Summary of the Church Fathers' View on the Trinity

                             Summary of the Church Fathers' View on the Trinity


Summary of Ignatius' Beliefs

No mention of a Trinitarian God

The Son never clearly ascribed divinity on par with the Father

The Son never clearly attributed with pre-existence

Ignatius seems to subordinate the Son’s divinity compared to the Father (Letter to the Philadelphia, Ch 7; Letter to the Magnesians, Ch 13, etc)

The Son is not essentially impassible. He goes from being passible to impassible only after the resurrection (Letter to the Ephesians, Ch 7)

Scholars accused Ignatius of Modalism

No theological significance utilized by Ignatius from “Trinitarian formulas”

Later major corruption and altering of Ignatius’ writings indicates changes were being made to his writings attempting to mold his theology to fit later “Orthodoxy”

Demonstrated Characteristics of Dynamic Monarchian or Modalism



Summary of Justin Martyr's Beliefs
The Father is uncaused and utterly transcendent. He cannot become incarnate or directly interact with creation (Dialogue with Trypho Ch 60, 127).

The Son is not eternal. He is a temporal product of the Father’s will (Dialogue with Trypho Ch 129).

The Son is a “god”, but not the Most-High God (Dialogue with Trypho Ch 56, 60).

The Son is not the Most-Just (First Apology Ch 12)

The Son and Spirit are ranked in second and third place after God The Father (First Apology Ch 13)

The Son is worshipped after God (The Father) (Second Apology Ch 13)

The Father and Son are not the same power, nor do they possess the same power (First Apology Ch 32,32, and 60, Dialogue with Trypho Ch 60, 127)

Belief in Jesus’ preexistence is not essential for salvation (Dialogue with Trypho Ch 48)

The Son is not the Maker/Creator of all things (Dialogue with Trypho Ch 60)

Father and Son are divisible and separable from one another (Dialogue with Trypho Ch 128)

The Son requires salvation from the Father (Dialogue with Trypho Ch 102)

The Holy Spirit seems subordinate and never clearly mentioned as part of a Trinity (First Apology Ch 13)




Summary of Irenaeus' Beliefs

No mention of God as a Trinity (Against Heresies, Book 1, Ch 22)

The only “true God” is the Father alone (Against Heresies Book 4, Ch 1)

The Son is less than the Father and subject to Him (Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching # 51)

The Father has more knowledge than the Son (Against Heresies, Book 2, Ch 28)

The Word is eternal in *some sense* (Against Heresies, Book 4, Ch 20)

God (The Father) creates through His Word and Wisdom (Against Heresies Book 1, Ch 22)

The Word is generated by the Father, but Irenaeus refuses to specify what exactly this generation is (Against Heresies, Book 2, Ch 28)

Two-stage Logos theorist (Against Heresies, Book 4, Ch 14)

The Father cannot become incarnate, reminiscent of Justin’s theology (Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, # 45)

The Holy Spirit i.e. God’s Wisdom is created (Against Heresies Book 4, Ch 20)

Secondary sources support Irenaeus’ two-stage Logos theory interpretation





Summary of Origen's Beliefs

The Father is greater than the Son (On First Principles 1.3.5)

The Son is not the Most-High God (Against Celsus, Book 8, Ch 14)

The Son is the demiurge (Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 1, Ch 40)

The Father and Son do not have the same being or essence (Beeley, Unity of Christ)

The Son is a second “god” (Against Celsus, Book 5, Ch 39)

The Son is only “a god”, but not “The God” (Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 2, Ch 2)

The Father is the only thing uncreated (Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 2, Ch 6)

The Spirit is created by the Son (Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 2, Ch 6)

Origen was criticized by early Church Fathers like Jerome, Epihanius, and others. Secondary sources confirm Origen was a Subordinationist.





Summary of Tertullian's Beliefs

The “Son” is not an eternal divine person. Only one eternal divine person. (Against Hermogenes Ch 3)

The “Son” was created by God just prior to and for the creation of the world. (Against Praxeas Ch 7)

The Father is “older and nobler” than the Son and Spirit (Against Hermogenes Ch 18)

The Son was always deficient in knowledge (Against Praxeas Ch 16)

The Son is less than the Father as he is only a portion of the divine substance (Against Praxeas Ch 9)

Tertullian says the Son is “God”, but not in the same sense as the Father

Tertullian uses the word trinitas (Trinity) to refer to three members, but not a Trinitarian God

Tertullian uses later “Orthodox” language of 1 substance and 3 persons, but not “Orthodox” concepts of such terminology

Tertullian was clearly a two-stage Logos theorist





Summary of Eusebius' Beliefs

Eusebius followed Origen’s pattern of subordinationism

Holy Spirit created by the Son (On Ecclesiastical Theology, Book 3, Ch 6)

The Father and Son are not the same God (Proof of the Gospel, Book 4, Ch 15)

The Son is not the Supreme/Most-High God (Proof of the Gospel, Book 4, Ch 7)

Son created by the Father’s will and choice (Proof of the Gospel, Book 4, Ch 3)

The Son is not eternal (Proof of the Gospel, Book 5, Ch 1)

Father and Son are not the same being (Proof of the Gospel, Book 5, Ch 3)



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