JEWISH MONOTHEISM, JESUS’ DIVINITY AND THE TRINITARIAN ANALOGY
Keywords:
Jewish Monotheism, Jesus, Trinity, early Christianity, and Nicaea.Abstract
The trinity has been a subject of debate over the years within both Christian and non-Christian circles. Many have not been able to see the dichotomy between Jesus and the Father, and the oneness as emphasized by Jesus in the Gospels and the apostles in the Epistles. This understanding, as presented about the unified nature of the Godheads, seems to conflict with the Jewish monotheistic understanding, which has, in its entirety, given birth to Christianity. This paper investigates such positions within the Jewish and Jesus studies in search of a meeting point for understanding the trinitarian analogy. Through careful analysis of the biblical records, we can deduce that the early Christians, who were predominantly Jews, invented the understanding of the Trinity, considering reflections from the teachings of Jesus. This was intensified when Jesus' deity was formalized at the First Council of Nicaea in AD 325, making the trinity an important Christian doctrine, even though the word ‘trinity’ does not have a biblical appearance. Whether the doctrine of the Trinity is accepted or not, inquisitive ability would leave us to decide, despite the orthodox understanding of Jesus and the Trinity in a typical African Christian society.
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