Competing Doctrines to Trinity
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In the centuries following Jesus' death and before the formalization of the doctrine of the Trinity, there were several competing doctrines and theological interpretations within early Christianity. These diverse beliefs stemmed from attempts to understand the nature of Jesus Christ and his relationship to God. Key competing doctrines included:
This doctrine, proposed by Arius, a priest from Alexandria, denied the full divinity of Jesus Christ. Arius argued that Jesus, while unique and divine, was created by God and thus not co-eternal or co-equal with God the Father. Arianism was a major force in the early church and was one of the main issues addressed at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.
John 14:28: "You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I."
Arians interpreted this to mean that Jesus, as the Son, is subordinate to the Father, thus not co-eternal or co-equal.
This belief held that Jesus only appeared to be human but was purely divine. According to Docetism, Jesus' physical body and his sufferings were mere illusions. This view was generally associated with Gnostic groups who viewed the material world as evil.
John 1:1-14: The opening verses describe the Word becoming flesh. Docetists might focus on the divine aspect ("the Word was God") to the exclusion of the incarnation.
This doctrine was more influenced by Gnostic thinking than by specific biblical texts.
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This doctrine asserted that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not distinct persons but different modes or aspects of one God. According to Modalism, God manifested Himself in different forms at different times.
John 10:30: "I and the Father are one."
Modalists interpreted such verses to mean that God is a single person who manifests in different forms rather than three distinct persons.
This belief proposed that Jesus was born as a mere man and was adopted as the Son of God at some point in his life (often believed to be at his baptism). Adoptionism suggested that Jesus' divine status was granted to him due to his righteousness and obedience.
Mark 1:11: "And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'"
Romans 1:3 (Paul) the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
This could be interpreted as Jesus being designated as God's Son at his baptism.
Proposed by Nestorius, this doctrine suggested a clear distinction between the divine and human natures of Christ, almost implying two separate persons in Jesus. This view was condemned at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD.
John 2:4: Jesus addresses his mother Mary as "Woman," which Nestorians used to argue for a distinction between Jesus' divine and human aspects.
Matthew 26:39: Jesus prays in Gethsemane, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will," indicating a distinction in wills.
In contrast to Nestorianism, Monophysitism held that in Jesus Christ there was only a single, divine nature, rather than two natures (divine and human). This doctrine was prominent in Eastern Christianity but was rejected by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD.
John 1:14: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." Monophysitists emphasized the unity of Christ's nature as essentially divine.
Philippians 2:6-7: Jesus, "being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness."
Proposed by Apollinaris of Laodicea, this doctrine taught that Jesus had a human body but a divine mind and spirit. It essentially denied the full humanity of Jesus.
John 1:14: "The Word became flesh." Apollinaris might focus on the divine Logos indwelling the human flesh.
Philippians 2:7: "but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men."
Subordinationism is a theological view that posits the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit are subordinate to God the Father in nature, status, or role. Historically, various forms of subordinationism have been proposed, some of which were deemed heretical by orthodox Christianity because they conflicted with the doctrine of the Trinity, which affirms the co-equality and co-eternality of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It's important to distinguish between ontological subordinationism (concerning the being or essence of God) and economic subordinationism (concerning the roles or functions within the Godhead in relation to the world and salvation). Orthodox Christian theology accepts economic subordination but rejects ontological subordination.
Origen of Alexandria (c. 184 – c. 253 CE) was an early Christian scholar, theologian, and one of the most influential figures in early Christian theology. Origen is often associated with a form of subordinationism, a belief that within the Trinity, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are subordinate to the Father in nature and being. He viewed the Father as the supreme source and the Son as eternally generated by the Father. The Holy Spirit was also seen as subordinate to the Father and the Son. Additionally, Tertullian (c. 155–c. 240 CE) also saw the Son and the Spirit as distinct from the Father in rank and glory, though he affirmed their unity in substance.
John 14:28: "You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I."
This verse is sometimes seen as implying a hierarchical relationship within the Trinity.
1 Corinthians 11:3: "But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God."
Paul's statement is interpreted by some as indicating a hierarchy of authority that includes a subordination of Christ to God.
1 Corinthians 15:28: "When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all."
This verse discusses the Son being subjected to the Father at the end of all things, which some view as supporting subordination.
Philippians 2:6-7: "Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."
The concept of Christ "emptying himself" is sometimes interpreted in light of subordination, though it primarily speaks to the incarnation.
were a group of early Christians who believed that the God of the New Testament and the Old Testament were different entities. This belief system was founded by Marcion of Sinope around the middle of the 2nd century AD. Marcion advocated for a theology that sharply distinguished between the God of the Old Testament, whom he saw as a just but wrathful deity concerned with law and justice, and the God of the New Testament, whom he identified as a God of love and mercy revealed through Jesus Christ.
Marcion rejected the Old Testament entirely and compiled his own canon, which included only a version of Luke's Gospel and ten of Paul's epistles, both edited to remove references that he believed contradicted his theological views. He argued that Christianity should be completely separate from Judaism and its scriptures.
Marcion's teachings were declared heretical by mainstream Christian leaders of the time, and his views were vehemently opposed by early church fathers, including Tertullian, Irenaeus, and Justin Martyr, who defended the unity of the Old and New Testaments and the consistent character of God throughout. Marcionism had a significant impact on the early church, notably prompting discussions about the formation of the New Testament canon and the relationship between Christianity and Judaism.
The Ebionites were a Jewish Christian group that regarded Jesus as the Messiah but maintained a strong commitment to Jewish law. They typically denied the divine pre-existence of Jesus, viewing him more as a prophetic figure and a human Messiah.
also spelled as "Nazarenes," were an early Christian group, often considered to be one of the Jewish Christian movements. The Nazoreans were Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah but continued to observe Jewish law and traditions. They were similar to the Ebionites, another early Jewish Christian group, but there were likely differences in beliefs and practices. They are distinct from the term "Nazarene," which was used as a title for Jesus and his followers in the New Testament. The Nazoreans are primarily known from references in early Christian writings, including those of Church Fathers such as Eusebius, Epiphanius, and Jerome.
were an early Christian sect, often associated with Jewish Christianity, that emerged around the 2nd century AD. They are named after their founder, Elxai (or Elchasai), and are known primarily through the writings of early Christian heresiologists, such as Hippolytus of Rome and Epiphanius of Salamis, who wrote about them from an opposing viewpoint. Due to the scarcity of primary sources, our understanding of the Elkesaites is limited and largely based on these external accounts. The Elkesaites are often described as having a syncretic belief system, combining elements of Christianity, Judaism, and possibly other religious traditions, including Gnostic and Essene influences. They are known to have rejected the writings of Paul the Apostle and emphasized the observance of Jewish law. The Elkesaites’ view of Jesus is not well-documented, but based on what is known about Jewish-Christian sects of the time, they likely had a view of Jesus that focused on his role as a prophet or a messianic figure, rather than a divine being co-equal with God.
These theological debates and controversies played a significant role in the development of early Christian doctrine, leading to various church councils and the eventual establishment of the doctrine of the Trinity as orthodox Christian teaching. The Trinity doctrine, as formalized in these councils, professed that God is one being in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit, co-eternal and co-equal.
Adoptionism was also adhered to by the Jewish Christians known as , who, according to in the 4th century, believed that Jesus was chosen on account of his sinless devotion to the will of God.
The Ebionites were a movement that existed during the early centuries of the Christian Era. They show strong similarities with the earliest form of Jewish Christianity, and their specific theology may have been a "reaction to the ". They regarded Jesus as the Messiah while rejecting his divinity and his virgin birth, and insisted on the necessity of following Jewish law and rites. They used the , one of the ; the Hebrew Book of Matthew starting at chapter 3; revered (James the Just); and rejected as an . Their name (: Ἐβιωναῖοι, Ebionaioi, derived from the Hebrew אביונים, meaning 'the poor' or 'poor ones') suggests that they placed a special value on voluntary poverty.
Distinctive features of the Gospel of the Ebionites include the absence of the virgin birth and of the genealogy of Jesus; an , in which Jesus is chosen to be God's Son at the time of his Baptism; the abolition of the Jewish sacrifices by Jesus; and an advocacy of vegetarianism.