THESIS NO.10
The Christian
experience of the Ultimate articulated in the Bible as the self-disclosure of
God as Father, Son and the Spirit (Ex 4:22-23a; 6:6-7; Mk 14:36; Rom 8:15-16;
Gal 4:6), is the foundation of the Trinitarian doctrine in the Christian
tradition. The trinitarian mystery is the source, model and reference point of
all human communities. In the context of inter-religious dialogue we need to
explain meaningfully the Christian experience of God as Trinity to those who
have other designations for the Ultimate Mystery.
Introduction
Human beings experience God as
absolute, transcendent, incomprehensible, ineffable etc. So too every religion
understands God as incomprehensible mystery (Buddhism may be an exception to
this).The initial experience of divine mystery has led the human person to
understand the divine actions in one's own life. Thus people experience and
understand God in various ways. In a way religion helps the human person to
experience God and express that experience to others. And christian tradition
has proposed a trinitarian formula, "Father, Son and Holy spirit as three
persons in one nature" to express it's understanding of God. Today
Christian faith emphasizes that we are created in the image and likeness of God
the Trinity.
Old Testament
Judeo christians experienced God as
self revealing. In Heb 1:1, Rom 1: 19 we see that God himself reveals to the
people. In the OT God is encountered, especially in the exodus experience as a
liberator as we see in the (Ex 4: 22-23a).
The expressions `Israel is my first son', `let my son go' show for the first
time the father son relationship between God and Israel. (Ex 6: 6-7) also clearly brings out the idea of God as
Saviour, protector and redeemer of the people of Israel. In the beginning they
were reluctant to call God as father. They thought it will reduce the feature
of transcendence of God. It was only in the later period that God was
experienced as father as seen in Is 63: 16; 64: 8; Dt 7: 6; 32: 6; Hos 11: 1.
In Is 63: 16 Israel addresses Yahweh, "You are our father and redeemer who
was God of our fathers Abraham, Jacob and Isaac. Jewish christians were strong
monotheists. They always stressed Yahweh is one.
The triune God is not explicitly
revealed in the OT. In the OT God is a living God, who involves in the life of
the people. Though Israel experienced Yahweh as one, still we see some kinds of
alterity, otherness in God like word of God, wisdom of God, spirit of God which
could be interpreted as a prelude to the doctrine of trinity.
New Testament
This experience of God as father is
understood in an intense manner in the person of Jesus Christ. We see very
clearly this intense father son relationship in Mk 14: 36 where Jesus
calls God "Abba". "And He said, Abba father, all things are
possible to thee, remove this cup from me; yet not what I will but what thou
wilt". After Jesus' resurrection apostolic community encountered Jesus as
Lord, God, son of God, logos etc. They began to see Jesus related to abba father.
And at Pentecost they experienced the outpouring of the holy spirit. Now they
started experiencing God as father son and the holy spirit. (However it should
be noted that there is no systematic theology of trinity in the NT. But the
statements about God, son, spirit occur when they are spoken in the context of
salvation history).
This is clearly and explicitly
mentioned in the NT. (Mk 1:10; Mt 3:13-17) speak of Jesus' baptism in which
these three persons are brought out clearly. The voice was coming from above
symbolizing father the redeemer. Son is beloved the revealed, and spirit in the
form of dove.
The early church's belief in
trinitarian mystery is revealed in this text (Mt 28:18-20). "Go therefore
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and
of the son and of the Holy spirit".
(Gal 4:4-6): "And because you are sons, God has sent the spirit
of his son into our hearts, crying "Abba,father". This text speaks of the mission of the son
and spirit, and one who sends is father himself. Spirit is sent as the
manifestation of our sonship, not as a consequent.
(Rom 8:15-16): "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to
fall back into fear, but you have
received the spirit of sonship, when we cry, Abba, father". It is the
spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
Here Paul identifies the spirit with the person of Jesus christ.
"The graces of our Lord Jesus
christ and the love of God and the Holy spirit be with you all" (2 Cor
13:14). This is an explicit mention of the trinitarian belief. (From all these
texts we could say that early christian community began to understand God as
the father,son and spirit which stand as the foundation of trinitarian doctrine
in the christian tradition).
Early church lived this trinitarian experience in their
liturgy. Let us see some of them
a) Baptism: At Baptism there was tripple immersion into water as a sign of
Trinitarian belief.
b) Norm of faith (Regulae Fidei): These are short formulas in which doctrines of faith are
summarized. Here too we see their belief in the father, son and the Holy
spirit.
c) Creed:
The profession of faith expresses their belief in the Trinity.
d) Doxology: Every Jewish prayer ended with a doxology (praise of God). Doxologies
were always a confession of faith in Trinity. In the Eucharistic prayer also we
see the formula, "Through Him, with Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy
spirit".
Now there arise a question. How to reconcile one God with
three persons? On the process of an attempt to reconcile one God with
three there came certain heresies. Heresies came about because of the
trinitarian faith has to confront Jewish Monotheism, Greek polytheism,
Gnosticism etc. Let us see some of the heresies that came on the line.
1) Ebionites: They don't believe in Trinity. For them Jesus is angel, a
creature. They deny the divinity of Christ.
2) Dynamic Monarchianism: There is only one
principle, that is the father. According to them son and spirit are powers
(dynamics) of God. Thus they try to defend the oneness of God.
a) Theodotus Coreareus (Leather Merchant): According to him
Christ is an ordinary man up to baptism. Then he receives the power of God
without making him divine.
b) Theodotus Humiliarus (Barber): He said, If
father and son are gods we have two gods. According to him only the supreme
power descended on Christ and he is not really God.
c) Paul of Samasota: For him, logos is an impersonal
power which can also be called pneuma and sophia. Impersonal power had
influence on Jesus. This power was dwelling in Christ as in a temple. (He was
condemned in the Synod of Antioch 268).
3) Modalism: They are faithful to the oneness
of God and divinity of Jesus Christ. They are against distinction between son
and father. They are for strict identity of father and son.
a) Noetus of Smyrna and Praexes: God is indeed one
and unique. He appears as three modes (aspects) in history and dwells within
us. One God is in three Pseudonyms (false names), God is indivisible. Father,
son and spirit are three mere words to describe the reality of Trinity.
(Consequences of such understanding is the patripassionism, ie, Father became
incarnated and suffered on the cross).
b) Sabellius (Advanced Modalist): He says, God is a
monad. He has three ways of operations, Father as creator and law giver, son as
redeemer and spirit as sanctifier.
4) Subordinationism: It harmonizes oneness of God and
divinity of Christ saying son is inferior to father.
a) Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria: According to him
son is inferior to father, he is a creature, has different nature from the
father. He says, son is called as a courtesy title.
5) Tritheism (three gods): They stress the
distinction of three persons. They say there are three gods. The unity among
them is a moral union.
Against the Heresies there came certain responses from
the councils
Council
of Nicea (325): It condemned Arius who taught that the second
person of the God head is not equal to the father, and he is one of the
creatures of God. The council stresses that Jesus Christ is equal to father and
he is both God and man. They said son is consubstantial with the father.
Council
of Constantinople (381):
It was held to confirm and to reaffirm the faith of Nicea and to determine the
doctrine on Holy Spirit. It asserted the divinity of spirit who is the giver of
life and proceeds from the father. In the council spirit was proclaimed and
worshipped.
Council
of Toledo (675): Genuine expression of Trinitarian faith is
spelt out (ND 308-316).
Father: is not created but is the source and origin of the
whole God head.
Son: is not made but born from the substance of the father
and is equal to the father.
Spirit: is God equal to Father, proceeds from father and son.
IV
Lateran council (1215): officially
stated that Trinity is dogma. Father, Son and Spirit have one nature, one
substance but three persons.(ND 317-320)
II
Council of Lyons (1274): Published
a document, "Constitution on the Holy trinity and the Catholic
faith".
Vat I
(1870): The dogmatic
constitution "Dei Filius" on the catholic faith reasserts the genuine
christian concept of the God against materialistic and pantheistic trends.
Roman catholic church believes that there is one God who is creator and Lord of
heaven and earth. (ND 327)
Vat II: The trinitarian
structure of the entire work of salvation is unfolded. The church as a people
of God whose unity is derived from that of Father, Son and Spirit.
GS 24 : Trinitarian
life is presented as the model and source of interpersonal relationships in the
human society.
Theological Reflections of the fathers on Trinity
Hypolitus: When God created,
there was nothing beside him. Though he was alone he was many, because he was
not without power and not without reason and counsel.
Tertullian: He says, Trinity
derives from unity itself because God is not single. God is not unus (one) but
unum (oneness), not heis (one) but hen (oneness). He shows an example from the
gospel Jn 10:30 and interprets the relationship between father and son as
oneness, togetherness, communion. According to him, God is not a closed entity,
but self distributive, and this self distribution consists in second and third
person. He says, "In Trinity there is distinction but no division, there
is difference but no separation".
Origen: He speaks against
Modalists. According to him, Trinity is three distinct individualities. Father,
Son and Spirit are three hypostases. He says God is one but not alone, as light
gives brightness father originates the son, both father and son originates the
spirit.
Now let us see what
is it that differentiate God and what in God is always the same ?
According to Greek Fathers
hypostasis (ousia=oneness) is the principle of unity, ie, Father gives himself
completely to the son and spirit but fatherhood remains, so too with sonhood
and spirithood. And three hypostases remain as the principle of difference.
According to Latin Fathers
substance is the principle of unity and three persons in the Trinity remain as
the principle of distinction.
Augustine: Absolute love
extends, expands itself. Creation is the vestige or trace of Trinity. If we
look into ourselves, we have mind, knowledge and love, we have memory,
intelligent and will. Mind(Father) thinks(Son) and loves(Spirit). Therefore you
see Trinity when you see love. Thus he says that son and spirit are expressions
of the father.
Three classic current of thought: Greek, Latin, Modern
Greek: It starts from
the father, seen as source and origin of all divinity. There are two ways out
from the father:the son by begetting and the spirit by proceeding. The father
communicates his whole substance to the son and the spirit, so both are
consubstantial with the father and equally God. The father also forms the
persons of the son and the spirit in an eternal process. This runs the risk of
being understood as subordination.
Latin: This starts from
the divine nature which is equal in all three persons. This divine nature is
spiritual; this gives it an inner dynamic: 'absolute spirit 'is the father,
'understanding' is the son and 'will' is the Holy spirit. The three appropriate
the same nature in three distinct modes: the father without beginning, the son
begotten by the farther and the spirit breathed out by the father and the son.
The three are in the same nature, consubstantial and therefore one God. This
current runs the risk of being interpreted as modalism.
Modern: This starts from
the trinity of persons- Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. But the three live in
eternal perichoresis (Circum-in-cessio), being one in the others, through the
others, with the others and for the others. perichoresis means having seat in
the other, co-existence, co-habitation, inter personal relation, inter
penetration etc. The unity of the trinity means the union of the three persons
by virtue of their perichoresis, and eternal communion. This is seen in two
levels: (1) Dynamic (permeate or co-penetrate), (2) Static (having in the
other).
Since this union is eternal and
indefinite, we can speak of one God. This runs the risk of being interpreted as
tritheism. But however we follow this current: because (1) it starts from the
datum of faith - the existence of the father, son and the spirit as distinct
and in communion, (2) it allows a better understanding of the universe and the
human society as a process of communication of creatures with one another
(perichoresis). This interpretation strengthens the cause of the oppressed to
liberate themselves so that there can be better sharing and communion.
Implications - Relevance of Trinity - Trinitarian mystery
as the source, model and reference point of all human communities
The absolute and specific unique
revelation through scripture is that God is the communion of persons. We are
created in the image and likeness of God, the trinity.
1) Trinity
is communion of persons. Today human beings are understood not as individuals
but persons. Trinity insists on the worth and value of the persons. Everyone is
unique and unrepeatable. Personality can not be superseded or suppressed.
2) Persons
essentially mean relationship. And trinity calls for profound personal
relationships.
3) Father
gives completely to the son and spirit except fatherhood. So also son and
spirit. Trinity provokes us to live a life of sharing.
4) Love
implies unity. God is love. Absolute love is absolute unity. Trinity is
absolute oneness. This can not be explained mathematically but it is
substantial unity. In this world of caste, class differences and other
economical and social imbalances we are specially called to live in unity.
5) Authentic
human existence is not in isolation. Trinity being a community expresses the communitarian
experience and invokes and invites us to participate in this experience.
6) The
equality in trinity invites us to treat others equally.
7) Trinity
means God is love. Love is never self-centred. It is the orientation towards
the other.
8) Trinity
as communion calls us for creativity, openness, proper relationships and
building up the community of love, justice and peace.
9) Trinity
as symbol: Symbol does not mean less real or less true. What it tries to
express is more important than what is expressed. God is more important than
what is expressed. God is greater than our experience. Trinity is the source and
model of authentic individual and social life.
10) Trinity
makes us aware of glory of God and God's involvement in history.
11) Ultimately
Trinity is a sacramental mystery. As sacramental, it can be understood
progressively, as the trinity communicates itself. As a mystery, it will always
remain the unknown in all understanding since the mystery will last for all
eternity.
There is complete equality, absolute
communion in the trinity. Mutual communion is possible when there is a total
self surrender, openness, acceptance and respect. Inter-relatedness is the
expression of our nature as the image of God the trinity. Therefore trinitarian
mystery is the source, model and reference point of all human communities.
How to explain meaningfully our christian experience of
God as trinity to those who have other designations for the ultimate mystery in
the context of inter-religious dialogue?
The model of trinity is very
important in the context of various religious communities. In the Indian
context where there are different rites and religions, the communion of
trinity is the real source of inspiration.
Buddhism
stresses the silence of God
(God of silence). To this group of people I think we could share the father
figure of the trinity.
Islam experiences God as the one who is active in the history
of the people. It won't be very difficult for them if we speak of Yahweh who is
the liberator and saviour of Israel. We could very well speak of Jesus Christ
sent by the father to redeem the world.
In Hinduism many experience God as Antaryami. Our christian understanding of the Holy Spirit will not
be alien to their understanding of God. And it is easy to exchange the
experience of God one another.
God as
Saccidananda: This is Advaidic concept of absolute. Sat
means existence, Cit means consciousness or mind, Ananda means
bliss. It shows that Brahman is pure reality Ahambrahmasmi. Here there is no
room for love within because it is one. Whereas trinity is one with
distinction, capable of loving each other.
Differing from the line of
traditional understanding of trinity of saccidananda Raymundo Panikkar proposed
a new interpretation in terms of the three margas of Hinduism :Karma, Jnana and
Bhakti. He describes karma marga as the spirituality of the father (transcendent).
Bhakti marga as the personalism which is the son of god, and the jnana marga as
linked with the Holy Spirit. He regards spirit as immanent and God as beyond
person. According to Panikkar, "These three margas can be seen in all the
world religions and even in modern secularism". He hopes that a synthesis
of these three traditional spiritualities will produce the doctrine of trinity
in today's situation.
Reflection: We need a sound
theology which upholds the value of human life and the human values of unity,
equality and solidarity. And we need a radical spirituality which does not
isolate itself from the day today life problems and social issues. We need
strong conviction and more familiarity on the following experiences;
1> God involves
in the struggles of the people.
2> Poor are the
vicar of God.
3> Neighbour is
expression of God Himself.
4> God is
essentially relationship.
5> God is both
liberator and loving father and mother.
