The Primitive Trinity
The classical Christian doctrine of the Trinity holds that God is one, yet existing in three coeternal, consubstantial persons or hypostases -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; hence, "one God in three divine Persons." That's a lot to unpack... For many Christians the Trinity seems too difficult to understand, so many do not even bother to try -- far better to confess the creeds and be done with it. Indeed, finding ways to articulate the Trinity can be a career-long pursuit. Theologians spend years writing books on the subject. This is because the Trinity calls for the utmost conciseness in definition, simplicity of expression, and relevance in presentation. The "relevance" part is what trips up even the best of attempts. Yet before the subject got so complicated, before the Trinity was a doctrine, it was simply a word. The Latin word Trinitas derives from trinus , meaning "threefold." Literally it means a triad -- ...
