From Logos to Trinity: The Evolution of Religious Beliefs from Pythagoras to Tertullian

Description

This book presents a critical evaluation of the doctrine of the Trinity, tracing its development and investigating the intellectual, philosophical and theological background that shaped this influential doctrine of Christianity. Despite the centrality of Trinitarian thought to Christianity and its importance as one of the fundamental tenets that differentiates Christianity from Judaism and Islam, the doctrine is not fully formulated in the canon of Christian scriptural texts. Instead, it evolved through the conflation of selective pieces of scripture with the philosophical and religious ideas of ancient Hellenistic milieu. Marian Hillar analyzes the development of Trinitarian thought during the formative years of Christianity from its roots in ancient Greek philosophical concepts and religious thinking in the Mediterranean region. He identifies several important sources of Trinitarian thought heretofore largely ignored by scholars, including the Greek middle-Platonic philosophical writings of Numenius and Egyptian metaphysical writings and monuments representing divinity as a triune entity. Cover From Logos to Trinity: The Evolution of Religious Beliefs from Pythagoras to Tertullian Title Copyright Dedication Epigraph Contents Foreword Preface Introduction 1: The Logos in Greek Culture THE PRE-SOCRATIC PHILOSOPHERS Pythagoras Heraclitus of Ephesus and Anaxagoras Empedocles, Xenophanes, and Parmenides Diogenes of Apollonia and Anaximenes PLATO AND HIS DUALISM XENOCRATES THE STOICS AND THEIR LOGOS 2: The Logos in Judaism THE HEBREW CONCEPT OF DAVAR (LOGOS) JEWISH WISDOM LITERATURE PHILO’S ANTECEDENTS PHILO’S WORKS AND THEIR CLASSIFICATION TECHNIQUE OF EXPOSITION EMPHASIS ON THE CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE AND PHILOSOPHY PHILOSOPHY AND WISDOM: A PATH TO ETHICAL LIFE PHILO’S ETHICAL DOCTRINE PHILO’S MYSTICISM AND TRANSCENDENCE OF GOD PHILO’S DOCTRINE OF CREATION SOURCE OF INTUITION OF THE INFINITE REALITY Philo’s Model of Creation Eternal Creation DOCTRINE OF MIRACLES: NATURALISM AND COMPREHENSION PHILO’S DOCTRINE OF THE LOGOS The Utterance of God The Divine Mind Agent of Creation Transcendent Power Universal Bond Immanent Reason Immanent Mediator of the Physical Universe The Angel of the Lord, Revealer of God The Firstborn Son of God Multinamed Archetype Soul-Nourishing Manna Intermediary Power, Messenger, and Suppliant for Men Source of Wisdom Sent Down to Earth as Illumination of Humans Second “God” Summary of Philo’s Concept of the Logos 3: The Development of Jewish Messianic Traditions: The Source of Christian Scripture and Doctrines EARLY TRADITIONS Preexilic and Exilic Tradition of the Messianic Kingdom Kingdom of God Tradition The Son of Man Tradition FURTHER EVOLUTION OF MESSIANISM The Apocalyptic Tradition Attributed to Enoch The Psalms of Solomon Apocalypses of Baruch and Ezra Eschatological Traditions of Baruch and Ezra 4: Development of the Hellenistic Christian Doctrine FOUR PATTERNS OF MESSIANISM/“CHRISTIANITY” MESSIANIC MOVEMENT IN PALESTINE OF THE FIRST CENTURY THE ORIGIN OF “CHRISTIANITY” ACCORDING TO THE EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITERS THE FOURTH GOSPEL DEIFICATION OF JESUS AS LOGOS AND TRUE GOD Solutions to the Problem of God’s Unity The Trinity: The Central Doctrine of Christianity The Old Testament and Unity of God APPENDIX: FAILURE OF THE QUEST FOR THE HISTORICAL JESUS 5: Justin Martyr and the Logos JUSTIN’S SCHOOL IN ROME THE LOGOS Logos spermatikos, the Logos, and the Divinity of the Son The Origin of the Logos and Its Preexistence Two Generations of the Logos the Son OTHER THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES Creation of the World, Angels, Demons The Soul, the Resurrection, and Punishment 6: Justin Martyr and the Metaphysical Triad JUSTIN’S METAPHYSICAL TRIAD The Father The Son The Holy Spirit (Pneuma) or the Prophetic Spirit (Pneuma) MARCION OF PONTUS AND TWO DIFFERENT GODS NUMENIUS AND THE GREEK SOURCES OF THE JUSTIN TRIADIC FORMULA NUMENIUS 7: Tertullian, Originator of the Trinity TERTULLIAN’S LEGEND TERTULLIAN AND MONTANISM EARLY CHRISTIANS AND THE CARTHAGINIAN ENVIRONMENT TERTULLIAN’S THEORY OF THE TRINITY THE USE BY TERTULLIAN OF THE CHRISTIAN LOGOS THEORY OPPOSITION TO MONARCHIANISM TERTULLIAN’S DOCTRINE OF THE OIKONOMIA OF GOD AND ITS STOIC SOURCE 8: Tertullian and the Son of God GENERATION AND THE NATURE OF THE SON OF GOD THE MODE OF EXISTENCE OF THE DIVINE PROLATION (SON) SUPPOSED SCRIPTURAL TESTIMONY FOR THE EXISTENCE OF THE SON THE THIRD PERSON IN THE TRINITY THE SECOND GENERATION OF THE WORD AS THE SON OF GOD FROM BIRTH NARRATIONS TWO NATURES IN THE SON: THE SON OF GOD AND THE SON OF MAN THE NAME CHRIST: TERTULLIAN’S CONTRADICTIONS THE SON’S DEATH ON THE CROSS AS THE SON OF MAN 9: Thomas Aquinas and the Accepted Concept of the Trinity THOMAS AQUINAS AND HIS CONCEPT OF THE TRINITY Origin or Procession and “Spiration” Divine Relations Concept of “Personhood” Plurality of Persons in God Knowledge of the Divine Persons and the Trinity THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY IN THE MIDDLE AGES BEFORE SERVETUS DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS IN HISTORY THE TRINITY AND MODERN SCHOLARSHIP CONCLUDING REMARKS ON THE ROLE OF TERTULLIAN Appendix I: The Possible Sources for the Development of the Christian Trinitarian Concepts THE POSSIBLE HEBREW TRADITION OF DIVINE PLURALITY The Plurality of Gods and God’s Appearances God’s Pronouncements and Utterances The Concept of Wisdom The Concept of Ruach (x;Wr) THE EGYPTIAN SOURCE OF THE CONCEPT OF THE TRIUNE GOD Egyptian Deities: Personification of Natural Forcesand Objects, Deification of the Pharaoh Appendix II: Egyptian Chronology Selected Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Index