Lecture 7 The Trinity

1. Lecture 7The Trinity Dr. Ann T. Orlando

2. Outline • De Trinitate • Anselm, Monologion • Early Modern Rejection of personal God • Filioque Controversy

3. Latin Background: Tertullian • Father of Latin Theology (155-222) • North African, deeply effected Cyprian • And then both Catholic and Donatists in North Africa • May of may not have been a lawyer; may or may not have been a Montanist • In Against Praxesis uses word Trinity and describes Trinity as unity of persons (persona)

4. 4th Century Christological and Trinitarian Controversies • Who was Jesus Christ? What was the relationship between His divinity and humanity? • What happened at the Incarnation? • Recall that earliest heresy denied His humanity (docetism) • How to describe the relationship of the “persons” in the Trinity? • Three Gods? • One God with three aspects? • Controversies used technical philosophical language • Controversies hinged on proper interpretation of Scripture: • Proverbs 8:22 ff • Genesis 1-3 • John 1:1-14

5. Greek Background: Arianism • Arius (256-336) studied in Antioch, ordained presbyter in Alexandria • Jesus as Word, but Word created • “there was when he was not” • Wanted to firmly support monotheism • But 4th C dispute also a dispute about Origen

6. Background to Nicene Creed • Council of Nicea called by Constantine in 325 • to resolve Arian controversy and • bring unity to Church, and • therefore unity to Empire • Virtually all Eastern bishops and some Western bishops attended • Bishop Alexander of Antioch succeeded in routing the Arian bishops

7. Nicene Creed • Based on various “Rules of Faith” • Lex orandi, lex credendi; the law of prayer is the law of faith • What the Church prays is what the Church believes • Based on Scripture, but wanted to be philosophically precise • Used a word not found in Scripture: homoousia

8. Arianism after Nicea • Continued to be a very potent heresy • Also, politically well connected: Constantine may have been baptized by an Arian bishop • His son, Constanstius, d. 360 took side of Arians; • Sent Arian missionaries to Germany • Alaric and the Goths who sacked Rome in 410 were Arian Christians • His cousin, Julian the Apostate, d. 363 tried to return the Empire to paganism • Of the claimants to Empire after Julian • Valantinian I in West, pro-Nicene (although his mother was an Arian) • Valens in East was a semi-Arian • Finally ‘settled’ with Theodosius the Great, • Council of Constantinople, 381, promulgates Nicene-Constantinople Creed, • What we now have • Note structure of CCC

9. Augustine and The Trinity • Meditation on Trinity probably the most important personal meditation by Augustine • Always thinking about it, writing about the Trinity • Although opposed to Arians, Augustine’s Trinitarian works are far more than a refutation of Arianism • Understood that the Trinity was ultimately mystery, but always looked for ways to approach that mystery • Story of Augustine on sea shore

10. De TrinitateBooks I-IV • Book I: Augustine addresses his readers • Importance of Catholic tradition • Rule for interpreting Scripture concerning the Trinity: Son is equal to Father in the form of God, less than the Father in form of a servant • Book II: Mission of persons of Trinity does not change equality among them • Old Testament theophanies • Book III: Angels and miracles in Old Testament • Book IV: Jesus Christ Mediator • Inseparability of persons of Trinity, but must be manifested to us separately because of our limitations

11. Books V - VII • Book V: Analysis of words describing God • Refutation of Arian language • Spirit as datus, Son as natus • Book VI: Question of interpretation of 1 Cor 1:24 the power and wisdom of God • Refutation of Arians • Book VII: Continuation of 1 Cor. 1:24 • Study of Greek word hypostasis

12. Book VIII • God is Truth, God is Good, God is Love • Happiness is found in full knowledge and enjoyment of God • But how can we love God if we do not (cannot) know Him? • Definition of love: True love is that by which we should live justly by cleaving to the truth, and so for the love of men by which we wish them to live justly we should despise all mortal things. (VIII.5.10) • There you are with three: the lover, what is being loved and love (VIII.5.14) • We have said enough to provide a frame of a kind of warp for what remains to b e said.

13. Book IX - XII • Book IX: How we love • Human mind knows itself, loves itself • But human mind is always changing • Book X: The mind knows it is incomplete • Memory, understanding, will are the triad that best describe the mind • Book XI: How sense perceptions are processed • Book XII: Memory, understanding, will as the imago Dei • But the true image of God is not in the mind

14. Book XIII - XV • Book XIII: The Word of God • Christ as knowledge and wisdom of God • Reconsideration of the happy life: not found in this life • Only possible because of redemption by Christ • Book XIV: Importance of faith in this life • Further thoughts on memory, intellect and will in man • But because this changes, need external standards to judge truth and right conduct • Book XIV: How analogy helps us to approach image of Trinity • How the analogy fails

15. Key Points in Augustine • Relationship among persons of Trinity • God is Love • Love implies relationship • Transcendence and eminence • The trinity in man • Knowing, Understanding, Willing

16. De Trinitate and Holy Spirit • What is relation of Spirit to Father and Son? • The Spirit proceeds from the Father (II.5) • The Spirit is sent into the world by and proceeds from the Son (IV.29-30) • The Spirit as love and the gift of love (XV.27-32)

17. Augustine and Eastern Christianity • Augustine greatly influenced by Ambrose and Hilary • Both Ambrose and Hilary introduced bring Eastern theologians to West • Ambrose greatly influenced by Capaddocians • Augustine hampered by lack of Greek • Major contention between Augustine and Greek contemporaries: Pelagianism, not filioque

18. Impact in West • De Trinitate becomes the fundamental doctrinal statement on the Trinity in the West • Perhaps no other work of Augustine will carry such unquestioned authority in the Middle Ages

19. Anselm (1033-1109) • Born in northern Italy • Studied and became abbot at a Benedictine monastery in Normandy • Went to (recently conquered) England in 1092 • Became Archbishop of Canterbury • Among his most important works: • Proslogion: Ontological proofs for existence of God • Cur Deus Homo: Christology of satisfaction • Monologion

20. Monologion • Written 1076, a type of soliloquy or meditation • Attempt to understand the Trinity without recourse to Scripture or other authority • But how does Anselm know he has gotten to the ‘right’ answer? • Read Preface and Chapter Titles • Read Chapters 49-61 • Available at http://cla.umn.edu/sites/jhopkins/monologion.pdf • What is significance of Augustine?

21. Aquinas on the Trinity • Thinking about God in Aristotelian categories • ST Ia Q39 attempts to reconcile Nicea and Augustine with these categories

22. John Calvin • Calvin cautiously accepts Nicene Creed • But is concerned about non-Biblical language (Homoousia) • Relies on Augustine as a guide to thinking about Trinity • But very cautious about analogies • He rejects imago Dei as memory, intellect and will • Note which Books of De Trinitate Calvin uses; not emphasis on Biblical exegesis • Institutes of Christian Religion I.13 and I.15

23. Filioque History • Filioque = and the Son • Interpolation in the Nicene Creed in Latin • Appears in West in late 7th C in some versions of Creed • Accepted as standard in imperial liturgy by Charlemagne (early 9th C) • Becomes a doctrinal area of contention between Europe and Byzantium as part of broader political confrontation • Pope Leo III knew filioque was not a good translation from Greek • Accepted as standard in Europe in 12th C • Coincides with beginning of Crusades and renewed friction with Byzantium • De Trinitate translated into Greek in 1274 • Coincides with Byzantine request for reunification with West for defense against Turks • Strongly influenced great Eastern mystic Gregory Palamas (1297-1359) • Renewed friction over filioque after fall of Constantinople (1453)

24. Current Work • The Filioque: A Church Dividing Issue? • Joint USCCB and Orthodox Statement • October 2003 • Organization of Document • I Holy Spirit in Scripture • II Historical Considerations • III Theological Considerations • IV Recommendations • Available at http://www.usccb.org/seia/filioque.shtml • Pay special attention to Part III

25. Early Modern Rejection of Trinity • All reformers (16th C) are Trinitarians • 17th C opens up possibility of ‘public’ rejection of Trinitarianism • Thirty Years War • Scientific discoveries

26. Development of a new secular philosophy: Enlightenment • Science (as we now define it) as the basis for knowledge; (Francis Bacon) • Human reason can figure it (anything, everything) out; is always making progress • Devalue history, tradition • Toleration as the basis for political-religious relationship; (John Locke) • Separation of Church and State • Individual rights, not duty, as basis for political systems and society; (Thomas Jefferson) • Social contract not natural law as basis of legal system • Becomes an alternative to established religions

27. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) • Raised an Episcopalian, studied a William and Mary • Heroes: John Locke, Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton • The most articulate writer of American Revolution; also greatly influenced and influenced by French philosophes and French Revolution • William Short was a friend and fellow Deist • Note rejection of Christian Christology • Note rejection of ‘Platonisms’ in theology • Read his “Epitome of Christianity” and his “Letter to William Short”, comparing Jesus and Epicurus, which includes an epitome of Epicureanism

28. Assignments • Augustine • De Trinitate IV.29-30, XV.27-32 • Anselm, Monologion, • Read Preface and Chapter Titles • Read Chapters 49-61 • Available at http://cla.umn.edu/sites/jhopkins/monologion.pdf • Aquinas • ST Ia Q39 • Calvin • Institutes of Christian Religion I.13 and I.15 • The Filioque: A Church Dividing Issue? • Available at http://www.usccb.org/seia/filioque.shtml • Thomas Jefferson, • “Epitome of Christianity” • “Letter to William Short”