Religion chapter two semester two

The dogma of the Trinity

1. There is One God 2. The Divine Persons are Distinct

YHWH

taking the first letter from each of the words results in the tetragrammation YHWH I AM WHO AM refers to the existence itself, all things depend on him

Abraham our father in faith

the ancient world of Mesopotamia (where Abram lived) was almost entirely polytheistic. Abraham was chosen to proclaim the truth of monotheism in a polytheistic world. the religion of his descendants would later be called Judaism- the first of the great monotheistic religions. monotheism is the defining characteristic of Judaism

Monophysitism

Claims Christ had only one nature. Jesus' divinity absorbed his humanity leaving him with one nature. Council of Chalcedon - Hypostatic union.

2. The Divine Persons are Distinct

the father is not the son and the son is not the spirit. rather the persons of the trintiy are intimately related to one another. the father is completely in the son and the spirit the son is completely in the father and the spirit the spirit is completely in the father and the son the persons of the trinity are designated as three persons only in their relationship to one another. (there is no way to divide God) the father generated, the son is begotten, the Holy Spirit proceeds. the persons are not different functions or modes of God. the persons of the trinity are inseperable in what they are the persons of the trinity are inseperable in what they do. they work as one in the mission of salvation.

Do you not know that you are Gods temple and that Gods spirit dwells within you?

How does this Christian concept differ from and Old Testament view of God? What was the Holy of Holies? Yom Kippur? What happened to that veil when Jesus died?

The Holy Spirit in scripture

The Spirit sanctifies (makes holy) the church and all humanity The Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide who gives gifts enabling us to live a Christian life. Lk 12 "the spirit will teach you what you are to say" Jn 14 Jesus refers to the Spirit as the advocate.

Filioque

This addition to the Nicene - Constantinopolitan Creed expresses the double procession of God the Holy Spirit from both God the Father and God the Son. In the 10th century, bishops of East condemned this Western addition, contributing to the Great Schism.

What is the greatest commandment?

when jesus was asked this question, he repeated the words of the Shema and added the Levitical law to love your neighbor as yourself.

The Divine Economy

when the persons of the trinity do loving work for us, this is the divinne economy. the ultimate end of the divine economy is the entry of all God´s creatures into perfect unity with the trinity.

Part III: Early Trinitarian Heresies

Heresy - falsely interprets God's revelation. Many early heresies denied certain aspects of Christ's divinity or humanity.

Ecumenical Councils

Nicea Constantinople I Filioque Ephesus Chalcedon Lateran I Lateran IV Vatican Council II

Defenders of Faith

St. Athanasius Athanasian Creed

Athanasian Creed

Taking its name from St. Athanasius, this fourth century creed enumerates the essential doctrines of Christianity, especially the mystery of the Blessed Trinity.

God the Father in Scripture

The Father (this term is applied to the First Person of the Trinity) - the creator of all that is visible and invisible. He is the origin of all things. He has a paternal relationship with his children. When does it begin? What does Abba mean? It begins at Baptism. Abba means father(dad or daddy) in Hebrew. The relationship between the Father and the Son is unique. Why? They have common nature and identical power. The relationship between the Father and the Son is eternal. The son was not made or created. The Son has always existed with the Father. There was never a time when the Son was not the Son.

"The curtain was torn"

The separation between God and his people was now ended. The curtain was torn from top to bottom God rent the curtain from above It was not man who forced himself into Gods presence, but God who comes to man.

St. Patrick

born in Britain near the end of the 4th century. at 16, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates and taken to Ireland to work as a slave. prayer gave his strength during this time of slavery. After 6 years, he escaped. back in Britain, had a vision that called him to return to Ireland and preach the gospel. Patrick was ordained a priest. along the way to Ireland, Patrick was consecrated as the new bishop. (they received news on their journey that the current bishop had died) within 15 years, the half of Ireland had heard the gospel and thousands were baptized. within 1 generation, the entire island had converted to the faith. March 17th is his feast day.

Arianism

Denies the divinity of Jesus. Taught that God the Father created Jesus. Jesus was called Son of God because of his heroic fidelity to the Father's will and because of his holiness. Claims that Jesus is the greater of God's creatures,but not equal to theFather. Nicea - consubstantial

The Trinity was revealed by Christ

The New Testament doesn't use the word Trinity. There are, however, many explicit references to God as a Trinity of Persons. Incarnation - God the Spirit, through the power of God the Father, will incarnate Jesus, God the Son. Jesus' Baptism - How? The people could hear the fathers voice, the Son in Jesus, the Holy Spirit the dove. Great commission - baptize all nations in the name of the father, son and holy spirit.

4. God is eternal

God has no beginning and no end. He is eternal. man is finite-brought into being by something other than himself. God does not owe his existence to any other being or thing. God is the uncaused cause of all that exists.

2. God is pure spirit

God is not a material being-so He doesn't have the attributes of physical matter. characteristics of physical matter include: the potential to not exist one day, the potential to change, to be limited by time and space. God is eternal, unchanging, and indivisible

1. There is One God

each person of the trinity is fully God in and of himself the father is wholly, completely, and entirely God. the son is wholly, completely, and entirely God. the Holy Spirit is wholly, completely, and entirely God. there is no way to divide God you cannot separaate the will, consciousness, intelligence, essence, substance, nature. the persons are HOMOOUSIOS- greek for "of the same essence, substance, or nature." a latin translation of homoousios is CONSUBSTANTIAL. the three persons of the trinity share the same divine nature.

The name of YHWH

for the hebrew people, a name was highly significant. on certain occasions, an individual was given a new name to indicate a new role Abram- Abraham, Jacob- Israel, Simon- Peter God's name is I AM WHO AM

The language of the Trinity

great teachers of the church have developed a vocabulary of faith to help express the mystery of the trinity. substance- (essence/nature) designates the being in its unity. This means what something actually is despite what might appear to the senses. person (hypostasis)- this term designates the father, son, and Holy Spirit. relation- designates the fact that their distinction lies in the relationship of each to the others.

Christ's presence in the eucharist Present in the fullest sense- Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity God as a trinity of persons

it is not contrary to reason, but cannot be understood by reason while on earth, people can understand the Trinity to greater or lesser degrees...never fully. we will have greater understanding in heaven. trinity will never be fully understood because no created intellect can comprehend God.

3. God is immutable

mutable means changeable God is immutable-unchangeable perfection in the natural world is not possible because all material substances change. The potential to change is an imperfection. Why? God has the absence of potential

Getting to know God

of all peoples and nations, God chose Israel for a unique role in unfolding the plan of salvation they were chosen to proclaim to the world that there is only one God Today, billions of people around the world observe monotheistic religions. However, only Christianity proclaims that there is one God in three persons.

Attributes of God

our ability to speak of god is finite. christian theology has developed a particular vocabulary to speak about the attributes oh God (his qualities/ characteristics)

Adonai

out of sincere respect and reverence for God, Jews do not say the name of God out loud. a substitution was made: Adonai-the Hebrew word which means Lord. (Greek- Kyrios) elsewhere in the OT, God is also called El Shaddai -God Almighty, or Elohim- a Hebrew word for God.

1. God is perfect

perfect- fullness of being, or the absence of any potential or need God has no limitations-he lacks nothing to the extent that we possess any attribute of perfection depends on the degree to which we share in the life of God God alone is perfect

Nestorianism

Claims that Christ is the union of two separate persons. These heretics attempted to delete the title Theotokos - a title for Mary which expresses our belief that she is truly Mother of God - God-bearer.

Gnosticism

Claims that the material world is evil. Why is it not true? Evil and suffering were introduced through Original Sin. Claims that salvation is achieved through secret knowledge. Why is this not true? Christ revealed the fullness of truth - entrusted to his apostles and transmitted through the Church. Claims that Christ is neither fully man nor fully God, but rather a lesser divine being. Why is that not true? There is only one God. Christ is fully God and fully man.

Docetism

Comes from the Greek - "appearance" or "resemblance" ... it is a Gnostic heresy. Arises out of the idea that the material world is evil. Claims that Christ is not truly human. Denies the incarnation, his passion, and death. Why is this heresy so dangerous?

Shema, Israel!

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 hear O Israel, The Lord our God is one lord and you shall love The Lord your god with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. this prayer has been called the Essence of Judaism. It is recited by faithful Jews in their morning and evening prayers they are instructed to teach these words to their children. They are to keep them in their minds and hearts. what were the specific instructions? write on your doorposts Many Jews, even today, write the words of the Shema on small scrolls to be place on their doorsteps in a box called a mezuzah.

St. Athanasius

Father if Orthodoxy - one of the most revered Church Fathers. Bishop of Alexandria.

Old Testament

Gn 1:27 "male and female he created them" The human family forms a community of persons in the image of the Blessed Trinity. Gn 18: 1-2 Abrahams visitors What message did they bring? That the next time they returned Abraham and his wife, Sara would have a sin. Was the promise fulfilled? Yes, through the birth of Isaac.

7. God is omnipotent

God is all powerful- he has absolute power this power can be seen in creation. Everything in the universe came into existence by God's word. Without him, nothing came to be. God alone keeps all of creation in existence. list events which demonstrate God's absolute power. miracles, creation

5. God is omnibenevolent

God is all-good or all-loving Evil is not a created reality. It is the absence of good....the failure of a created thing to exist or act as it should. God can bring good out of evil. (the horror of crucifixion- salvation of the world) because God is perfect, he is all-good. That means that all his works are good. John 3:16 Love is the single motive behind all of God's actions. He created us out of love, entered into the covenant relationships, called us back when man sinned. The ultimate act of love was the gift of the son.

6. God is omniscient

God is all-knowing God knows our actions, our thoughts, our wills, and our desires. there are no secrets that can be hidden from God in the heart of man. God knows all things because he is the ultimate cause of all things. God exists outside of time (a message of change and God doesn't change)... so everything is eternally present for him.

8. God is omnipresent

God is all-present we occupy a physical body and a finite space. we can only be present in a particular place or moment. God is not limited by time or space. God is transcendent- he surpasses all limits of human experience and knowledge. God is immanent- intimately present in the life of every person and thing.

Phylactery

small boxes worn during prayer one is bound to the left arm and the other is bound to the forehead.

The blessed Trinity in Christian life

What is the beginning of our Christian life? Baptism What is the Trinitarian Formula? Adopted into the divine family ... we become children of an Abba. Father ... incorporated into the Body of Christ ... dwellings of the Spirit.

The mystery of the Trinity

We believe that there is One God in Three Persons This belief is the central mystery of the Christian faith Because Trinity is the mystery of the nature of God himself, it is the source of all other mysteries of the faith It is beyond the capacity of human reason to derive an understanding of the Trinity on its own. This truth can only be known through divine revelation We will never fully understand the meaning of this truth

Lateran I

1123 AD Made mandatory the longstanding, universal practice of celibacy for priests.

Lateran IV

1215 AD Transubstantiation - Change of Substance Expresses our belief that bread and whine are changed in substance and becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus. Mandated the Easter duty whereby Catholics are obligated to go to Confession at least once each year and to receive the Eucharist at least once during the Easter season.

Vatican council II

1962-1965 Role of the Laity - the body of the faithful outside the ranks of the clergy. Restores the permanent deaconate.

Nicea

325 A.D. the Council Fathers of Nicea formulated the Nicene Creed, a statement of Christian beliefs. The Nicene Creed countered many heresies, especially Arianism. Set the day for the celebration of Easter.

Constantinople I

381 AD Amends and completes the Nicene Creed Emphasizes the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Filioque - Latin "and the Son"

Ephesus

431 AD Condemns Nestorianism Mary is the Theotokos. Theotokos is Greek for God-bearer and often translated as Mother of God.

Chalcedon

451 AD Condemns Monophysitism Hypostatic Union - Theological term that describes Christ as one Person with two natures, divine and human.

Jesus is one divine person

Jesus has two distinct natures. He has a divine nature - a divine intellect and will. He has a human nature - a human intellect, will and a real human body. Jesus is True God and True Man - perfect in both his divinity and his humanity.

God the son in scripture

Jesus said "The Father and I are one" Jesus also said "He who has seen me has seen the father" Jesus is often referred to as Son of God in the New Testament. How does Mark's gospel begin? Christ, the Son of God Temptation in the Desert - How is Jesus addressed?

The Trinity revealed

The Trinity was prefigured in the Old Testament. Gn 1 "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" By speaking in the plural, God foreshadowed the revelation of Christ concerning the Trinity. How do we know all Three Persons of the Trinity are at work in the creation? Each person in the Trinity is at work in all missions, they are the same.

Hypostatic Union

The human nature and divine nature in the One Person of Jesus are perfectly united. This is the Hypostatic union.