Volume 8 Surah 9 - Enjoy Islam

Al-Tawbah (The Repentance) | RELATIONS WITH OTHER RELIGIONSthe concept of the Trinity. They are used as reference to clear revelations theybelieve to be included in the New Testament. Two large sets of verses fromthe New Testament are quoted in support of this concept. The first setconsists of verses that mention the Father, Son and Holy Spirit together, andthe second mentions them separately, emphasizing some of their attributesand the relationship between them.Dispute about the three persons of the Trinity started at the time of theApostles. Most probably it emanated from the ideas of Hellenic philosophers.Theophilus, the second century Bishop of Antioch, used the Greek wordtrinus, while subsequently Tertiliyanus was the first to use its synonymtrinitas, which means three. Much dispute about this concept took place priorto the Council of Nicea, particularly in the East. The Church branded manyviews as heretic. Among these were the views of the Abionians who believedthat Christ was no more than a human being, the Sabilians who believed thatthe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were three different manifestations bywhich God shows Himself to people, the Airisis who believed that the Sonwas not ever present like the Father; rather, the Father created the Son beforecreating the universe. Hence, the Son has a lower status and is subject to theFather’s will, and the Macedonians deny that the Holy Spirit is a person ofGod.The Church concept was approved by the Council of Nicea in 325 CE, and theConstantinople Synod in 381. Both ruled that the Son and the Holy Spirit areequal to the Father in the Trinity, and while the Son was born through thefather before the start of time, the Holy Spirit emanated from Him. TheToledo Synod of 589 CE also ruled that the Holy Spirit emanated from theFather. The Latin Church unanimously accepted this addition and held on toit. As for the Greek Church, it showed little resistance at the beginning, butlater gave its argument against changing the law, considering that as heresy.The phrase ‘And also from the Son’ continues to be a barrier preventing theunity between the Greek and Catholic Churches. The writings of thefollowers of Martin Luther and the Reformist churches adopt the sameconcept of the Trinity as the Catholic Church. However, beginning with thethirteenth century, a large number of divinity specialists have opposed this,as also some new groups such as the Susinians, Germans, Unitarians and theUniversalists, who all consider that concept contrary to the Holy Bible and toreason. Suweid Tiragh makes the Trinity the Christ given a tri-mark. Hespeaks of one in three, not three in one. What he understands is that thedivine in Christ is the Father, while the divine which is in union with thehuman in Christ is the Son, and the divine that emanated from Him is the105