Attributes of God – One God, Part 5
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III shows that God is truly one, and that monotheism is theologically and logically necessary, for the existence of multiple gods contradicts divine attributes such as absolute power, creation, dominion, and omnipresence.
Rational arguments against multiple gods:
He explains that dividing authority or creation among many gods makes each god limited, and that does not agree with the attribute of God being able to do all things, the Creator of all, and the necessary Being. He also rules out an independent god of evil because the devil is a created being subject to God’s dominion.
Explaining the Christian Trinity versus pagan trinity:
He clarifies the difference between the Christian Trinity (a trinity in one unity) and the pagan trinity (separate and procreative gods). He affirms that the three persons are not three separate gods but persons differentiated in roles yet united in the one divine essence.
On the “birth” and divine begetting:
He details that the Son’s begetting is not a bodily birth or a temporal separation, but a metaphor for the relation in divinity as thought is born from mind or a ray issues from the sun while the connection and complete union remain. Birth here is metaphysical not physical.
Illustrative analogies:
He uses examples (fire, light, heat; mind and thought; sun and ray) to show the unity of essence and the difference of attributes or works without separation or ontological plurality.
Warning against false notions and heresies:
He warns against wrong images and generalizations of the Trinity (images that show temporal or relational gaps between the Father and the Son) and urges not to accept analogies that break divine unity like comparing to a tree or fingers that can be separated.
The spiritual and theological dimension:
The Christian Trinity represents an entry into the details of the divine personhood: one in three persons distinguished in properties but not in essence. Belief in unity does not contradict acknowledging the persons and their distinct roles in salvation and divine work.
Practical conclusion:
The believer is required to understand that God is one essentially and that the distinction between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is a distinction of persons not separation; theological awareness is necessary to repel heresies and protect true faith.
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