1.2 The Trinity

• How is God depicted in the Old Testament?

  he is depicted as three personalities: wisdom of God, word of God and spirit of God
• What does the trinity recognise?

  1. the full divinity of jesus
  2. the full divinity of the spirit
  3. their mutual relationship
• What is eastern theology?

  each of the three persons of God have a distinct personality
• what is Western theology?

  the three persons work together in a mutual relationship, they are all equal
• What is the Shamrock analogy for the trinity?

  A shamrock is a single leaf that contains three different elements
• Why would someone use an analogy for the trinity?

  it is difficult to visualise the trinity, theologians have used the trinity to help people to comprehend it
• What are the traditional models of the trinity?

  1. the cappadocian model
  2. augustine of hippo’s model
  3. the filioque controversy
• what is the cappadocian model?

  • defence of the principle of divine unity
  • there is one god, three different modes of being
  • the father has priority - he is the source of the trinity