Ch.3
Blessed Trinity
God is a paradoxical being.
Additionally the mystery of the holy trinity is the highest of truths in the catholic Church because it leads directly to a full appreciation of jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and teachings as the gifts they are.
God Reveals His name
In Hebrew culture a name is highly significant. Names have meaning, even if we don’t know them.
God renamed a number of biblical figures to indicates a new importance or role for them.
God Reveals His name(2)
YHWH( or Yahweh ) = “ I AM WHO AM”
This name technically refers to existence itself, signifying that god is present in everything everywhere.
God is eternal and all encompassing, not depending on anyone or anything
Other names of God
1. El shaddai = Almighty God
2. El elyon = All-high God
3. Elohim = God the creator
4. Adonai = Lord
The Trinity Foreshadowed
“In Our Image”: God spoke in third person on a number of occasions, especially in the Book of Genesis
They believes this foreshadowed the blessed trinity.
God as a family: following the idea that we are made in Gods image, our tendency is to group, more or less, into small family units.
This tendency is seen as foreshadowing the blessed trinity
Abrahams three visitors in the Book of Genesis is also seen as a foreshadowing.
The Trinity Revealed
At the Annunciation: the angel Gabriel told Mary she will bare a chikd name jesus the son of God.
At the Baptism: a voice from above referring to jesus as his son, of whom he is proud. A dove mysteriously taking flight from directly above jesus. Jesus being baptized and anointed into his ministry as prophet, priest, and king.
In Christs promise of the Holy Spirit
In Christs instructions to the Apostles
The Language of the trinity
It borrowed the terms nature and person from greek philosophy
The blessed trinity possess one nature as the one true God
Within the nature there are three distinct persons.
The 3 persons are distinct only in their relation to the others. In other words, it is only through the actions of each person, how they work together, that they are made distinct from the others
Explaining