Concept
Trinity
Overview
Christian conception of God as consisting of three persons (hypostases) — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — sharing the same substance (ousia)
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
In the original texts
Passages from public-domain books where Trinity is discussed.
And He is another than the Father and the Son, for He is neither the Father nor the Son. I say "another," not "another thing," because He is equally with them the simple Good, unchangeable and co-eternal. And this Trinity is one God; and none the less simple because a Trinity. For we do not say that the nature of the good is simple, because the Father alone possesses it, or the Son alone, or the Holy Ghost alone…
of Hippo Augustine, The City of God, Volume I
names the idea; states what it is; author linked in the graph; opens on it
It is now comprehensible that Christians sought and found the Trinity in this threefold nature. It has often been made a superficial reason for objecting to them; sometimes the idea of the Trinity as it was present to the ancients, was considered as above reason, as a secret, and hence, too high; sometimes it was…
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Hegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy
names the idea; author linked in the graph; opens on it
THE TRINITY. There is only one God, [Deut. 6:4] but there are three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Hence, we say that God is the Holy Trinity, or the Three in One. We cannot understand or explain how God can be three Persons and yet only one God. But we must not expect with our finite mind to comprehend the infinite God.
Martin Luther, An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism
names the idea; opens on it
_On the contrary,_ Athanasius says: "Unity in Trinity; and Trinity in Unity is to be revered." _I answer that,_ The name "Trinity" in God signifies the determinate number of persons. And so the plurality of persons in God requires that we should use the word trinity; because what is indeterminately signified by plurality, is signified by trinity in a determinate manner. Reply Obj. 1: In its etymological sense, this…
Aquinas Thomas, Summa Theologica, Part I
names the idea; states what it is; author linked in the graph
Wherefore most assuredly the Holy Trinity is here intended of God; that in the one divine essence there are three divine Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; so that the Deity is not separated here, even in this case of action or agency. For all three Persons here concur and speak unitedly when they say, "Let us make." For neither does the Father make any other man than the Son makes; nor does the Son…
Martin Luther, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1
states what it is; opens on it; names the idea
Philosophers who discussed Trinity
- Kitarō Nishida
- Bernard Lonergan
- Walter Kaufmann (philosopher)
- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
- Giordano Bruno
- Heraclitus
- David Hartley (philosopher)
- Marshall McLuhan
- Augustine of Hippo
- Meister Eckhart
- Thomas Aquinas
- Athenagoras of Athens
- Duns Scotus
- Peter Abelard
- George Boole
- Moses Hess
- Charles Hartshorne
- Islam
- Philipp Mainländer
- Ramon Llull
- Iamblichus
- Alvin Plantinga
- Cornelius Van Til
- Vladimir Lossky
Related ideas
- Eusebius
- Eastern Orthodox Church
- Marvin Meyer
- God in Christianity
- Monad (Gnosticism)
- Genesis creation narrative
- Beatific vision
- German language
- Greek language
- Gnosticism
- Gospel of Luke
- Gospel of John
- Arianism
- Abraham
- Council of Florence
- Apocryphon of John
- Judaism
- John Calvin
- Justin Martyr
- Byzantine Empire
- Basil of Caesarea
- Latin
- Eastern Orthodoxy
- Angel
Place in the tradition
Part of Deism.