HISTORY
OF THE DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE NATURE OF GOD
IN THE EARLY CENTURIES OF CHRISTIANITY
Part 1
INTRODUCTION AND
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The general trend of the development of the doctrine of the Trinity is almost
unanimously agreed upon by secular historians and professors of church history.
To get an accurate concept of how and why it was conceived, however, one needs
to obtain a relatively complete picture of the problems and
reactions that the Post-Apostolic Church was involved in -- and this can be done
only by a full, unbiased treatment of the facts. We can have no truly
objective story of the Trinitarian controversy, however, for the following reasons:
First, history is not impeccable, but as its name implies is "his story,"
and is usually colored by prejudice whenever controversy is involved. Secondly,
it is impossible for a historian to present an objective review, for to do
this, he has to present equal testimony from both sides -- and this is not
available.{1} When all anti-trinitarians were anathematized by the council of
Nicea, their works were burned. Our knowledge of them comes mainly from
hard-core Trinitarians, who wrote with great vehemence during the heated years
of theological battle.{2} Moreover, nearly all theologians and historians
since, have imbibed this Catholic doctrine and are more than willing to defend
it. When, however, Trinitarians admit the weaknesses of their own system, the
late date of their theology, and details that are embarrassing to their own
cause -- we may be sure that they are revealing the truth. This brief history is, therefore, a
history stripped of the glorifications of the Trinity -- all of which are
opinions, not facts. The acknowledgements of Trinitarian problems have been
made a part of this history, for without it the account would be even more
one-sided, for we have no testimony from opposing sources.
History is often inaccurate and contradictory to itself; the reader may, therefore, find information at variance with some of the quotations of this account as the author has also found. Some of these discrepancies are not real, they are the result of an incomplete history -- no one can include all the details. A review of several sources is necessary to obtain even a relatively accurate picture.
For the sake of simplicity and brevity, I have woven together the pertinent data from a number of respected authorities into one short history. I have not undertaken to rewrite that history in my own words -- I have, instead, arranged the information as a compilation of quotations. So that the reader may be fully informed, I have printed the quotations in capital letters and have included [sub-numbers] after each quotation, referring to the source of information. Words in small letters are either connecting words or are a rearranged condensation of quotations. Words in small letters in parenthesis are my comments. Key words have been <bracketed> to draw them more forcibly to the attention of the reader.
In the interest of brevity, I have often left out less pertinent sections of quotations. To keep from breaking up the continuity of the history, I have not indicated these omissions by the usual signs of ellipses. I have also rearranged some data, in order to make a complete and comprehensible thought without using all the words the writer used, which oftentimes involves several paragraphs.
Sub-numbers refer to the following sources of information.
[1] - THE ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA, Vol. 27, p. 67, 1948.
[2] - Ibid, Vol. 6.
[3] - THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA, Vol. 1, 1939.
[4] - Ibid, Vol. 5.
[5] - HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, by W. Walker, Prof. of Ecclesiastical History
at Yale.
[6] - A HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY, by K.S. Latourette, Prof. of Oriental History
at Yale.
[7] - WEBSTER'S NEW WORLD DICTIONARY, 1964.
[8] - ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, Vol. 3, p. 82, 1950.
[9] - PENTECOSTALISM, by Dr. John Thomas Nichol, 1966.
[10] - STORY OF THE WORLD'S WORSHIP, by F.S. Dobbins (former Prof. of Lit. at Yale;
President of the American Bible Society, Associate of the Am.Oriental Society
and the London Society of Biblical Archeology, etc.), 1901.
[11] - HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, by Schaff, Vol. 11.
[12] - HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN THOUGHT, by McGiffert, Vol. 1.
[13] - GROVER UNIVERSAL ENCYCLOPEDIA, 1965.
[14] - COLLIERS ENCYCLOPEDIA.
[15] - THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE CHURCH, by Abbe Duchesne, Vol. 1.
[16] - THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION AND ETHICS, by James Hastings.
[17] - THE NEW BIBLE DICTIONARY, by Douglas.
[18] - BUTLERS WORKS, 1887.
[19] - THE NEW CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA, by McGraw Hill.
[20] - HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY, by K.S. Latourette - Sterling Professor of Missions
and Oriental History and Fellow of Berkeley College in Yale Univ., 1953.
[21] - EARLY CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES, by J. Kelley, Oxford Univ.
[22] - DICTIONARY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH, Scribners.
[23] - THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT BAPTISM IN JESUS NAME, by John Peterson.
[24] - TRUTHS ON WATER BAPTISM, by Ernest G. Moyer.
[25] - THE TRINITY AND CHRISTIANITY, by Dr. Charles Lowry - quoted by God in Three
Persons, by Carl Brombeck.
[26] - COMPENDIUM OF CHURCH HISTORY, by Dr. Andrew Zenos, Prof. of Biblical Theology
in the McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago.
[27] - A SELECT LIBRARY OF NICENE AND POST NICENE FATHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH,
vol. IV by St. Athanasius - The Christian Literature Company, Oxford and
London, Parker and Co., 1892.
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Footnotes:
{1} - The principle source of information of Monarchianism is the
work of Hippolytus (who was bitterly opposed to it) and Tertullian's
"Adversus
Praxean"; <A Source Book for Ancient Church History>, by Ayer; and
<The History of Christian Thought>, by McGiffert. "None can at this
date say what precisely were Sabellius's opinions" - <Encyclopedia of
Religion and Ethics>, by James Hastings.
{2} - "Tertullian met Praxeas and sarcastically charged him with having executed
at Rome two commissions of the devil, having driven away the Holy
Ghost and having crucified the Father (Praxeas thought the Catholic doctrine tritheistic)."
- <History of the Christian Church>, by Phillip Schaff.
"Hippolytus... calls Callistus 'An unreasonable and treacherous man, who brought
together blasphemies from above and below, only to speak against the
truth, and was not ashamed to fall now into the error of Sabellius.'" - <History
of the Christian Church>, by Phillip Schaff..