Silence of trinity

Silence of trinity is probably a good way to describe how trinity was formulated and assembled to what it is now and it’s lacking in the language of the New Testament. One may ask, If the doctrine was that of importance then why didn’t Jesus explicitly teach it to His disciples? And if it was taught, then why we didn’t see Jews opposing to these new revelation? And how did it get by the Romans at that time? Romans did not allow any new religion other than that which is established already. Christians came under the umbrella of Jews religion and since it was not opposed by Jews as they are to Christianity today then it is safe to say that the Trinitarian doctrine their opposing today wasn’t a problem then, for it wasn’t taught but soon to come through many channels of Greecian philosophy.
Let me say this with all respect that many professing Christians are quick to articulate the authenticity of their views with regards to the original teachings of the New Testament as taught by the disciples of Jesus even Paul the champion of Christians. I have been told by the minister of SDA (Seven Day Adventist) that they are the only church who holds the original teachings. There are Baptist who says the same thing when debating others who hold a different views as they. Mainline evangelicals, Catholics and even Jehovah’s Witness confess to this idea, “they are the only one who holds the correct view in similarity to the ancient teachings of the New Testament Church”. There are others who have asserted publicly that the early Church was primitive and it was due to mature in time. Can all this arguments be true? Can we say that the early church was primitive in their understanding and the peak of Theological teachings and literatures were to be written later?

Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Jude the brother of James would disagree to this idea that the peak of theological teachings were to be written later. Jude exhorted the saints to look back to the faith which “WAS ONCE DELIVERED.” This to me sounds like the faith and the peak of theological teachings were already taught in the early Church and we are commanded to follow them. From this scripture in Jude 3 we see that even in the beginning, there were false doctrines that were emerging with the infant church. Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Gnosticism creeping into the church. 
Colossians 2:21-23 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using ;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh. Yes there were new doctrines that tried to destroy the early church but the disciples warned us to be aware of them and contend to the faith that was once delivered unto us. Jude 3 says “And exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” What was the faith that was once delivered unto the saints or what were the original teachings of the ancient Church? There are many things that were taught by the disciples and one of them that we will discuss is the subject on who is Jesus and His relation to Father and the Holy Ghost biblically and its historical development.

Early Church Teachings 
In every denomination there are differences in their articles of Faith, others calls them creeds, but one teaching that is common is a belief in one God or monotheism. Muslims, Christians and Jews all claim to this believe found in Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD. As much as they are similar to this claim, there is a mass difference in the idea behind the one God teaching. The Muslims sees Christendom as pagan because of the beliefs of trinity; accepted by the majority of Christians. Also because of members worshiping statues in Catholic Church as well as images worship in Greek Orthodox.
Christians also see Muslims as pagans because of their worship of Allah (Moon god).1 Jews themselves would not acknowledge Christianity because of the doctrine of Trinity. Even in Christianity, there are wide differences in viewing the Godhead and the majority of them hold the doctrine of trinity. Is there a correct view or do we just ignore this controversy and move on with our differences? What was the original teaching in the first century church, were the first church Trinitarians or were they Oneness. Let’s go back and closely examine what was the acceptable doctrine in the first church.

Jesus and One God 
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: This passage clearly says that there is one God, the Jews knew this, and they were command to keep it, love it, and protect then to pass it on to the future generations. We can see over and over in the Bible that the children of Israel continue to proclaim it and they still do today. When Jesus was questioned by one of the scribes with an intention to trap Him “Which is the first commandments of all? Jesus replied and said, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord” Mark 12 28-29. Here we see Jesus making the one God teaching the first of all commandments to the hearers. Would He have given different answer today if He was asked the same question? Without any doubt we would get the same answer. Let me make this one point to summarize what I’m trying to say, “In all the teaching of Jesus throughout the new Testament you cannot find any language of trinity as how they confess to later on in the church history after much battles and decisions that were made in the councils.

Apostles and One God 
If we were given a chance to go back in time and asked the apostles to expound the one God, would they expound it in a Trinitarian point of view? Would they give an oneness position or would they says that we He was a unique son or a subordinate second person, God but not as the Father according to the Jehovah’s Witness and Unitarians? Let’s look at one portion of the scripture to find out. Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Mathew would say that we need to worship God alone. With this in mind we continually seeing in the New Testament that the disciples worshiped Jesus calling Him God and He never once stopped or rebuked them for their actions.

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Acts 9:5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Above a few scriptures that tell us that Jesus is that One God manifested in the Flesh. The first one is the epistle of Paul to Titus. Paul refers to Jesus as the Great God, sounds pretty different to what others called Him today as unique son or second person in trinity. He is the great God and our Savior. Second, John write the confession of Thomas calling Him my Lord and my God. He is the Lord and God according to John and Thomas. Third we see Paul on the road to Damascus being struck down by a bright light, Paul being a Pharisee of the Pharasee he knew that there is only one God. He said who art thou Lord and the voice said Jesus. Jesus is the one God according to the Apostles.
Here is a summary of what Jesus and the Apostles taught. We know for sure that there was no language of trinity being taught by Jesus neither His disciples. The Church had Jewish Christians who follow the strict law of Monotheistic society. Another thing to point out is that the Christians at this point had never received any accusation from the Jews for worshiping multiple gods. This also let us know that the Christians were not Trinitarians but were Oneness.


Early Church and One God 
Now that we have seen that Jesus made this confession and the Apostles being Jews who worship one God made the same confession but went further and saith that Jesus is that One God, let’s see what the early church fathers taught. To do this we’ll focus our study to two beliefs of one God, Oneness and Trinity. These two will be our main focus throughout the rest of this paper.

Definition by David K. Bernard, 
o The doctrine of Oneness can be stated in two affirmations: (1) God is absolutely and indivisibly one with no distinction of persons (Deuteronomy 6:4; Galatians 3:20). (2) Jesus Christ is all the fullness of the Godhead incarnate (John 20:28; Colossians 2:9). All the names and titles of the Deity, such as God, Jehovah, Lord, Father, Word, and Holy Spirit, refer to one and the same being. These various names and titles simply denote manifestations, roles, relationships to humanity, modes of activity, or aspects of God’s self-revelation. 2.

o Trinitarianism is the belief that there is “one God in three Persons or “three persons in one substance.” The unique names of these three persons are God the Father, God the Son (or Word), and God the Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit). The three persons are distinctions in God’s very being, not simply manifestations or distinctions of activity. “There is in the Divine Being but one indivisible essence. In this one Divine Being there are three Persons or individual subsistence’s, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” 3


It is clearly shown that the church was indeed oneness in the first century but what went wrong? How did the Trinity doctrine became dominant in the later church? Trinitarian scholars made statements during debates with Oneness scholars that the trinity was formulated over a time. Rob Bowman , editor for CRI (Christian research Institute) said in his debate with the former UPC scholar Robert Sabin, “The doctrine of trinity was formulated”4 and James White, Baptist scholar also made the same statement in his debate back in 2000 with Robert Sabin, (“doctrine of trinity was formulate) .”5

The teaching of three divine persons in the Godhead was never accepted by the Jews and so we’re not surprise to see that there were no such accusation on multiplicity of god but instead it was widely seen that the Christians were worshiping the one God but to them it was Jesus who was that one true God. There are many writings that gives a clear understanding of what the original and accepted belief in the first church was, and clearly it was Oneness. Below are some writings from the Post Apostolic Church fathers who speaks of the relationship of the Father and the Son without any suggestion or hints of co-equality in the Godhead.

No language of trinity: Justin Martyr (ca. 140 a.d.) 
“And to say that the power sent from the Father of all which appeared to Moses, or to Abraham, or to Jacob, is called an Angel because He came to men (for by Him the commands of the Father have been proclaimed to men); is called Glory, because He appears in a vision sometimes that cannot be borne; is called a Man, and a human being, because He appears strayed in such forms as the Father pleases; and they call Him the Word, because He carries tidings from the Father to men: but maintain that this power is indivisible and inseparable from the Father, just as they say that the light of the sun on earth is indivisible and inseparable from the sun in the heavens; as when it sinks, the light sinks along with it; so the Father, when He chooses, say they, causes His power to spring forth, and when He chooses, He makes it return to Himself.” 6

Justin use the analogy of the sun and the light to describe the relationship of the Father and Jesus to the Jews. Here we have a statement by the forerunner of the logos doctrine referring to them as one entity and inseparable. Jean Danielou analyzed this by saying , “The opinion attack is clear enough that the logos does not subsist as a separate entity, but is simply manifestation of the Father.”7 There is hardly any language of trinity in this dialogue but the idea is soon be formulate. Read elsewhere in all the writings of the church Fathers and you’ll find that even the ones who are seen or claimed as Trinitarian forerunners in the early church do not speak of trinity the way it is presented and seen today. Can I say that as we go further back toward the early church we see less and less idea of three in one, why? It is because the doctrine of trinity was developed over a time by gentile Christians who fuses the Greek philosophy with Jewish Christians.

Majority of believers 
The simple, indeed, (I will not call them unwise and unlearned,) who always constitute the majority of believers, are startled at the dispensation (of the Three in One), on the ground that their very rule of faith withdraws them from the world's plurality of gods to the one only true God; not understanding that, although He is the one only God, He must yet be believed in with His own oikonomia. The numerical order and distribution of the Trinity they assume to be a division of the Unity; whereas the Unity which derives the Trinity out of its own self is so far from being destroyed, that it is actually supported by it. They are constantly throwing out against us that we are preachers of two gods and three gods, while they take to themselves pre-eminently the credit of being worshippers of the One God; just as if the Unity itself with irrational deductions did not produce heresy, and the Trinity rationally considered constitute the truth. We, say they, maintain the Monarchy (or, sole government of God).8

As much as he wanted to put out the teachings of Oneness and the champion Praxeas , Tertullian eventually became one of the best sources and a hostile witness to the majority of the believers in the early church history before the doctrine of trinity finally peaked its formulation and gained acceptance by anathematizing her opponents and preserved to what it is today. Tertullian is called the father of the Trinitarian doctrine, he is the first to speak of the identity of substance, first to speak of the persons in the godhead, first to speak of the economy of Godhead, he used the word patripassian (Father suffered) to refer to the oneness believers. Tertullian gave us a clue to what was the church like in his days when he says, “who always constitute the majority of believers.” So if oneness was the majority of the believers then it makes more sense when we read from the writings of Ireneaus, Justin and other early fathers who would not boldly call the oneness as heretics.


A reputable church historian, Adolf Harnack notes,

 “…. It is extremely surprising to notice how mildly the (Alogi) party was criticized and treated by Ireneaus as well as by Hippolytus”9. Oneness scholar William Chalfant also says that “…true orthodoxy were Alogi or monarchians, who were in the majority ,this is why Irenaeus was reluctant to name them heretics in c.190 and Hippolytus some 45 years later was also reluctant to call them Heretics.”10

Influence on Christianity 
As the church started to become more popular, many gentiles were converted into the church. With pagan influence, the church sought ways to accommodate this mass conversion and many turns to Greek philosophy to seek to win them not only in spirituality but also philosophy. Among many who influenced the Christianity, Philo who was deeply influence in Greek philosophy and tried to reconcile the Christianity with the Greek philosophy of logos. He was successful. Below are some of the writers from different denominations who see the substantiation of the silence of teaching of Trinity in the early church. Although we don’t agree with them on Christology but we do have in common of seeking to understand the original teachings of the Apostolic Church in the first two century.

Scott, Kenneth Latorette 
o Platonism had a mark influence on Christianity, it entered from many channels. Among them a Hellenistic Jew, Philo. Who has utilized by early Christian writers, and through Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Origin, Augustine and the writers which bore the name of Dionysius. Te term logos which was extensively employed by the Christians came as a thought of relation of Christ to God, came from Greek philosophy perhaps by way of both stoicism and Platonism. 11

Rufus M Jones 
o Where the first church Christian teach to begin the formation of the definite doctrine. The Apologist who were at one with the predecessor Philo, the Jew of Alexandria with the contemporary thinkers of the school of philosophy. The supreme revelation of God they called logos, here cletus of Ephesus first used the term logos 500 years before Christ. Philo the famous Hellenist in the first half of the first century fused the Greek and Hebrew conceptions into one single blend of immense importance and momentous future influence. Logos is a divine agent, the image of God, the first born son of God, sometimes called by Philo, and the later writers , ,Theros, Theos , the second God. 12

1984 Lindbeck, George A. (b.?-?), Professor of Historical Theology, Yale University. 
o In order to argue successfully for the unconditionality and permanence of the ancient Trinitarian Creeds, it is necessary to make a distinction between doctrines, on the one hand, and on the terminology and conceptuality in which they were formulated on the other. . . .Some of the crucial concepts employed by these creeds, such as “substance”, “person”, and “in two natures” are post biblical novelties. If these particular notions are essential, the doctrines of these creeds are clearly conditional, dependent on the late Hellenistic milieu.13

Rusch,William G. 
o No doctrine of the Trinity in the Nicene sense is present in the New Testament . . . .There is no doctrine of the Trinity in the strict sense in the [writings of the] Apostolic Fathers, but the trinitarian formulas are apparent. The witness of this collection of writings to a Christian doctrine of God is slight and provides no advance in synthesis or theological construction beyond the biblical materials.14

1967 The New Catholic Encyclopedia. 
o The formulation “one God in three Persons” was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title the Trinitarian dogma. Among the Apostolic Fathers there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.15



Frederick Clifton 
o Considering how strongly conscious the Jews were of their monotheism, it is interesting to note that as far as the N[ew] T[estament] evidence goes the Jewish opposition did not charge the Christians movement with tritheism or polytheism, a common Jewish criticism later.16

1957 The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, 
o The doctrines of the Logos and the Trinity received their shape from Greek Fathers, who. . .were much influenced, directly or indirectly, by the Platonic philosophy. . . .That errors and corruptions crept into the Church from this source can not be denied.17

Jesus asked His disciples the question that has been asked throughout the church history and answer still remain the same. “Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This is the key to understand the nature of Christ and His relationship with the Father. Jesus said, “Flesh and Blood hath not revealed it unto thee.” No man or will of human being can earn the understanding of who Jesus is. We may debated and write monumental books to the ever learning of who Jesus is but if It’s not directed by the Spirit of God then all will not come even close to the revelation of the Mighty God in Christ. Luke wrote the word of Jesus in the gospel that bear his name,10:22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. No man can know who Jesus is unless it be revealed to him by the guiding of the Spirit of God. Some says that we will never understand the nature of Christ as God until we get to Heaven. But according to Jesus Himself in the writings of Luke, “and he to whom the Son will reveal him.” We can understand the Oneness of God. “: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” God Himself will reveal this truth to us when we humbly asked and desired to know the truth according to the scriptures and not what man said.

There are many who have debated or write against the teaching of one God, Mighty God doctrine, and uses the date of which the organization was formed as a proof that this Oneness teaching is a new revelation and not the original from the scriptures. Here’s a part of dialogue I had with a Trinitarian apologist,


Trinitarian Apologist: “The "Oneness" doctrine you espouse was formulated after 1913.
My response Oneness: I guess I would say it was a time where trinitarians could not stop the oneness doctrine because they were over hundred trinitarians who got the revelation of Jesus Name Baptism and One God. Earlier they were persecuted,Labeled as heresy and pronounced as
Heretics, killed etc. But if you are going to argue that oneness doctrine originated in the early 1900 then you need to pick some history books because there are overwhelming evidence throughout the Church ages. Were there oneness before the early 1900, yes. and the doctrine was
not formulated but was finally understood by Trinitarian pastors. The only thing that happened in 1913 was the seperation of the oneness pentecostals and the trinitarian pentecostals. All were still pentecostals. They were trinitarians who became oneness. Not one, Not 2 but over hundred .


Jesus said,



“Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” When we look into history we see writings, edict and laws being set up against anyone who would dare to come against what they claimed to be the faith of the historic orthodox church, which is trinity. We see this actions and we know that they didn’t write them just for the sake of future intervention when such heresy should arise but we know they wrote them because there were men and woman who knew truth and would not believe the doctrine that was formulated and assembled in the four councils and put to action with fire and the edge of the sword. There were such men like Praxeas, Sabelius, Servetus and many more throughout the century who hold to these truth and would not bow to any new teachings. There were convictions in these man and woman and they would rather die than to renounce the truth about their Lord and Messiah, Jesus Christ. Just as it was in the early years of the church, it is still the same today. There are many young men and woman in the oneness movement would not bow to any new doctrine but stand for the truth of Oneness, the Mighty God in Christ Doctrine.

Footnotes: 
1. THE ERROR AND ORIGINS OF THE MUSLIM RELIGION – ISLAM, Dr.Robert Morey, edited by M.Blume
2. Bernard p.9-10 Definition of oneness, Oneness and Trinity, A.D. 100-300/ WAP Bernard p.13.
3. Ibid p.13
4. Oneness and trinity debate between Robert Sabin and Rob Bowman.
5. Oneness and trinity debate, James white debate with Robert Sabin 2000, www.aomin.org/BriefHistoryAO.html
6. Ante-Nicean Fathers Vol.1 Dialogue of Justin, Philosopher and Martyr, with Trypho, a Jew.
7. Fall of apostolic church, W. Chalfant, p.5 / Jean Danielou, History of early Christian doctrine, Vol II. Phil.,Westminister press, 1973, p.355
8. Against Praxeas, Writings of Tertullian chap. 3/ Catholic Encyclopedia, Newadvent.org
9. Adolf Van Harnack, History of Dogma vol.III p.19
10. Fall of apostolic church, W. Chalfant, p.9
11. Latorette, Kenneth Scott. A History of Christianity.1953, p.260-261
12. Ireneaus and Tertullian, Rufus M Jones
13. 1984 Lindbeck, George A. (b.?-?), Professor of Historical Theology, Yale University. The Nature of Doctrine: Religion and Theology in a Post Liberal Age. 1st Edition. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, c1984), p. 92. BT19 .L55 1984 / 83-027332.
14. 1980 The Trinitarian Controversy. From the Series: Sources of Early Christian Thought. Rusch, William G. (b.?-?), Director of the Commission of Faith and Order, National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., translator and editor. (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, c1980),introduction, pp. 2, 3. BT109 .T74 / 79-008889.
15. 1967 The New Catholic Encyclopedia. Prepared by an editorial staff at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967-c1989), vol. XIV [14], p. 299 (italics theirs). BX841 .N44 1967 / 66-022292.
16. 1963 Dictionary of the Bible. Hastings, James (b.1852-d.1922), Editor. Revised Edition by: Grant, Frederick Clifton (b.1891-d.1974) and Rowley, Harold Henry (b.1890-d.?). (New York:
Scribner, 1963), pp. 337, 338. BS440 .H5 1963 / 62-021697.
17. 1957 The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Embracing Biblical, Historical,Doctrinal, and Practical Theology and Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Biography from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, Based on the Third Edition of the Real encyklopäädie Founded by J. J. Herzog, and Edited by Albert Hauck, Prepared by More than Six Hundred Scholars and Specialists Under the Supervision of Samuel Macauley Jackson (editor-in-chief) with the assistance of Charles Colebrook Sherman and George William Gilmore (associate editors) and [others including: Herzog, Johann Jakob (b.1805-d.1882); Schaff, Philip (b.1819-d.1893); Hauck, Albert (b.1845-d.1918); Jackson, Samuel Macauley (b.1851-d.1912), editor; Sherman, Charles Colebrook (b.1860-d.1927), joint editor; Gilmore, George William (b.1858-d.1933), joint editor]. 13 vols. (New York; London: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1908-c1914), vol. IX [9], p. 91. BR95 .S43 / 08-020152.



Ray Haruzi