The Holy Trinity and the Meaning of Divinity in the Hypostases
The General Message of the Lecture
The lecture explains the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in Orthodox Christian faith and clarifies the meaning of divinity in the three hypostases. It responds to claims that link the Christian Trinity to pagan triads and emphasizes the unity of God in essence with distinction of hypostases without separation or division.
First: The Difference Between the Christian Trinity and Pagan Triads
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that the Christian Trinity is a Trinity of unity, meaning three hypostases in one God, while pagan triads represent a multiplicity of separate gods.
In paganism, three means three independent beings, but in Christianity, the three are one in essence.
Pagan triads are based on bodily family relationships, which have no place at all in the Christian Trinity.
Second: The Eternity and Unity of the Hypostases
The teaching affirms that each hypostasis of the Trinity is eternal, since eternity is a divine attribute inseparable from God.
If the Son or the Holy Spirit were created, God would have existed at some time without mind or without spirit, which is impossible.
Therefore, the three hypostases share fully and equally in the divine attributes.
Third: The Meaning of Sonship in the Trinity
His Holiness explains divine sonship as a natural, non-bodily sonship, like the emergence of thought from the mind without separation.
The Son is begotten of the Father in an eternal, intellectual begetting, equal to Him in essence, and His procession is without separation.
Thus, the Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son while perfect unity remains.
Fourth: The Attributes of God and the Difference Between Creator and Creature
The lecture explains that God’s attributes are divided into attributes that belong to God alone, such as eternity, omnipotence, omnipresence, and perfect knowledge.
There are other attributes shared with humans in a limited way, such as knowledge and love, but God’s knowledge is absolute, direct, and unlimited, while human knowledge is partial and gradual.
Spiritual Conclusion
The Holy Trinity is a divine mystery revealed by faith, not by bodily analogy or limited human reasoning.
God is one in essence, three in hypostases, perfect in His divinity, unlimited, and above all linguistic expression.
Knowing God is the path to eternal life, where the human being grows in the knowledge of God without ever fully comprehending Him.
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