AL2: THE OBJECT OF FAITH: THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

• Most holy fundamental mystery of the Catholic faith revealed by Jesus Christ

• From the Dogmatic constitution on divine revelation

• We attained a deeper knowledge of our God

IN THE SACRED SCRIPTURES

• creation

• the annunciation

• the baptism of Jesus

• the advocate

• the great commission

• peter’s epistle

• paul’s epistle

CREATION

• Let us make man in our image after our likeness (Genesis 1:26)

• Imago Dei

• Let us make man in our image, after our likeness

• The human image is not enough to capture the total reality of God

• There is the second divine person

THE ANNUNCIATION

And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be or will be called child, the Son of God” [Luke 1:25]

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

When Jesus was baptized, the heavens were opened and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove… a voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17)

THE ADVOCATE

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to you with you always. (John 14-16)

THE GREAT COMMISSION

Go, therefore, and make disciple of all nations, baptizing them in the name of Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)

PETER’S EPISTLE

To the chose and destined by God the Father, and sanctified by the Spirit of obedience to Jesus Christ and for the sprinkling with his blood (1 Peter 1:1:2)

PAUL’S EPISTLE

The grace of the lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you (2 Cor 13:13)

IN THE SACRED TRADITION

Dogmas are truths revealed by God Himself, expressed in clear propositions by the teaching authority of the church, and are true and necessary for salvation

Source

God himself

Expression

Clear propositions

Examples of dogma

• The Immaculate Conception

• The Fall of Man

• The Annunciation of Mary

• The Impregnation of Mary by the Holy Spirit

TRINITARIAN DOGMA

• The trinity is one

• The divine persons are really distinct from one another

• The divine persons are relative to one another

• Teaching authority

• To reach our end goal or happiness

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TRINATARIAN DOGMA

true and necessary

The trinity is one

Unity in divine substance or nature

The divine persons are really distinct from one another

Distinct in terms of origin

The divine persons are relative to one another

Relation, has a subject and a term

PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTS

• nature

• person

• relation

NATURE

• Objective reality

• Composition

• That through which the person is (essence) and acts (substance)

humans by essence is a

 unity of body and soul

humans by substance are

embodied subjects

god by essence is a

pure spirit

God by substance is a

pure act

divine nature

pure spirit

human nature

embodied spirit

PERSON

• Refers to what perfectly signifies nature, an individual nature (Boethius)

• That which possesses being and existence

EXAMPLE OF PERSON

 divine person (Holy Trinity) and human person (imago dei)

RELATION

• The reference of one thing to other

• E.g., human relations (family, adoption, friendship, and acquaintance) and divine relations (paternity, filiation, active and passive spiration)

THE TRINITY IS ONE BY NATURE

• As a Pure Spirit, the divine substance is eternal, perfect, and immutable. Hence, there is no sharing of divine substance among the three persons. 

• They are co-equal, co-eternal, and consubstantial (of the same substance)

• One is three

by nature the father, son, and holy ghost is what?

The father is God. The son is God. The holy ghost is God

THE DIVINE PERSONS ARE REALLY DISTINCT FROM ONE ANOTHER BY RELATION OF ORIGIN

• FATHER

• SON

• HOLY SPIRIT

Father

• Unbegotten

• The origin without an origin

Son

• Eternally begotten of the father

• The origin of the origin

Holy Spirit

Proceeds from the Father and the Son

by relation of origin the father, son, and holy ghost is what?

The father is not the son. The son is not the holy spirit. The spirit is not the father.

THE DIVINE PERSONS ARE RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER (foundations)

• Paternity

• filiation

• passive spiration

Paternity

• Pater or father (subject)

• The relation of the Father to the Son (term)

Filiation

• Filia or son (subject)

• The relations of the Son to the Father (term)

Passive Spiration

The relation of the Holy Spirit (subject) to the Father and the Son (term)