Trinity

TRINITY
&
OTHER DOCTRINES OF GOD
Prof. M.M.Ninan
PREFACE
This study is a continuation of my earlier studies in historical heresies within Christianity.
However the heresies that arose in the doctrines of had been a prolonged and ongoing one.
is still going on and I am sure will continue.
It
In the early periods soon after the dispersion from Babylon the concept of God the supreme
Godhead as a father was totally missing. It was replaced by many gods who were patronized
by regional tribal or geographical areas. It was thought that every area belongs to a particular
god. The tribal wars were fought in order show whose god was superior or more powerful.
The break came in the revelation of Abraham, who proposed the concept of a Supreme God.
Even then it was only within the tribe of Abraham and his children which culminated in Israel.
Only when Moses was able to bring out millions of Israelites out of the bondage of an alien
Egyptian god were the Israelies believe YHWH was indeed God. They believed that YHWH was
the God of gods. Eventually they began to emphasize monotheism. Even after the period of
exile they held to this idea. When Babylonians gave the land of Palestine to other people, they
noticed that the wild animals were enemies of them. Thus when Samaritans complained, they
were given the priests of Israel to teach them the worship of YHWH whereby, He could let them
live in his Tribal area. Samaritans continued to worship the God of Israel.
When the Israel and Judah went on exile, the carried with the concept of monotheis and YHWH
as the God of gods wherever they went.
But the problem started with the birth of Jesus. Initially that was not a problem since the
mesiah was none other than a chosen man who is empowered by YHWH. When Jesus went
beyond the mesianic role of Prophet, Priest and King and claimed to be God himself came the
real problem. Can a mere man born in a lowly manger to a poor girl be God. When He refused
to take up the Kingdom of David which was his by right of lineage instead claimed that his
kingdom was not of this world, things turned ugly. His family and patriotic disciples tried to
force him to take over the kingdom back from Rome. It looked so when he finally entered the
city on a donkey through the gates of Jerusalem under all the cries of hosanna. But instead of
taking over the Kingdom, he was more interested in driving out the merchants from the temple.
Judas took on himself to force Jesus even by putting Jesus under arrest and demanding
crucifixion. Jesus refused to concede. He was God and he would not take anything less. Even
when he was on the cross, the people of Judah challenged him to come out of the cross and save
them. Only after the resurrection they realized the truth. Jesus was indeed God incarnate.
Thomas was the first to declare it. They recognized him as such.
The problem was Incarnation was an impossible thing within the strict monotheistic religion of
Judaism.
But as I look at it, the solution was already inherent in the Jewish mysticism. If we assume God
alone existed in the beginning, even matter and for that matter the whole creation must be
within God. Where else could God create? Out side of him? So there was God and there was
outside of God. If that is the case, the ultimate reality is two fold - God and Outside. There goes
our monotheism. We are simply dualists. So we shoud restate our poposition: In the
beginning was God and Matter. Both are eternal and without beginning.