WHO INVENTED THE TRINITY? The three monotheistic religions-Judaism, Christianity and Islam-all purport to share one fundamental concept: belief in God(Allah) as the Supreme Being, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Known as “Tawheed” in Islam, this concept of the oneness of God(Allah) was stressed by Moses in a Biblical passage known as the “Sheme”, or the Jewish creed of faith: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is One Lord.” (Deuteronomy :4) It was repeated word for word approximately 1500 years later by Jesus when he said: “…The first of all commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.” (Mark 12:29) Muhammad came along approximately 600 years later, bringing the same message again: “And your God is one God; there is no God but He, …” (Qur’an 2:163) Christianity has digressed from the concept of the Oneness of God, however, into a vague and mysterious doctrine that was formulated during the fourth century. This doctrine, which continues to be a source of controversy both within and without the Christian religion, is known as the Doctrine of Trinity. Simply put, the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity states that God is the union of three divine persons-the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit-in one divine being. If that concept, put in basic terms, sounds confusing, the flowery language in the actual text of the doctrine lends even more mystery to the matter: “… we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity … for there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. They are all one …they are not three Gods, but one God … the whole three persons are co-eternal and co-equal … He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity …” (excerpts from the Athanasian Creed) Let’s put this together in a different form: one person, God the Father + one person, God the Son + one person, God the Holy Ghost = one person? It is said that Athanasius, the bishop who formulated this doctrine, confessed that the more he wrote on the matter, the less capable he was of clearly expressing his thoughts regarding it. So, how did such a confusing doctrine get its start? TRINITY IN THE BIBLE References in the Bible to a Trinity of divine beings are vague, at best. In Matthew 28:19, we find Jesus telling his disciples to go out and preach to all nations. While this “Great Commission” does make mention of the three persons who later became components of the Trinity, the phrase “…baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” is quite clearly an addition to the Biblical text-that is, not the actual words of Jesus-as can be seen by two factors: 1) baptism in the early Church, as discussed by Paul in his letters, was done only in the name of Jesus; and 2) the “Great Commission” found in the Gospel of Mark, bears no mention of the Father, Son or Holy Ghost- see Mark 16:15. The only other reference in the Bible to a Trinity can be found in the Epistle of 1 John 5:7. Biblical scholars of today, however, have admitted that the phrase “… there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost: and these are one” is definitely a “later addition” to the Biblical text, and is not found in any of today’s versions of the Bible. It can, therefore, be seen that the concept of a Trinity of divine beings was not an idea put forth by Jesus or any other prophet of God. This doctrine, now subscribed to by Christians all over the world, is entirely man-made in origin. THE DOCTRINE TAKES SHAPE While Paul of Tarsus, the man who could rightfully be considered the true founder of Christianity, did formulate many of its doctrines, that of the Trinity was not among them. He did, however, lay the groundwork for the Trinity when he put forth the idea of Jesus being a “divine son”. After all, a Son does need a Father, and what about a vehicle for God’s(Allah’s) revelations to man? In essence, Paul named the principal players, but it was the later Church people who put the matter together. Tertullian, a lawyer and presbyter of the third-century Church of Carthage, was the first to use the word “Trinity” when he put forth the theory that the Son and the ‘Spirit participate in the being of God(Allah), but all are of one being of substance with the Father.’ A FORMAL DOCTRINE IS DRAWN UP When clashes over the matter of the Trinity occurred in 318 between two church men from Alexandria-Arius, the deacon, and Alexander, his bishop-the Emperor Constantine stepped into the fray. Although Christian dogma was a complete mystery to him, he did realize that a unified church was necessary for a strong kingdom. When negotiation failed to settle the dispute, Constantine called for the first ecumenical council in Church history in order to settle the matter once and for all. Six weeks after the 300 bishops first gathered together at Nicea in 325, the doctrine of the Trinity was hammered out. The God of the Christians was now seen as having three essences, or natures, in the form of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. THE CHURCH PUTS ITS FOOT DOWN The matter was far from settled, however, despite high hopes on the part of Constantine. It wasn’t until 451, at the Council of Chalcedon that, with the approval of the Pope, the Nicene/Constantinople Creed was set as authoritative. Debate on the matter was no longer tolerated; to speak out against the Trinity was now considered blasphemy, and offenders earned stiff sentences that ranged from mutilation to death. Christians now turned on Christians, maiming and slaughtering thousands because of a difference of opinion. THE DEBATE CONTINUES Brutal punishments and even death still did not stop the controversy over the doctrine of Trinity, and this controversy continues even today. The majority of Christians, when asked to explain this fundamental doctrine of their faith, can offer nothing more than “I believe it because I was told to do so.” It is explained away as a “mystery”- yet the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:33 that “… God is not the author of confusion…” The Unitarian denomination of Christianity has kept alive the teachings of Arius in saying that God is One; they do not believe in the Trinity. As a result, mainstream Christians abhor them, and the National Council of Churches has refused their admittance. In Unitarianism, there is hope that Christians will someday return to the teachings of Jesus: “…Thou shalt worship thy Lord thy God, and Him only shall thou serve.” (Luke 4:8) ISLAM AND THE MATTER OF THE TRINITY While Christianity may have a problem defining the essence of God, such is not the case in Islam. Allah says in the Qur’an: They do blaspheme who say: God(Allah) is one of three in a Trinity: for there in no God except One God(Allah) (3:73) It is worth noting that the Arabic language Bible uses the name “Allah” as the name of God. Suzanne Haneef, in her book “What Everyone should Know about Islam and Muslims” (Library of Islam, 1985), puts the matter quite succinctly when she says, “But God is not like a pie or an apple which can be divided into three thirds which form one whole; if god possesses three thirds or possesses three parts, He is assuredly not the Single, Unique and Invisible being which God is, and which Christianity professes to believe in.” (p. 183) Looking at from another angle, the Trinity designates God(Allah) as being three separate entities-the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit. If God is the Father and also the Son, he would then be the Father of himself because He is His own Son. This is not exactly logical. Christianity claims to be a monotheistic religion. Monotheism, however, has its fundamental belief that God(Allah) is One; the Christian doctrine of Trinity-God(Allah) being Three-in-One-is seen by Islam as a form of polytheism. Christians don’t revere just One God(Allah), they revere three. The position of the Qur’an is that WHO or WHAT comprises this doctrine is not important; what is important is that the very notion of a Trinity is an affront against the concept of God(Allah). In conclusion, we see that the doctrine of Trinity is a concept conceived entirely by man; there is no sanction whatsoever from God(Allah) to be found regarding the matter simply because the whole idea of a Trinity of divine beings has no place in monotheism. In the Qur’an, God’s(Allah’s) Final Revelation to mankind, we find His stand quite clearly stated in a number of eloquent passages: … your God(Allah) is One God(Allah): whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner. (18:110) … take not, with God(Allah), another object of worship, lest you should be thrown into Hell, blameworthy and rejected. (17:39) -because, as God(Allah) tells us over and over again in a Message that is echoed throughout ALL His Revealed Scriptures, … I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore, worship Me (and no other) … (21:92) Aisha Brown, IFTA-islamicpage.org
Posted on: Sat, 17 Aug 2013 05:45:16 +0000
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