Theology : Theology Vs. Theology

Even during numerous exiles, Athanasius continued to be a vigorous defender of Nicene Christianity against Arianism. Athanasius then famously said "Athanasius against the world". The Cappadocian Fathers also took up the torch; their Trinitarian discourse was influential in the council at Constantinople.Up until about 360, theological debates mainly dealt with the Divinity of Jesus, the 2nd person of the Trinity. However, because the Council of Nicaea had not clarified the divinity of the Holy Spirit, the 3rd person of the Trinity, it became a topic of debate.

The Patristic Era saw various controversies arising over the nature of Jesus Christ, which consequently lead to the establishment of the creed as an attempt to reject the heretical views held by proponents. An example of a heretical advocate is Arius, who suggested Christ was inferior to God, but still above other creatures (McGrath, 2001, p.358). However, early orthodox theologians disputed this idea due to the soteriological complications that accompanied it (Young, 2010, p.55). The central advocator of this dispute was Athanasius, who questioned how Arius’ belief allowed for salvation through Jesus Christ, which is a key orthodox belief identified

The word “trinity” is used to describe the relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Though all three are used in scripture there is no description of the “trinity.” Throughout this paper the concept of the “trinity” will be examined. First, the paper will have a summary of relevant sections from three sources: the New Catholic Encyclopedia, the older Catholic Encyclopedia, and a peer-reviewed theological article from a contemporary journal. Two concise analyses will follow the summary. In the first analysis there will be a comparison between the older and newer Catholic encyclopedias to see how over time theological reflection has changed. In the second analysis there will be a comparison between the New Catholic Encyclopedia and a contemporary theological article to show the differences between the two theological perspectives.

Christ’s divinity is still a stumbling block for many, as it was even in the beginning. Not until the year 325 A.D., during the Council of Nicea, did the Fathers of the Church face the question of weather Christ was of the same substance as God, or only of similar substance. There were some heretical movements, which attempted to mitigate the doctrine. Many of the bishops who participated at that council were old men, lame and disfigured from the persecutions of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. The issue was a vital one for them because they had all testified to its truth at great personal cost. They had seen parents, relatives, friends and brother-priest persecuted and killed for their faith in the divinity of Christ. This was the faith they had inherited

Traditional Trinitarian language states that God is one ousia (substance/nature/essence) and three hypostases (persons). To stand within orthodox Christianity is to confess the Athanasian Creed—“That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence.” Each person of the Trinity is consubstantial, co-eternal and co-equal in glory and majesty. This understanding of the Trinity is essential to what it means to be a Christian. For this reason John Wesley is able to say in his sermon “On the Trinity,” “It [the Trinity] lies at the root of all vital religion.”

Migliore defines the Christian confession of God as triune as a “summary description of the witness of Scripture to God’s unfathomable love incarnate in Jesus Christ and experienced and celebrated in the community of faith” (Migliore 67). He is quick to explain that “the doctrine of the Trinity is not a revealed doctrine…[because it] did not descend miraculously from heaven, nor was it written by God on tablets of stone”’; rather it is “the product of the meditation and reflection of the church on the gospel message over many centuries” (67). That said, Migliore believes that a confession of the triune God has both a biblical and experiential basis. He states “if talk of the triune God is not to be wild speculation, it will always find its basis and its limit both in the biblical narrative of God that comes to the world through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the actual

Athanasius refers to the Son as the Word and states that in the life of grace, the Word gives the Spirit, who is the “living energy of creation” (Edwards 2014, p.60), to live on earth with God’s people and the Father is in the Word (Edwards 2014, p.61). This shows how each part of the Trinity has their own separate role but they are all one and work in accordance with each other. Athanasius, just like Christians today, is faced with opposition on the idea of the Trinity and just like him, Christians today should remain strong in the faith and solidify their

1) I agreed with Pope Paul that "the world is sick." The sickness Pope Paul mentions is the disease of injustice. Injustice is seen in the those who face starvation, those without shelter, healthcare, those who are victims of war. The reading stated that injustice brings destruction and diminishment to millions and death to thousands. If those numbers continue in the future, I agree that it would be hard for the world to survive. It could be said that with this knowledge, it's our job to make the world healthy again and help the many that are suffering.

On June 325, at least 220 bishops were present at the council of Nicaea condemning Arius interpretation of Jesus Christ and the divine trinity. As a result, it “produced an anti-Arian creed, the Creed of Nicea.” Arius was a presbyter teaching a radical view of Jesus Christ and the trinity. Arius believed that the Son was a creature with a beginning, therefore, it was not “possible to have a hierarchy of divine beings.” His viewpoints, believes, faith, and passion is “found today in the Jehovah’s Witnesses.” This council divided the church in “two half-truths confronting one another – the full deity of Jesus Christ (Nicea) and his eternal distinctness from the Father (Origen).” In fact, the identity of Christ and the trinity completely changes the way that we live as Christians. Without a clear view, one cannot have a clear understanding of Christianity. This is a unique time in Christian history. However, it continues to compromise the absolute truth of Jesus Christ. In fact, due to this misunderstanding as early as the second century there were monks “who lived an especially ascetic life” Trying to earn God’s favor of salvation by keeping certain rituals and ceremonies.

St. Basil challenged the readers of his day to consider the role of the Holy Spirit the same way they considered the Son to the Father. His writings influenced the churches theology to believe and give credit to the Holy Spirit as part of the trinity.

The Trinity is the leader in making the church one. As Lumen Gentium claims, “the universal church is seen to be a people made one by the unity of the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit,” (Lumen Gentium, 4). Yet, each part of the Trinity plays a specific role in the unity. First, God the Father calls us to be a part of His church. “All the just from the time of Adam, ‘from Abel, the just one, to the last of the elect’ will be gathered together with the Father in the universal church,” (Lumen Gentium, 2). God the Father allows the entire church to have a relationship with Him, and brings people together through his love. In addition, The Father sent His Son to bring the kingdom of God to Earth. The Church’s foundation is the Son of God. Lumen Gentium goes on to say, “All are called to this union with Christ, who is the light of the world, from whom we come, through whom we live, and towards whom we direct our lives,” (Lumen Gentium, 3). Therefore as the church, unity is formed by following and devoting our lives to Jesus Christ, and it

Believing in God constitutes theology. One does not need to spread God’s word or study Him to a certain extent, but only needs to believe in Him and lead a life of what they believe to be holy and godly. To me, I believe that theology is a combination of this belief and the collaboration of various religions to examine new ways to believe in God; whether one follows strict rules to emulate who they believe to be God or if they believe that all religions must come together in order to best interpret God’s will, in both scenarios they are forming their own theology.

Mary Ann Fatula’s The Triune God of Christian Faith provides for the reader the inner life of God as well as insight into the human reality. Fatula’s writing draws the devotional discussion of the Trinity as the present-day effect of the Trinitarian faith is called to support attempts to articulate and live the Trinitarian mystery. The Trinity in a human’s life is the content of our definition of our human meaning and for an infinite gift: love. Each of us has a desire for achieving meaning, for love, and for wholeness. Fatula in her book develops the study of the divine ‘persons’ and states the importance of understanding what it is to be truly a ‘person’ of both human and divine potential.

The fields of philosophy and theology are often grounds of debate. While some hold these two to be relevant and dependent on each other, others find them to be completely independent of each other. In John D. Caputo’s work, Philosophy and Theology, he expresses his view of these fields as companions. Caputo states, “Think of philosophers and theologians as fellow sailors on [the] ocean,” depicting his view of the interdependence of these two fields (Caputo 69). Through his illustration we can find the influence philosophy and theology can have on each other in facilitating our toleration of such a mysterious future and world.

(Ch. 31) In 750 words summarize insights into the deity of Christ based on John, Hebrews, and Paul. Critique the heresies of Arianism and Ebionism and explain how they fall short of true doctrine.