His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that the number three symbolizes “being” or “existence” in multiple dimensions — temporal, linguistic, material, and spiritual — and he presents examples from everyday life and the Holy Scripture that support this meaning.
🔢 The Trinity of Time, Pronouns and Numbers
Time appears in three parts: past, present, future.
Pronouns manifest as the speaker, the addressee, and the absent.
Grammatical number appears as singular, dual, and plural.
Spatial measures as dimensions: length, width, and height.
🧩 The Trinity of Composition, Shape and Verb
Any shape cannot be formed except with at least three lines to complete it.
The verb in language requires a verb, a subject, and an object (or an adverbial object) — a basic expressive trinity.
Any comparison or match takes three possibilities: like, better, worse or winner/loser/draw.
🌿 Examples of Trinities in Creatures and Nature
Sex: male/female/neither-male-nor-female.
Beings: plant/animal/inanimate.
States of matter: liquid/solid/gaseous.
The human himself is composed of body, soul, and spirit — the human being’s trinity.
✝️ Trinity in Religious Life and Scripture
The Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit represent the unity of God.
The anointing given to Christ with gold, frankincense, and myrrh — a trinity indicating aspects of kingship, priesthood, and redemption.
The law: internal conscience, the written law, and the tradition of the Church — three sources of spiritual guidance.
Parables and repetitions in Scripture: repentance is presented in three examples in Luke 15; Christ’s temptations came three times; Peter’s denial three times.
💡 Virtues and Sins in Threes
The virtues Paul emphasized: faith, hope, and love — a central trinity.
Sin is also represented in three forms according to the apostle’s expressions: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
🕊 The Spiritual Essence
The core message emphasized by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III is that the trinity is not a random phenomenon but an image of being and existence, and it performs an epistemic, liturgical, and spiritual role in the life of man and the Church, most importantly proclaiming the mystery of the Trinity and the spiritual depth of human existence.
For better translation support, please contact the center.
Number three in the Bible
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that the number three symbolizes “being” or “existence” in multiple dimensions — temporal, linguistic, material, and spiritual — and he presents examples from everyday life and the Holy Scripture that support this meaning.
🔢 The Trinity of Time, Pronouns and Numbers
Time appears in three parts: past, present, future.
Pronouns manifest as the speaker, the addressee, and the absent.
Grammatical number appears as singular, dual, and plural.
Spatial measures as dimensions: length, width, and height.
🧩 The Trinity of Composition, Shape and Verb
Any shape cannot be formed except with at least three lines to complete it.
The verb in language requires a verb, a subject, and an object (or an adverbial object) — a basic expressive trinity.
Any comparison or match takes three possibilities: like, better, worse or winner/loser/draw.
🌿 Examples of Trinities in Creatures and Nature
Sex: male/female/neither-male-nor-female.
Beings: plant/animal/inanimate.
States of matter: liquid/solid/gaseous.
The human himself is composed of body, soul, and spirit — the human being’s trinity.
✝️ Trinity in Religious Life and Scripture
The Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit represent the unity of God.
The anointing given to Christ with gold, frankincense, and myrrh — a trinity indicating aspects of kingship, priesthood, and redemption.
The law: internal conscience, the written law, and the tradition of the Church — three sources of spiritual guidance.
Parables and repetitions in Scripture: repentance is presented in three examples in Luke 15; Christ’s temptations came three times; Peter’s denial three times.
💡 Virtues and Sins in Threes
The virtues Paul emphasized: faith, hope, and love — a central trinity.
Sin is also represented in three forms according to the apostle’s expressions: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
🕊 The Spiritual Essence
The core message emphasized by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III is that the trinity is not a random phenomenon but an image of being and existence, and it performs an epistemic, liturgical, and spiritual role in the life of man and the Church, most importantly proclaiming the mystery of the Trinity and the spiritual depth of human existence.
For better translation support, please contact the center.