After reading this study you might
ask; Why would this symbol be on the Christian Bible?
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The Master's Table
The question is do you know where the belief in the trinity came from and is it biblical? I don't try to preach any religion but I research to find what is biblical. if you want to follow the Jesus of your bible and not the old Catholic teachings that remained in many churches after the reformation you might want to check out this study with an open mind.
The triquetra is a geometrical figure having three points, especially one formed of three intersecting ellipses. The triquetra was often used in ancient art by many religions to symbolize a triune deity. The trinity doctrine has been accepted by most Christian churches today as the Godhead consisting of three divine beings namely God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The question is was this doctrine taught by Jesus or the Apostles and if not, where did this teaching come from? Let's study the history of the doctrine of the trinity first and then we will show clear scriptures that will lay to rest the question if the trinity is pagan or Christian. Be sure to look at the pagan symbols at the end of this study from which the trinity teaching was derived long before the birth of the Messiah. It is commonly understood by many scholars that the doctrine of the Trinity developed over a period of time and was not taught by the apostles. In fact as you will see later in this study the word trinity does not exist in the christian bible. It was not until the end of the fourth century that the trinitarian doctrine was being introduced to the church of Rome, but John of Damascus put the last touches in refining the doctrine as late as the eighth century! John of Damascus was the Chief Administrator to the ruler of Damascus, and was a Syrian monk and presbyter. So, modern Trinitarianism was not fully developed until the eighth century, and we find that the very early Catholic Church Fathers had no clear conception of the Trinity. (Information from, History of Christian Doctrines, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1937, p. 40)
Tertullian Taught:
Tertullian (A pagan turned Catholic) was the first man who can be said
to be Trinitarian since he invented the word "Trinity". He knew Greek as well
as Latin, and wrote works in Greek. When he was yet a pagan (Around mid life)
he accused the Catholic Church of also worshipping pagan gods as he did because
the teachings of the trinity were much like his own. Long after the Apostles
were dead, Tertullian was converted to the Catholic religion around 195 AD,
and became presbyter of the Catholic church in Carthage, North Africa. Today
he is referred to as the founder of Western theology (See EH Klotsche, The
History of Christian Doctrine, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979, 52-53). He wrote
Against Praxeas in 213 and attacked the modalist concept of God, bringing
an explanation of his trinitarianism into view. It must be noted that he began
believing in only two persons of the Godhead as opposed to three but
later accepted three. Tertullian, the father of Trinitarianism, wrote in his
book that God was not yet Father before the time in which He begat the Son.
By teaching that the Son was not eternal Tertullian in fact diminished
the point of Jesus being our savior. It's very important to keep in mind
that if Jesus is a created being then He cannot be our savior!
Remember it is written in Matt 1:23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with
child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which
is translated, "God with us." This scripture notes the
very important fact that when the Messiah walked the earth He was in fact
God! Tertullian wrote: "He was (born and created) of the Father, making
the Father stronger, older and more noble than the Son. This is what Tertullian
wrote of a "Trinity." He said that God consisted of "three persons". These
three persons were the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. God is "one only substance
in three coherent, inseparable (Persons)" He said that the three persons were
three "beings" making up one God. He said that the Father and the Son were
"two different Beings" They were "distinct but not separate" He said the Son
was "another." Tertullian' teachings were accepted by many although they
were not biblical.
Christian - Wiccans:
The covan of wicca acknowledge the male/female dual nature of Deity, and often
declare the importance of the Trinity in the Christian Trinity of Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit for the God aspect of Deity. They teach that the coven
of Wicca and Christianty are completely compatible due to specific verses
in the Bible, and there are those that say that since the Bible has many errors
due to translation and misinterpretation, accroding to them the beliefs
can be combined because after all thay state, the word "religion" embraces
any methods a person uses to connect him/herself back to his/her Creator.
Let's take a look at the history of Trinitarian teachings down through time, and even before God was born as a man.
The triangle:
The triangle is the perfect symbol for the Trinity. It has three
equilateral (equal) sides and three equilateral angles. All three sides are
equal, yet all three sides are distinct. Three parts, yet one image. The
triangle in slide one has the word "Sanctus" which is Latin meaning
"Holy". The triangle in slide two contains the greek letters, Omicron, Omega, and Nu. These stood for the phrase spoken by God to Moses from
the burning bush in Exodus 3:14 , egw
eimi o wn, meaning, "I
am that I am". Keep in mind this phrase was taken from the Septuagint, the
Greek form of the Old Testament.
In these slides we find the trinity symbol used in the form of a circle.
Each circle is equal and interwoven depicting infinite time. The open form at
the end, (called a trefoil) is often seen in churches, either as decoration, or
as the shape of the top panel of an arched window.
Shield of the Trinity - In each circle
are three Latin words; Pater, Filius
and Spus Scus (Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit). In the middle is the word Deus (God). The connecting
lines inward read Est (is).
The outer lines read Non Est (is not). Thus the
symbol reads: The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The
Father is not the Son or the Holy Spirit. The Son is not the Father or the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. The three fish are also popular among the Trinitarian believers. The
miter worn by the pope is in fact the symbol of the old pagan fish god. The
fish symbol "was so revered throughout the
This symbol is called a Zepplian.
Another name for this symbol is the triquetra and
it is primarily a symbol of trinities. It is most commonly used in a Pagan
sense to represent the triple aspects of the Goddess Maiden, Mother and Crone.
The unbroken circle symbolizes the essential unity of whatever triad is being
signified by the three outer points and the central, curved triangle. Many
three-fold systems can be represented by the triquetra, such as life, death and rebirth. This
last symbol with (NIV) is what we find on bible covers.
.
Numbers are very important
to the occultists such as the number nine, and one of the reasons they love
the number nine is because Jesus (The one they hate.) died at the ninth hour.
They also teach that there are nine orders of devils. The symbol for nine,
used in worship, is the anagram, a triangle system with nine points, with
satanic symbols at the points. The other numbers important to occultists are
33, 3, 13, 666, or just 6. Remember the teaching of the old triune god is
three. Satan is depicted holding the trident and it's also the symbol of the
old Roman sea god, Neptune. Taoist concepts (yin, Tao and yang); the tantric
energy channels (ida, sushumna
and pingala); the Hindu trinity (Shiva, Brahma and
Vishnu); the alchemical concepts (Sulfur, Mercury and Salt); the phases of
the moon (waning, full and waxing).
Now to explain the statement in Matt 28:19-20.
This is the only place where the three were mentioned together in this manner.
All other comments concerning the Holy Spirit are used in relationship to
the Power of God such as when they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as
well as this scripture concerning that Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit.
It states…"And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy
Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you;
therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of
God." There are many scriptures that refer to the Holy Spirit as the
power of God. The reason the term "The name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit" was used here in Matt 28:19-20 is
because Jesus was sending them out on a commission which would be in the Name
(Authority) of the Holy Father and the Son by the POWER of the Holy Spirit.
A blessed promise that Christ's presence as well as his authority shall empower
(By His Spirit) his servants to perform this commission.
Now as for I Jn 5:7-8; "For there are three that bear
witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three
are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water,
and the blood; and these three agree as one."
The Interlinear shows that the words in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one." in vs. 7 was not in the original text. However I have found them in all translations of Wycliffe, Tyndale, and Coverdale, and the Geneva bible etc. so why did the author of the Interlinear note that these words were not in the original? Because as we find in the records the text of this verse should read, because there are three that bear record. The remainder of the verse is not genuine. Not a single manuscript contains the trinitarian addition before the fourteenth century, and the verse is never quoted in the controversies over the Trinity in the first 450 years of the church era. The facts as we have found in our research is that Erasmus added this text when he translated the New Testament from Latin to Greek. He did not have this in his first translation but received a great deal of protest because the omission threaten the doctrine of the Trinity so he put them back in the third and later editions.
Just what is the Truth About The Holy Spirit of God?
In order to properly answer the question about the truth concerning the
Holy Spirit of God we must first come to understand just what the Spirit of
God is. Is it what many preachers teach in mainstream Christianity? That the
Holy Spirit is a third person of the Godhead? The truth is that if the Spirit
of God was in fact a personage of the Godhead then we have a very serious
problem. Notice what's recorded in Matt 1:18 "For that which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Spirit." It was in fact the Holy Spirit of God
that impregnated Mary. Also in Luke 1:35 we read "And the angel answered
and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of
the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to
be born will be called the Son of God." Here the Holy Spirit is referred
to as the power of God. Now if the Holy Spirit was a third person of the Godhead,
and if Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit, (which He was) then He "would
not be the Son of God the Father," but the Son of the Holy Spirit.
Let's take a look at one scripture that refers to the Holy Spirit as "He" to understand more clearly. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, "He" will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." John 14:26. In all cases where the Holy Spirit is referred to as "He" in the New Testament is ekeinos in the Greek and it means "that one" (or [neuter] thing). The translator replaced the word "ekeinos" with "He" because all neuter words were referred to as "he" or "she" in their language at the time of this translation. In nearly all foreign languages there are only two genders, "male, and female". English is one of the few languages that has a "neutral gender", as "it". This is why we find the terms as "Her" or, "She" referring to a ship, or other such things. Before you reject this out of hand continue reading, and remember what we covered above concerning the pagan trinity, and the fact that Jesus cannot be a created being. As we have found through our research we know Jesus and the Holy Father are two separate persons because Jesus stated that no one has seen the Father at any time. Let's read it for ourselves in John 5:36-37. "But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish-- the very works that I do-- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me and the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form." The fact that Jesus is also of the Godhead and people saw Him proves that they are two separate persons, and notice in this scripture "The Father testified" of Him. It's a fact that only another separate person can testify of the other. Also we find that Jesus will turn all things over to the Holy Father who will for the first time come down and dwell among men. This was taught by the apostle Paul recorded in 1 Cor 15:24; it states..."Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power."
Let's read it in the book of revelation also. "Then I, John,
saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,
"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them,
and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be
their God." Rev 21:2-3. The word "God" in these verses in the
Greek is "Theou", and "Theous" which means the Supreme
Divinity. Also notice in verse 22, "But I saw no temple in it, for the
Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. This scripture denotes
two of the Godhead stating that the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. Notice
that there's no mention here of the Holy Spirit as a member of the Godhead.
Just as there was no mention of the Holy Spirit in the above scripture, let's
honestly ask why the apostle Paul never mentioned the Holy Spirit when he
was addressing the Churches of God. Paul would address the Churches with..."Paul,
an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in
The truth is that the Holy Spirit is the POWER of God! Notice what
was recorded in Luke 24:49. "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father
upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power
from on high." What does the term "power from on high" mean,
and when did the Apostles and brethren that were there receive power from
on high? At Pentecost when they received the Holy Spirit as we read in Acts.
1:8. "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in
So if the spirit of God is a member of the Godhead than this scripture would
mean there's seven spirits, plus the Father, plus the Son of the Godhead making
the total number nine! Is that what we are to accept? No! This means that
the seven Spirits of God are the powers of God having different functions.
The truth is that the teaching of the trinity came from ancient pagan religions
long before Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was adopted
into Christianity by the Roman Catholic Church. There's no wording in the
entire bible that has the word "trinity" or states that the
Holy Spirit is a person or member of the Godhead.
When I found these facts I wanted to know where the doctrine of the trinity
came from so I researched the subject to find its origin and if you have read
this study concerning the trinity you found that it was never from the bible
but introduced into the Catholic Church by Tertullian (A pagan turned Catholic)
so when the protestant reformation ended and many came to America they brought
many of the old Catholic teachings with them such as the trinity, Sunday being
the day of worship, the cross, and later they accepted the doctrines of Christ-mass
which was the Mass the Catholic priest observed. Check out this page at
the URL below and you will see the time line when the Catholic Church added
many doctrines which were never taught by Jesus or the early church.
http://www.masters-table.org/reformation/catholictimeline.htm
What has happened is that the Catholic Church added the trinity concept because of the teachings of Tertullian, the father of Trinitarianism, and in order to please many pagans that came into their church. These pagan triune worshippers did not want to give up their god so the Pope made it Tradition.
How could the Catholic Church change what the bible teaches? What did they tell the people in order to get them to accept such changes?
The doctrine of "Tradition", as taught by the Roman Catholic
Church:
(A quote from MF Blume.) "The Roman
Catholic Church teaches that the doctrines that are not found explicitly taught
by the apostles but taught later by other men, after the Bible was written,
are nevertheless truths from God. Therefore these "other" doctrines
are as important as clear biblical teachings. The Catholic Church teaches
that the apostles simply chose not to explicitly write such beliefs to the
churches as New Testament Scripture. Although there is no explicit proof that
the apostles believed these doctrines, the Roman Catholic Church proposes
that the apostles indeed did believe them. Rather than be founded upon clear,
explicit teachings in the Bible as taught by the apostles and Jesus the Christ,
the Roman Catholic Church believes that their foundation is the belief that
God would not have the Roman Church teach such doctrines if they were not
true doctrines. The majority of Protestant denominations do not altogether
accept this Catholic Church doctrine, which gives so-called credence to the
doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, the doctrine of the Assumption of the
Virgin Mary and of the literal flesh and blood in the communion Eucharist,
but they have nevertheless accepted the Trinity doctrine even though this
Trinity doctrine is no more explicitly taught in scripture than the doctrine
of the Immaculate Conception. To accept one doctrine and then throw out the
other, when both are from the same foundation of "Tradition", as
opposed to explicit scriptural teaching, is to act most contradictorily. The
Roman Catholic Church teaches that they have as much authority to hear a new
doctrine from God, that was never formerly and explicitly taught by the original
Apsotles, as did the original apostles since apostles
have continued to exist in the Roman Catholic Church. This doctrine of "Apostolic
Succession" is said to give the Roman Catholic Church the right to add
new doctrines to the faith. And the Doctrine of the Trinity was one such doctrine
that came along in the fourth century, and was totally refined in the eighth
century!" Question is...Who do you believe and follow?
The below writings are from "On Heresies Saint John of Damascus, Writings," Tr. F.H. Chase, The Fathers of the Church, Catholic University, 1958. p. 161-3.] It states..."We believe in Father and Son and Holy Ghost; one Godhead in three hypostases; one will, one operation, alike in three persons; wisdom incorporeal, uncreated, immortal, incomprehensible,without beginning, unmoved, unaffected, without quantity, without quality, ineffable, immutable, unchangeable, uncontained, equal in glory, equal in power, equal in majesty, equal in might, equal in nature, exceedingly substantial, exceedingly good, thrice radiant, thrice bright, thrice brilliant. Light is the Father, Light the Son, Light the Holy Ghost; Wisdom the Father, Wisdom the Son, Wisdom the Holy Ghost; one God and not three Gods; one Lord the Holy Trinity discovered in three hypostases. Father is the Father, and unbegotten; Son is the Son, begotten and not unbegotten, for He is from the Father; Holy Ghost, not begotten but proceeding, for He is from the Father. There is nothing created, nothing of the first and second order, nothing lord and servant; but there is unity and trinity - there was, there is, and there shall be forever - which is perceived and adored by faith - by faith, not by inquiry, nor by searching out, nor by visible manifestation; for the more He is sought out, the more He is unknown, and the more He is investigated, the more He is hidden. And so, let the faithful adore God with a mind that is not overcurious. And believe that He is God in three hypostases, although the manner in which He is so is beyond manner, for God is incomprehensible. Do not ask how the Trinity is Trinity, for the Trinity is inscrutable. But, if you are curious about God, first tell me of yourself and the things that pertain to you. How does your soul have existence? How is your mind set in motion?"
"How do you produce your mental concepts? How is it that you are both mortal and immortal? But, if you are ignorant of these things which are within you, then why do you not shudder at the thought of investigating the sublime things of heaven? Think of the Father as a spring of life begetting the Son like a river and the Holy Ghost like a sea, for the spring and the river and sea are all one nature. Think of the Father as a root, and of the Son as a branch, and the Spirit as a fruit, for the substance in these three is one. The Father is a sun with the Son as rays and the Holy Ghost as heat. The Holy Trinity transcends by far every similitude and figure. So, when you hear of an offspring of the Father, do not think of a corporeal offspring. And when you hear that there is a Word, do not suppose Him to be a corporeal word. And when you hear of the Spirit of God, do not think of wind and breath. Rather, hold you persuasion with a simple faith alone. For the concept of the Creator is arrived at by analogy from His creatures. Be persuaded, moreover, that the incarnate dispensation of the Son of God was begotten ineffably without seed of the blessed Virgin, believing Him to be without confusion and without change both God and man, who for your sake worked all the dispensation. And to Him by good works give worship and adoration, and venerate and revere the most holy Mother of God and ever-virgin Mary as true Mother of God, and all the saints as His attendants. Doing thus, you will be a right worshiper of the holy and undivided Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Ghost, of the one Godhead, to whom be glory and honor and adoration forever and ever. Amen"
The above quote is not based on scripture nor anything that God the Holy Father has given to His Church. This is written to deceive those that just go along with what ever the Mother Church puts out as doctrine. This as well as the above factual information concerning the trinity in this study is a very good example as to why those that truly want to follow the true God and His Son Jesus should seek the true doctrines set fourth in Scripture. Again...Who do you believe and follow?