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February 1, 2010

Authoritative testimonies on Trinity

These are the authoritative testimonies on Trinity.
Is the so-called TRINITY a doctrine in the BIBLE??



Cannot find in the bible


“TRINITY. The word trinity is not found in the bible, it did not find a place formally in the theology of the church till the 4th century.” The Illustrated bible dictionary, vol.3. USA: Tyndale house publishers, 1980.
“the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is not taught in the O[ld] T[estament]” New Catholic encyclopedia, p.306


“The doctrine of trinity is not found on the Bible.” Christian beliefs, p.32“In the NT there is no explicit statement of the doctrine,…” Baker’s Dictionary of Theology. Michigan, USA: Baker Book House, 1988.“Neither the word Trinity, nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament. ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord’. (Deut. 6:4)” Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 10. USA: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1976.


“Exegetes and theologians today are in agreement that the Hebrew Bible does not contain a doctrine of Trinity.” Eliade, Mircea, ed. The Encyclopedia of Religion, vol. 15. New York: Mcmillan Publishing Co., 1987.


“Careful reading of the Old Testament shows no indication of the trinity itself…” An introduction to the Christian Faith. Oxford, England: Lynx Communications, 1992.


“The new testament formulates no doctrine of the Trinity.” Richardson, Alan., D.D. An introduction to the Theology of the New Testament. London: SCM Press ltd., 1958.


“(a) The old Testament. The Old Testament does not plainly and directly teach the Trinity, …” Pearlman, Myer. Knowing the Doctrines of the Bible. Missouri, USA: Gospel Publishing House, 1981.


Formulated between end of 2nd to 4th century



“Trinity. The trinity of God is defined by the church as the belief that in God are three persons who subsist in one nature. The belief as so defined was reached only in the 4th and 5th centuries AD and hence is not explicitly and formally a biblical belief. …actually the terms do not appear in the bible. The Trinitarian definitions arose as the result of long controversies in which these terms and others such as ‘essence’ and ‘substance’ were erroneously applied to God by some Theologians.” McKenzie, John L. Dictionary of the bible, Archdiocese of Chicago. New York USA: Macmillan publishing Co., 1996

“The Church began to formulate its doctrine of the Trinity in the fourth century.” Systematic Theology, p.82 
“But the word ‘trinity’ is not a word of two-ness. It is a word of three-ness and comes from the latin word trinitas coined by Tertullian of Carthage at the end of second century.” Olyott, Stuart. The Three Are One: What the bible teaches about the trinity. England: Evangelical Press,1996.


Other...


“Tertullian and Cyprian of North Africa, Clement and Origen in Alexandria, began to clarify and define the still inchoate doctrines concerning the relation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and to set forth the claims of the Church to power and authority. But lack of complete agreement among them gave scope to acrimonious disputes.” Noss, John B. Man’s Religions. New York, USA: The Macmillan Company, 1949.
-->“And so by the end of the period of the Apostolic Fathers there was no belief in a preexistent Trinity.” The Philosophy of the Church Fathers, p.191

A catholic priest said this:


“The trinity is a wonderful mystery. No one understands it. The most learned theologian, the holiest Pope, the greatest saint, all are as mystified by it as the child of seven. It is one of the things which we shall know only when we see God face to face.” God and Myself: An Inquiry into the true religion, Martin J. Scott, p.118


If that’s the case, if the trinity is so mysterious and no one CAN understand even theologians, POPES, and so on, how could a man on the street understand it?

It cannot be understand because it was not the doctrine FROM the BIBLE, and so it was called a MAN MADE TEACHING! Hurt to hear, but TRUTH.



How about the word "Elohim"?


Is it a proof or evidence that there are 3 persons in one god?

The answer? NO!

because even those who study about Trinity, the word "Elohim" means "gods" (many God) and does not mean "persons".


If the word "Elohim" will use as an evidence to the doctrine Trinity, it will show that there are "many God". And so, William Smith say this:


“The fanciful idea that it referred to the Trinity of Persons in the Godhead, hardly finds now a supporter among scholars. It is either what grammarians call the plural of majesty or denotes the fullness of divine strength, the sum of the powers displayed by God.” Smith’s Bible Dictionary. New York, USA: Jove publications Inc., 1982.

So, it is not WE, or the Iglesia Ni Cristo whom only says that the Trinity cannot be found on the bible, and even not a teaching from Christ!


Is the doctrine Trinity a doctrine from the BIBLE? Click here

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