The Formation Of The Doctrine Of The Trinity In The Early Church -- By: David F. Wright

Journal: Reformation and Revival
Volume: RAR 10:3 (Summer 2001)
Article: The Formation Of The Doctrine Of The Trinity In The Early Church
Author: David F. Wright


The Formation Of The Doctrine Of The
Trinity In The Early Church

David F. Wright

The doctrine of the Trinity requires explanation. Over almost two millennia and throughout the world it has been one of the most central and distinctive elements of Christian faith. Yet the word “Trinity” does not appear in the Bible, and for that reason pastors who follow a rigidly expository method in their preaching may never find themselves preaching on the Trinity. Churches that observe the framework of the Christian year should hear about the Trinity annually when Trinity Sunday comes around. Nevertheless, many churches that cordially assent to the historic creeds as well as Reformation and post-Reformation confessions appear to have a tenuous awareness of this fundamental doctrine.

One reason for this comparative neglect undoubtedly lies in the challenge the doctrine presents to the Christian understanding. It is not an easy doctrine to get one’s mind around. It would be fair to describe it as intrinsically difficult, but the difficulty is often compounded by a lack of awareness of how it developed in the first four or five centuries of the church. This article is presented in the conviction that one of the most helpful ways into a better understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity is by tracing its development in the thinking and writing of the fathers—the teachers and leaders—of the early church. We call both this period of the church and these theologians and their work “patristic,” from the Greek and Latin words for “fathers.”

The word “Trinity” is a compound formed from the Latin words for “three” and “one.” It captures the Christian belief that God is tri-unity, that he is in one sense three, and in another sense one. To use more technical language, the one indivisible Godhead—God in his “God-ness,” his essential being—exists, is known and is active in three eternally distinct “persons,” Father, Son, and Spirit. This very brief explanation must suffice at this stage. Clarifications will emerge as we proceed to follow the main lines of developing understanding among the fathers.

Building On Monotheism

The first clarification is that the doctrine of the Trinity is not a denial or abandonment of monotheism. “We know ... that ‘there is no God but one,’” says Paul (1 Corinthians 8:4; see also Acts 17:24–29). In this conviction the early Christians shared the faith of their fellow Jews, for of course nearly all the first generation of believers in Jesus were Jews. They were distinguished from other Jews by what they believed about Jesus�...

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