The Holy Trinity
One God in three coequal, coeternal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
The doctrine of the Holy Trinity confesses that God is one essence, or ousia, in three coequal and coeternal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Early terms appear in Theophilus and Tertullian, and the faith was confessed at the Council of Constantinople in 381. It is affirmed across all the major Christian communions, though questions of the inner relations, such as the filioque, are contested separately.
How it traveled
- JohnEphesus · 100explains
- Against Heresies: Book IIILyons · 202explains
- Against Praxeas.— · 220explains
- A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity.Rome · 258explains
- The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and EusebiusCaesarea · 339explains
- The Church History of EusebiusCaesarea · 339explains
- Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.)Alexandria · 373explains
- On the Councils of Ariminum and Seleucia. (De Synodis.)Alexandria · 373explains
- De Spiritu SanctoCaesarea (Cappadocia) · 379explains
- The LettersCaesarea (Cappadocia) · 379explains
- The Catechetical Lectures of S. CyrilJerusalem · 386explains
- Select Orations of Saint Gregory NazianzenNazianzus · 390explains
- Against EunomiusNyssa · 395explains
- The Great CatechismNyssa · 395explains
- Answer to Eunomius' Second BookNyssa · 395explains
- Exposition of the Christian FaithMilan · 397explains
- On the Holy SpiritMilan · 397explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. JohnConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Commentary and Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Galatians and EphesiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- A Commentary on the Apostles' CreedAquileia · 411explains
- The Letters of St. JeromeBethlehem · 420explains
- Jerome and Gennadius. Lives of Illustrious MenBethlehem · 420explains
- On the Holy TrinityHippo Regius · 430explains
- Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. JohnHippo Regius · 430explains
- The ConfessionsHippo Regius · 430explains
- City of GodHippo Regius · 430explains
- Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New TestamentHippo Regius · 430explains
- Reply to Faustus the ManichæanHippo Regius · 430explains
- Letters of St. AugustinHippo Regius · 430explains
- Expositions on the Book of PsalmsHippo Regius · 430explains
- The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of TheodoretCyrrhus · 458explains
- The Letters and Sermons of Leo the GreatRome · 461explains
- John of Damascus: Exposition of the Orthodox FaithDamascus · 749explains
- MonologiumCanterbury · 1109explains
- Treatise on The Most Holy Trinity (QQ[27-43])Paris · 1274explains
- Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59)Paris · 1274explains
- Treatise on the Sacraments (qq[60]-90)Paris · 1274explains
- Treatise on The One God (QQ[2-26])Paris · 1274explains
- Treatise on Man (qq[75]-102)Paris · 1274explains
- Book First. of the Knowledge of God the CreatorGeneva · 1564explains
Key passages(20)
Mere Christianity · C. S. Lewis
Church Dogmatics · Karl Barth
Dogmatics in Outline · Karl Barth
Foundations of Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity · Karl Rahner
Systematic Theology · Paul Tillich
The Pillar and Ground of the Truth · Pavel Florensky
Introduction to Christianity · Pope Benedict XVI
Book First. of the Knowledge of God the Creator · John Calvin
17. On the other hand, the Scriptures demonstrate that there is some distinction between the Father and the Word, the Word and the Spirit; but the magnitude of the mystery reminds us of the great reve
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City of God · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 10.—Of the Simple and Unchangeable Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, One God, in Whom Substance and Quality are Identical. There is, accordingly, a good which is alone simple, and therefo
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On the Holy Trinity · Augustine of Hippo
Book VIII. ———————————— Explains and proves that not only the Father is not greater than the Son, but neither are both together anything greater than the Holy Spirit, nor any two together in the sam
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The Fifth Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Constantinople · The Ecumenical Councils
The Capitula of the Council. (Labbe and Cossart, Concilia, Tom. V., col. 568.) I. If anyone shall not confess that the nature or essence of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is one, as
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Treatise on The Most Holy Trinity (QQ[27-43]) · Thomas Aquinas
We are now led to consider the plurality of the persons: about which there are four points of inquiry: (1) Whether there are several persons in God? (2) How many are they? (3) What the numeral term
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A Treatise on Faith and the Creed · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 9.—Of the Holy Spirit and the Mystery of the Trinity. 16. The divine generation, therefore, of our Lord, and his human dispensation, having both been thus systematically disposed and commende
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Book First. of the Knowledge of God the Creator · John Calvin
20. Let those, then, who love soberness, and are contented with the measure of faith, briefly receive what is useful to be known. It is as follows:—When we profess to believe in one God, by the name G
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Book First. of the Knowledge of God the Creator · John Calvin
Nor does another cavil avail them, that Christ was God in his Father. For though we admit that, in respect of order and gradation, the beginning of divinity is in the Father, we hold it a detestable f
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Book First. of the Knowledge of God the Creator · John Calvin
1. The doctrine of Scripture concerning the immensity and the spirituality of the essence of God, should have the effect not only of dissipating the wild dreams of the vulgar, but also of refuting the
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John of Damascus: Exposition of the Orthodox Faith · John of Damascus
For ever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heavenHe sent His Word and healed themThou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are createdBy the word of the Lord were the heavens made: and all the host of them by
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The Father and the Son and their Spirit exist equally the one in the other. IT is a most interesting consideration that the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit of both, exist in one For the Father e
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On the Holy Trinity · Augustine of Hippo
27. We have sufficiently spoken of the Father and of the Son, so far as was possible for us to see through this glass and in this enigma. We must now treat of the Holy Spirit, so far as by God’s gift
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On the Holy Trinity · Augustine of Hippo
42. But since these are in one person, as man is, some one may say to us, These three things, memory, understanding, and love, are mine, not their own; neither do they do that which they do for themse
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Modern teachers who discuss this idea
Modern and living teachers whose books take up The Holy Trinity. These works are still in copyright, so we can’t show the text here — each links out to the book.
- Pavel FlorenskyThe Pillar and Ground of the Truth(1914)View on Amazon→
- Karl BarthChurch Dogmatics(1932)View on Amazon→
- Karl BarthDogmatics in Outline(1947)View on Amazon→
- Paul TillichSystematic Theology(1951)View on Amazon→
- C. S. LewisMere Christianity(1952)View on Amazon→
- Pope Benedict XVIIntroduction to Christianity(1968)View on Amazon→
- Karl RahnerFoundations of Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity(1976)View on Amazon→