed that should shed some light on the matter: ”I believe in one God, the Father almighty… I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages…begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father…I believe in the Holy Spirit…who proceeds from the Father and the Son.”
Like Judaism or Islam, Christianity adheres to monotheism, a belief system acknowledging a single divine entity or presence responsible for governing the universe. The belief in one God is first and foremost in the Creed, but that one being comprises three distinct persons: God, the Father; God, the Son; God, the Holy Spirit. If we pay a little closer attention to the wording, we should be able to understand what’s going on.
The Holy Trinity model of three parts within one Father may be explained through the term consubstantial. Consubstantial essentially means being of the same material or substance. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are differentiated in their respective roles but come from the same source. According to Christian doctrine, the Trinity members exist as co-creators and eternal entities from the same source.
Symbols involving three parts existed and were popular even before Christianity. Several ancient or pre- Christian societies valued the number three and used it as a symbol. Celtic peoples were mainly known for using and creating triskeles or Triskelion, St. Patrick’s, and the Shamrock.
Holy Trinity Model
Celtic Triskelion Symbol: triskelions are trilateral symbols branching out from a single point. The Celtic tradition believed that the triskelion may have symbolized life, death, rebirth, or celestial, physical, and spiritual worlds. Meanings have been created and changed over time, as evidence of triskelion dates back thousands of years. When St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, he reportedly used a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to non-Christian Irish. After Christianity took hold in Ireland, the more antiquated Celtic triskeles were incorporated as Christian symbols representing the Holy Spirit. Still, they have their origins in Pagan, pre-Christian times.
Nontrinitarianism
Some modern-day Christian denominations denounce using the Holy Trinity, disagreeing with the Nicaean Creed doctrine. Specifically, nontrinitarianism refers to the rejection of the Trinity. A few known nontrinitarian Christian groups include Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and some Pentecostals. Nontrinitarian Christians cite more literal translations of biblical texts for their rejection of the Trinity, just as the Arians had done. Many assert that God, the Father, created Jesus and should still be viewed as the ultimate deity. Since the rejection of the Trinity was punishable during much of the Middle Ages, following the Nicene Council of 325 CE, the idea of nontrinitarianism reemerged.
Conclusion: The Holy Trinity
Have you ever owned a Swiss Army knife? If so, you know that, instead of having only a single blade like most knives, these handy devices contain several different blades and tools. But whether you are using it to cut twine, to remove small branches, or to open a wine bottle, it’s still a single Swiss Army knife. Many Christians similarly view God, basing their perceptions on the Holy Trinity, which states that three distinct persons coexist as a single divine being, God.