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Is there evidence that Plotinus and the Neoplatonists got their philosophy of their 'trinity' from the Bible or from Christian sources? Or the other way round, was Augustine influenced by Plotinus when he developed the doctrine of the Trinity?

gideon marx
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  • Sorry, I'm not clear what you're asking. Can you please rephrase? What is your specific question? – Reinstate Monica - Goodbye SE Oct 07 '13 at 15:27
  • It is not compulsory to believe in the Trinity. There are much more complicated things than the Trinity in the Bible. – Mawia Oct 07 '13 at 15:53
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    "in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" and Trinity isn't an "either or". It's a "both and". – crownjewel82 Oct 07 '13 at 16:54
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    This question seems to imply that God is somehow defined by us and our own imagination. That's heretical view. Non-heretical view is that we have the concept of the Trinity because it is a description of what,who God is not because we made it up. – David Stratton Oct 07 '13 at 17:19
  • Are you asking for the origin of the doctrine? – Ryan Frame Oct 07 '13 at 19:11
  • Plotinus is too close to the fully developed concept of the Trinity for me to regard the Trinity in any form, except very watered down and explained as Jesus did, as Biblical. Be careful not to turn to paganism in order to fight heresy. Pagans describe who and what God is, Christians accept that they can never know. It is a fine line that is being crossed here. – gideon marx Oct 07 '13 at 19:16
  • Edit two is still not a good fit for the site. Refute this type questions are difficult to word well. –  Oct 07 '13 at 19:24
  • I am asking why it happened because by the time the Athanasian Creed was accepted the heretics had all been 'burnt at the stake'. What in the sixth century prompted the official acceptance of "And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity". What drove this? – gideon marx Oct 07 '13 at 19:28
  • I am not asking anyone to refute anything. I am asking why such a complex concept. Even Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, admits that after 1500 years of argument we are no closer to understanding the Trinity. I am however not prepared to reject it until I fully understand why Augustine and the others kept pushing until it was accepted as doctrine. They must have had good reasons besides the heretics. What were these reasons? Thus my question. Why complex when simple was already available from Christ. – gideon marx Oct 07 '13 at 19:44
  • The truth is, you cannot remove the concept of Trinity from the Bible. You like it or not, it's hidden on every corners of the Bible. – Mawia Oct 08 '13 at 10:39
  • @gideonmarx what is the "simple" idea you're talking about? There are simpler doctrines of the persons of God than the trinity, but Christians through the ages have decided that they inevitably lead to heresy. – curiousdannii Oct 08 '13 at 23:28
  • Thank you everyone! I found my answer! Not from what you said but from how you responded. Because the concept of the Trinity is too complex for the human mind to understand (and no human has ever fully understood it) it has to be taken on faith. All those who refuse to believe in the Trinity aretherefore heretics lacking in faith. Its a test! Not an answer. – gideon marx Oct 09 '13 at 18:18
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    @gideonmarx no human has ever fully understood God, but God does want us to understand many things about him - that's why he revealed himself to us. The Trinity isn't a test, it's how God has revealed himself to us. The more we understand about God, the more we can truly know God, and knowing God closely is something we should all aim for! – curiousdannii Oct 11 '13 at 03:55
  • I just rejected an edit from an anonymous user who was attempting to reply. S/he suggested reading this for background on the question: https://www.academia.edu/3075898/Being_and_Becoming_The_Influence_of_Plotinus_on_Augustine_s_Early_Theology_of_Actuality_and_Potentiality – Mr. Bultitude Apr 15 '15 at 20:24

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This answer was suggested when the question was:

Why do we need the Trinity in Christianity when we have 'in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit? What is wrong with that?

Why embrace something so complex (the Trinity concept) that only a few people can understand it?

Merely believing in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit leaves open too many possibilities, most of which were long ago ruled out as heresies. The Trinity is a label for the concept of a God who is a complex unity. If you say you are Trinitarian then you are saying you believe all three persons are divine, that all three are uncreated, that all three are equally eternal, that all three are distinct, that all three are united together, etc. You could still have the Father, Son and Holy Spirit while rejecting the trinity by believing any of the classical heresies. The Trinity may be hard to understand, but the heresies and the problems they lead to are often fairly straightforward.

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curiousdannii
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  • I am very happy to accept your answer as partly answering my question as you left out homoousios. Giving God a substance is in my book highly presumptious. He was before there was substance – gideon marx Oct 07 '13 at 20:09
  • Yes, the incarnation is an important part of the doctrine of the trinity - the second person of the godhead took on human flesh and became Jesus. Before that time he was known as the Word. Our understand of the incarnation was clarified by rejecting heresies such as: Adoptionism, Docetism and Psilanthropism. This Wikipedia page lists many important early heresies. – curiousdannii Oct 08 '13 at 01:09