The Trinity
The Trinity (Latin: Trinitas, lit. 'triad', from trinus 'threefold') is a Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God. It defines one God as existing in three divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. They are considered to be coeternal and consubstantial, constituting three distinct persons (hypostases) that share one essence/substance/nature (homoousion).
The Fourth Lateran Council, an ecumenical council held in 1215 AD, declared that the Father begets, the Son is begotten, and the Holy Spirit proceeds. In this context, the single essence/nature defines what God is, while the three persons define who God is. The doctrine expresses both a distinction between, and a indissoluble unity of, the three personages. The process of creation and grace is viewed as a single shared action of the three divine persons, who each manifest their unique attributes. This is expressed in the statements that everything is "from the Father", "through the Son", and "in the Holy Spirit".
The doctrine is called Trinitarianism, and its adherents are Trinitarians. Most major Christian denominations today are Trinitarian. Its opponents are called nontrinitarians (or antitrinitarians), who are considered heretical non-Christians by many Trinitarians. Nontrinitarian positions include Unitarianism, binitarianism and modalism. The theological study of the Trinity is called triadology or Trinitarian theology.
The Trinity was developed by the early Christians (mid-2nd century AD onwards) and fathers of the Church, to describe the relationship between Jesus and God in their scriptures and prior traditions. The doctrine was firmly established by the 4th century First Council of Nicaea and First Council of Constantinople, which made it an integral part of the creed. Trinitarians argue that there is support for their doctrine in the Bible, particularly the New Testament books of the Pauline epistles and the Gospels. These present an implicitly triadic understanding of God and contain several Trinitarian formulas.
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