The Church's Recognition of the Doctrine of the Trinity

A. Apostolic fathers- succeeded the apostles. The unity of God is taught and the pre-existence of Christ is assumed.

B. Apologists- God is the author of whatever exists. God could not create. That was the purpose of the logos (Jesus), to form a bridge between God and creation.

C. Irenaeus- prior to creation, Jesus was the Son of God. Christ, Himself, in His own right, beyond all men who ever lived, God and Lord, and King Eternal, and the incarnate Word proclaimed by all the prophets, the apostles, and by the Spirit Himself, may be seen by all.

D. Tertellian- the Father and the Son were distinct persons. It was the Son who was born and suffered. The Son and Spirit are of the same substance as the Father, but they differ from the Father in person. The substance is one and the persons are three.

2. Defining the key Christological heresies and organizing them in chronological order.

A. Logos Christology- recognized the pre-existence of Christ, but inadequately formulated the doctrine of Christ.

B. Minarchianism- 3rd century- the equality of the logos undermined the unity of God. There are no distinctions within the unity of God.

1. Modelism- the names Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are names that apply to God at different times. He thus exists in three modes. The problem with this is that it naturally follows that Jesus was praying to no one in the Garden.

2. Dynamic- Christ was a mere man on which the Spirit of God came upon at baptism. There is too much Scriptural evidence to the contrary to affirm this view.

C. Arinianism- 4th century- the Son was the first born of all created beings. This calls into question Jesus' deity as well as, His own testimony concerning His identity.

3. Assesing the significance of expression, homo'ousios.

Homo'ousious means same substance. Jesus had to be man, one of us, so He could offer Himself a sacrifice for us, but He also had to be truly divine in order that which He offered on the cross was of infinite worth and therefore able to save all persons.

4. Summarizing the contributions to Christology of the first four Ecumenical Councils.

A. Council of Nicea- AD 325- affirmed the co-eternality of the Son and Father against Arianism.

B. Council of Constantinople- affirmed the unity of substance and attacked apolynerianism. There is indeed one Christ.

C. Council of Ephesus- condemned nestorianism. Also condemned palagianism. Also affirmed the unity of the person. They said Mary was the mother of God.

D. Chalcedon- condemned the notion of uticianism and the notion of the minophysics.