Humpty Dumpty

[Faber]

"When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean" (Humpty Dumpty in 'Through the Looking Glass' by Lewis Carroll).

Those who deny the Trinity often employ the same rational as Humpty Dumpty in their approach to defining the words of the Bible. Since the proper definitions refute their doctrine they resort to attacking the meanings of the biblical words as found in the lexicons.
What they offer is simply their opinion of what they think the words ought to mean in accordance with their beliefs.
"The Bible is inspired not the lexicons" is a claim so often made. What is ignored is that the words of the Bible are to be properly defined otherwise like Humpty Dumpty words can simply mean anything we want them to. Communication will inevitably break down.

[Willum]

[Replying to post 20 by marco]

I'll admit we might be talking past one another, even so, there is a trinity.

I am not going to try to define it - I mean there are many many ways to interpret a trinity. I think it s simply that there wasn't useful word for it in Greek, so they used other ways to describe it.

There are so many trinities - Father Son Holy Ghost.
Allah - Jehovah - God.

That the trinity is only perspective/title authority:
Father: Authority
Holy Spirit: Sympathy
Son: Hope

There are so many trinities...
All the same.

[Faber]

[Replying to post 16 by marco]

Simple. There is more than one way to express a truth claim.

[Faber]

Why does it always seem to be up to me to teach you folks your own religion?

Matthew 28:19,20

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.�[/quote

Trinity enough?

Well not really, Willum. The word TRINITY doesn't feature, so one can't offer a biblical definition.

You mean that three entities are mentioned, but we know there are not three gods. Fortunately the previous verse resolves this dilemma:

"Jesus spake unto them, saying: All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."

The Father has given him the power he requires, to do miracles if he wishes. Were he himself God, then "given" would not come into it.

Of course the are not three gods but 1 Triune God.

That the Lord Jesus possesses all power proves He is the Almighty. See footnote #1.
viewtopic.php?t=32524

[McCulloch]

I'll admit we might be talking past one another, even so, there is a trinity.

I am not going to try to define it - I mean there are many many ways to interpret a trinity. I think it s simply that there wasn't useful word for it in Greek, so they used other ways to describe it.

There are so many trinities - Father Son Holy Ghost.
Allah - Jehovah - God.

That the trinity is only perspective/title authority:
Father: Authority
Holy Spirit: Sympathy
Son: Hope

There are so many trinities...
All the same.

There are lots of things that come in threes: three pigs; three Fates; Maiden Mother Crone; height width depth; …
They are not all the same nor are they all Trinity. Trinity is a uniquely Christian teaching about the nature of God.

[JehovahsWitness]

Trinity is a uniquely Christian teaching about the nature of God.

There is Nothing "unique" about it, truine gods are found in practically all ancient cultures. If God is truine in nature, the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians knew it long before Christianity even existed. In short, nominal Christianity stole that particularly constantinian "revelation" from the ancient pagans.


JW

[Elijah John]

Of course the are not three gods but 1 Triune God.

Where does the Hebrew Bible ever teach that God is "Triune"? Or the New Testament, for that matter.

Seems to me the Bible teaches that God is One...From the Shema, (which is repeated by Jesus in Mark) even up to and including James, the brother of Jesus.

The Trinity is a theological construct, and not Divine revelation.

[Faber]

Trinity is a uniquely Christian teaching about the nature of God.

There is Nothing "unique" about it, truine gods are found in practically all ancient cultures. If God is truine in nature, the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians knew it long before Christianity even existed. In short, nominal Christianity stole that particularly constantinian "revelation" from the ancient pagans.


JW

They were 3 distinct gods while the Christian Triune God is only one God in three Persons. That is not the same.

[Faber]

Of course the are not three gods but 1 Triune God.

Where does the Hebrew Bible ever teach that God is "Triune"? Or the New Testament, for that matter.

viewtopic.php?t=32524

[marco]

Where does the Hebrew Bible ever teach that God is "Triune"? Or the New Testament, for that matter.

Triune first appeared in the early 17th century, I believe. It is a construct of Latin tres, or tria - three and unus - one. It is used to describe the deity in the same way that trinity is. Trinity doesn't appear in the Bible either. It is the Latin word trinitas, used by Tertullian around 200 AD.

[Elijah John]

Of course the are not three gods but 1 Triune God.

Where does the Hebrew Bible ever teach that God is "Triune"? Or the New Testament, for that matter.

viewtopic.php?t=32524

I asked where the HEBREW Bible, (what many call the "Old" Testament), teaches that God is "Triune". Unless I missed it, you only attempted to tell me where the New Testament teaches this..

Also, IF the NT does teach that God is "Triune" and not singular in unity, (One)...it's a real stretch, and certainly far from explicit.